(Photo Credit: Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter @TCalauttis

The Boston Bruins dropped their third game in a row following a 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars. Boston’s penalty troubles persisted, and their penalty kill continued to struggle, leading to the team’s first sub .500 record since 2018 (opening night this season excluded). Here’s how it went down:

Good Start Squandered

The Bruins had plenty of juice to start the game and capitalized on that momentum, scoring the contest’s opening goal with 11:57 remaining in the first. Captains Jamie Benn and Brad Marchand were serving minor penalties, and the team was playing four-on-four when the Bruins struck first.

Matt Poitras made the play happen when he intercepted a pass between two Dallas defensemen behind their net. The second-round pick gathered the puck and turned towards the net front, finding a wide-open David Pastrnak for a one-time goal.

However, The Bruins could not build on that lead, as Matt Duchene knotted things up at 16:20 of the first. Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, Pastrnak’s goal was the lone bright spot on a night where the negatives far outweighed the positives.

PK Falters

Since the 2019-2020 COVID-shortened season, the Boston Bruins are second in the NHL with an 84.2 penalty kill percentage. That trend hasn’t continued for the 2024-25 Bruins. In eight games this season, the team has allowed six power-play goals, with all of them coming in the previous seven games. That trend didn’t change last night.

Both Dallas and Boston went into the second period tied at one, but it certainly didn’t end that way. The Stars potted three goals (Robertson, Stankoven, and Seguin) in the second, each coming during the man advantage.

“You can’t take that many penalties in the second,” said head coach Jim Montgomery. “It’s the hardest period to get changes on the penalty kill, so guys end up tired. When guys are tired they make mistakes and they’re not going to execute, and that’s what happened on two of those goals.”

Eight games into this season, the Bruins are 19th in the league, only killing 77.5 percent of their penalties. Thus far, the team has been a far cry from its stout and defensively sound predecessors.

Soul Searching

Jim Montgomery started off his postgame press conference with a direct and honest quote about his team’s performance over the last several games. Here it is in its entirety:

“(His team’s lack of confidence is) quite significant. Our attitudes need to go in a better, healthier direction as in trying to control what you can control, try and excel at your role. 

He continued, “Our attitudes are not in the moment; they’re on results. And when your attitude is on results, you tend to take too many penalties b/c you get frustrated quickly, and you tend to turn over the puck a lot. And that attitude of not (being) willing to work for what we want to get and get to our team game is causing some struggles right now.”

It was refreshing to hear Montgomery be so candid about his team’s early-season struggles. Talking about their mindset and approach to the game proves that he still has his hands on the team’s pulse. 

Assistant Captain Charlie McAvoy summed up where the team is in their development most succinctly, saying, “We’re trying to find out how to be our best.”

This is a team that’s still trying to find its identity, and all three captains spoke after tonight’s game, taking responsibility for the slow start and acknowledging the need to be better. 

They’ll have a chance to get back in the saddle on Saturday night when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Game Notes

  • Old friend Tyler Seguin has seven points in five games after notching a goal and two assists against the Bs.
  • Boston took five penalties tonight, but defenseman Nikita Zadorov wasn’t one of the offenders. That means he has played his first penalty-free game as a Bruins.
  • Boston’s second goal came on the man advantage late in the second period. Trent Frederic found Justin Brazeau for a net-front tap-in. The team cut the lead to 4-2, but the goal seemed too little, too late.
  • The Bruins played a solid first frame but were beaten down by Dallas in the second. However, they came to life in the third, outshooting the Stars 10-6 and outchancing them 9-3. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Bruins found their game late and can carry it over to Saturday night