By: Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On X / Twitter @adbblue
The Boston Bruins are now 11 games into the 2024-25 season and have a disappointing record of 4-6-1. Although there have been flashes of some good things, there have been an overwhelming number of bad details in their game. With many new players on this year’s roster, the team has struggled to find its identity.
There haven’t been those one or two things that stand out and define the team. If they want to right the ship, they must dig deep and figure out what those things are.
The biggest bright spot thus far has been the fourth line of Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, and Cole Koepke, who have been dynamite. However, head coach Jim Montgomery has juggled the other three lines due to a lack of consistency. On Thursday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, Montgomery split up the fourth line, but that did not work, as the Bruins suffered an embarrassing 8-2 loss.
In their two games against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, Boston went out of their way to try and match Florida’s toughness and physicality. It seemed as if that’s what they wanted their identity to be, but it didn’t work, as the Panthers were victorious in both tilts. The Bruins are trying too hard to find something that makes them a productive hockey team.
They haven’t simplified their game enough, forcing passes, making plays that aren’t there, and getting crushed under pressure in the defensive zone. Perhaps the biggest issue, though, is the undisciplined play. They have taken too many penalties, leading the league with 60. The Bruins are always known for having a strong penalty kill, but even that has struggled due to the high volume of penalties.
Ty Anderson of 98.5 the Sports Hub featured a stat in an X post stating that the Bruins have allowed three power-play goals in a game three times this season. They had only done that three times in their previous 437 games. A great penalty kill has always been part of the team’s identity, but even that has been absent thus far.
There’s way too much talent on the roster to have the results they’ve posted, and they undoubtedly know that. It’s still early in the season, and there’s a lot of hockey left to be played, but the Bruins need to dig deep and figure out their identity. They need to establish something they can do consistently game in and out that makes them a successful hockey team.
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