Don’t look now, but the Joe Sacco era is off to a good start. The Boston Bruins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in overtime to give them a 5-2 record. The spark continues and the Bruins are making a climb in the standings. It was not the prettiest game, but a win is a win and the Bruins managed to squeak one out.
Low-Event Offense
It is unlikely this is the first time you’ve seen or heard this, but the Bruins are not the most gifted offensive team in the league. Do they have the talent? They do. However, they have had a problem scoring goals and scoring in waves. Entering the game against the Red Wings, the Bruins had scored two or fewer goals in 15 of the 26 games they played. That is certainly not what anyone envisioned nor expected out of a group that did manage to produce during the 2023-24 season.
Related: Projected Lineups for the Red Wings vs Bruins – 12/3/24
Entering play, the Red Wings as a unit had allowed the eighth most shot attempts during five-on-five play. This was the perfect opportunity for the Bruins’ offense to right the ship and get good looks.
When it came to the quantity, the Bruins dominated and controlled the shot attempts share. It is a much different approach than the one they had under former head coach Jim Montgomery. However, the Bruins could not muster up anything of quality.
Of the 35 shots on goal for the Bruins, only four came from the high-danger area of the ice. Granted, one of the goals came from that area of the ice, so there is a positive side to it. But the low-event offense was evident in this game. During five-on-five play, the Bruins saw the Red Wings win the expected goals share 0.98-0.96.
A new coach and a new approach are something to keep in mind. The Bruins are built to play these closer and tight-checking games. At some point, the finishing ability has to improve, especially David Pastrnak who has just three goals in his last 18 games.
Korpisalo Continues to Be Strong in Net
If there is something to be thankful for, it’s goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. When the Bruins decided to break apart the famous tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, many wondered just how the new-look crease would perform. For Korpisalo, he has been everything you could ask for when it’s his night to tend the crease.
You can count on Korpisalo every time he is in net and he gives the Bruins a chance to win. Last night was no different. He came up large, especially in the third period. After Lucas Raymond scored to take the lead, the Red Wings almost delivered the dagger. Korpisalo made a game-saving blocker save and allowed the Bruins to continue to attack the other way. Eventually, the Bruins did land the tying goal on the power play thanks to Justin Brazeau. That goal would not have happened if not for Korpisalo making that save.
It was another good night in the crease for Korpisalo. He finished with a .926 save percentage and 0.21 goals saved above expected. It was a very low-event game overall between both teams, but Korpisalo also did his job in net, as he has all season long.
Nikita Zadorov and Brandon Carlo Were Steady
Sacco switched up the defensive pairings heading into this game. In doing so, he put out a tower of a pairing with Nikita Zadorov and Brandon Carlo. This is a pairing that can play strong shutdown defense and also transition the puck up the ice. Not only were they the two best players on the Bruins for the entirety of the game, but they were the best defensive pairing as well.
The two dominated the Red Wings and the Bruins reaped the benefits when they were on the ice. With Carlo on the ice, the Bruins controlled the shot attempts share (28-9) and the expected goals share (0.53-0.16). The Bruins outshot the Red Wings 16-5, which is huge.
It was effective with Zadorov as well. The shot attempts share was 25-9 with Zadorov on the ice and the expected goals share was 0.47-0.18. He also scored the game-tying goal in the first period, so the pair was able to factor into the scoresheet.
This new defensive system is built for players like these two and it’s great to see them shine brightly in it. It is also something Zadorov touched on after the game ended.
“I think we’re playing with the passion, playing with pride, and I think we’re playing for each other. I thought we were disconnected before.”
They are more in sync and Zadorov is one of the players that has benefitted the most from the change. Between him and Carlo, there is something special with this pairing too.
Bruins Continue to Thrive
Sometimes a coaching change can spark things and for the Bruins, they keep finding ways to win hockey games. They are showing they can win in different ways and getting the two points is all that matters. The offense may be low event, but capitalizing when you do get the chance is what counts. Korpisalo continues to be great and players are thriving in this new defensive system.
