By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter @TCalauttis
The Boston Bruins are 1-6-1 over their past eight games and the wheels seem to be coming off the wagon. After a hot start under interim Head Coach Joe Sacco, the team has regressed back to their bad habits from the early season, and those bad habits reared their ugly head once again as the team dropped last night’s contest against the Edmonton Oilers 4-0.
Last night’s game didn’t look very different from others this season. The Bruins were caught puck-watching multiple times in their own zone, failed to capitalize on their grade-A scoring chances, and (for some reason) refused to cover the slot. After watching their team fail another midseason test against a potential Stanley Cup contender, the TD Garden faithful voiced their displeasure with the team. But instead of bringing out the usual boo-birds echoed throughout Causeway this season, fans aimed at their GM.
With just under eight minutes remaining in the game, a ‘Fire Sweeney’ chant erupted from the crowd. Fans sang out in unison (honestly, the most coordinated and well-executed activity of the night) as they voiced their displeasure with Boston’s General Manager. The team was booed as it came off the ice, and one thing became crystal clear to all of Bruins Nation: it’s time to make a change.
I could spend the rest of this article providing numbers and stats illustrating just how bad the Bruins have been this season. They have the worst goal differential in the Atlantic Division (-24), the second-worst powerplay in the league (crazy it’s that high), and they currently only have two players averaging more than half a point per game (Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak). The team has come up short in every possible way, whether it’s offense, defense, or goaltending.
To their credit, the players said the right things after the game. Each player made available took responsibility for the loss and acknowledged that they still have confidence in the team. “We’ve seen it; we’ve seen what we’re capable of. We’ve shown it,” said Charlie Coyle after last night’s loss. “There’s no question it’s in here; we know that.”
Elias Lindholm echoed Coyle’s sentiment. “We’ve seen it…a couple of weeks ago, just before the break, I thought we were playing some good hockey…two weeks ago, we were playing pretty good hockey, so it’s there; we just have to regroup and have a good practice and be ready.”
The players may be confident, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that fans are losing their patience, and so should management. With over half of a season in the books, the book is out on the 2024-25 Boston Bruins, and if they want to make a push for the playoffs and beyond, they need help.
It may be the case that this team needs a franchise-altering move. Maybe it’s time to shake up the core and change the very fabric of this team to uncover a different identity. But if that isn’t the case, or management is unwilling to take that swing, it’s time to play the kids.
In Providence, the Bruins have three of their top prospects who have spent the entirety of this season working on their game and playing the type of high-energy, offensive hockey their NHL affiliate has sorely missed. Georgii Merkulov has 7-20-27 in 30 games, with 14 points in his last ten games. Matt Poitras went on a seven-game goal-scoring tear, has 8-10-18 in 21 games, and has 15 points in his previous 14 games. Fabian Lysell has posted 5-13-18 in 28 games this season and has eight points in his last eight contests.
It’s time to give some of these young players a chance to prove their mettle. Lysell brings a combination of speed and skill that this team, as currently constituted, doesn’t have right now. Georgii Merkulov has played at a point-per-game pace for two years and has nothing to prove at the AHL level. Matt Poitras has found his scoring touch and rediscovered the playmaking ability that opened the eyes of fans in the first place.
The Bruins may not have the horses or the willingness to make a trade that will alter the foundation of the franchise, but let’s not kid ourselves; this team needs an injection of life and energy. I’m not talking about a flier on waivers, a trade for a reclamation project, or another veteran call-up for the bottom six. It’s time for this team to make a tangible move that shakes up the top two lines and brings new blood into this team.
Whether it be playing the kids or making a bigger move, Don Sweeney needs to get off his hands and do SOMETHING to salvage his team’s season.
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