By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter @TCalauttis
The Boston Bruins have a bad power play. There really isn’t any way to fudge the numbers or sugarcoat the stats to change that fact. The team’s man advantage currently ranks 31st out of 32 NHL, clicking at only 12.4 percent. As the team heads into one of its most important stretches of the season, it seems interim head coach Joe Sacci has seen enough and is ready to make a change that will hopefully spur the Black and Gold to better powerplay success.
Earlier this morning, both Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic and Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reported that the Boston Bruins are changing their power play units. According to both reporters, the new ‘Power Play 1’ consists of Mason Lohrei, David Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie, Pavel Zacha, and Justin Brazeau. The second unit combined Charlie McAvoy, Oliver Wahlstrom, Brad Marchand, Elias Lindholm, and Charlie Coyle.
If you ask this writer, moving Mason Lohrei and Justin Brazeau to the top unit is a long overdue move. The Brazeau and Lohrei rank seventh and eighth amongst all Bruins forwards in power play ice time. Despite their limited opportunities, Brazeau is tied for first on the team in power-play goals (4) and is second on the team in power-play points (5). Mason Lohrei is tied for the team lead in power-play points (7) and leads the team in power-play assists (7).
When you compare that duo’s numbers to the rest of the league, what they’ve accomplished is quite impressive, given that they’ve ceded most of the team’s man-advantage time to other players. Of all skaters with at least 60 minutes of power play time, Brazeau ranks 13th in the NHL in goals/60 (3.65). The next closest Bruin is Charlie Coyle, who ranks 73rd.
Mason Lohrei’s numbers are even more impressive, given the amount of power play opportunities he’s conceded to Charlie McAvoy. Among defensemen with at least 60 minutes played, Lohrei ranks third in the league in assists/60 (6.78) and sixth in points/60 (6.78). Simply put, the Boston Bruins are a better power-play team when Mason Lohrei and Justin Brazeau are on the ice together.
It’s no secret Charlie McAvoy has struggled to quarterback Boston’s top unit this season. In 140 minutes of power-play time, McAvoy has only registered three points, tied for 44th in the league among defensemen. The New York native has struggled to pose as a legitimate scoring threat from the point, and hasn’t been the crisp facilitator that the team needs to set up their offense.
Putting Mason Lohrei at the top of the zone provides a legitimate shooting threat for the power play. Lohrei is willing and able to fire pucks through traffic and get them on the net/in tippable positions for guys like Brazeau to create scoring chances. The threat of Lohrei from the point and Brazeau from the top of the crease should (hypothetically) create more opportunities for David Pastrnak to make plays and score goals from his office.
Nothing has been given to the Bruins this season, and there are no guarantees that any of these changes will work. But this team has trotted out the same power-play for too long and expected things to change. Hopefully, empowering two of their more efficient players will provide better results for the man advantage.
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