Heading into this season, the Boston Bruins had a laundry list of improvements needed to be competitive in the Eastern Conference in 2025-26. At the top of that list was special teams and secondary scoring, two areas that really struggled in 2024-25. So far, the Bruins have made massive strides in both areas. Here’s a look.
Bruins Special Teams Trending Up
The Bruins’ power play was abysmal last season. Their 15.2% success rate ranked 29th in the league, ahead of only the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, and Anaheim Ducks. Their offense was generally mediocre last season, but the power play, in particular, never gained any momentum and was a major reason why they couldn’t keep pace in the Atlantic.
Despite not adding a big-name forward in free agency this summer, this has been a major area of improvement so far this season. With a power play success rate of 25.8% heading into Friday’s games, they rank sixth in the league, thanks to solid production from Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak, who lead the way with four power-play goals each.
Related: Goaltending The Key to Bruins’ Win Streak
The penalty kill has been another area of improvement under new head coach Marco Sturm. Last season, the Bruins had a disappointing 76.3% success rate on the penalty kill, ranked 24th in the league. That figure has improved to 80.3% this season, putting them 15th.
A large reason for the poor penalty killing performance in 2024-25 was injuries to the blue line, so some improvement was expected; however, new faces in the lineup, such as Sean Kuraly, have also made a meaningful impact on that front. Though they have not scored a shorthanded goal yet, the Bruins have looked more confident and aggressive shorthanded this season.
Bruins’ Secondary Scoring Has Stepped Up
Secondary scoring has been another major area of improvement. Only four players who ended the 2024-25 season on the Bruins’ roster recorded more than 40 points. Eight members of the 2025-26 team are on pace for more than 40 points through 19 games. Outside of Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie, and Brad Marchand, no member of the Bruins scored more than 17 goals last season; the Bruins have seven players on pace to eclipse that mark this season.
Given that general manager Don Sweeney did not go out and sign an elite scorer during the offseason, the Bruins’ recipe for a serviceable offense is to rely on continued scoring from players like Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson, Michael Eyssimont, and Casey Mittelstadt, while also relying heavily on Pastrnak and Geekie to provide some star power and consistency. Whether the contributions from these depth players continue remains to be seen, nit they are off to an undeniably impressive start.
Bruins Much Improved Already
Thanks to improved special teams and secondary scoring, the Bruins are significantly better than expected already this season. Without a ton of offensive star power, they will need to remain consistent on special teams. We saw last season that Pastrnak and Geekie, as great as they are, cannot be the only source of offense, so continued contribution from the rest of the lineup is also an absolute must.
Combining all this with solid play in net might be the winning formula for the Bruins this season, and it has worked for them so far. Just about a quarter of the way into the season, they sit tied at the top of the Atlantic with the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators, something very few would have predicted just two months ago.
