By: Jack Studley | Follow me on Twitter/X @jackstudley13
The Boston Bruins’ power play last season was poor; there is no good way to describe it. The numbers will back it up: the power play finished at 15.2%, the lowest that number has been since the lockout-shortened 2013 season. Throughout this past season, the power play underwent a lot of change, notably losing key contributors at the trade deadline. Players were brought into the lineup in an attempt to spark the man advantage. All this while the coaches juggled roles after the staff shakeup in November.
Going into this upcoming season, the Bruins added some help on the ice and behind the bench, taking steps to right the wrongs from last season’s power play. Bringing in fresh faces with power play experience addresses a need for the Bruins and allows the staff to establish a new system from the start of the new season. The door will be open when training camp starts, allowing competition for the chance to land on the power play unit.
What Went Wrong
The Bruins’ power play was abysmal last year. When Jim Montgomery was fired in November, it ranked 32nd, producing at a rate of 11.7%. After the coaching change, the Bruins’ power play connected 26 times on 153 opportunities. The 15.2% power play finished 29th in the NHL at the end of the season. The Bruins also allowed 13 shorthanded goals, which was tied for first in the league in that category. The power play changed throughout the season and for good after the trade deadline. At the beginning of the season, the power play units consisted of guys like Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, and Justin Brazeau, all of whom were traded at the Trade Deadline in March.
Injuries and inconsistent play riddled the Bruins, and throughout the season, the coaching staff was forced to play their hand with different names on the power play. The injuries of Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy allowed Mason Lohrei to step up, but also gave power play minutes to Jordan Oesterle and Ian Mitchell. The Bruins claimed Oliver Walhstrom off waivers and played him on the second unit. Former first-round pick Fabian Lysell was playing on the power play during his call-up towards the end of the season, even finding the back of the net for his first career goal, coming on the man advantage. Trade acquisitions like Casey Mittelstadt, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Henri Jokiharju also spent time on the power play upon their arrivals in Boston. The constant shuffling never gave the power play any life; if anything, it dragged it down further.
What Needs to Change
The Bruins played 389:49 minutes on the power play last season, finishing seventh in the league in power play time. The 230 opportunities rank 11th in the NHL, but the 35 goals scored dragged the Bruins’ power play rank to 29th in the league. Shooting on the power play has been on the decline as well. In 2022-23, the Bruins totaled 438 shots on the power play, falling to 386 during the 2023-24 season, and declining further this past season to 339 power play shots.
David Pastrnak led the team with 76 shots on the power play, and only five players had more than 20 power play shots this season. Brad Marchand, who ranked second in that category with 53, did not play the last 21 games of the regular season with the Bruins. Charlie McAvoy was also on that list with 29; he missed 32 games this season. In the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, eight players had more than 20 shots on the power play. You can’t score if the puck is not getting on net; shooting needs to go up this season.
Chris Kelly oversaw the power play last year. When Joe Sacco was named interim head coach, he said that roles would not change and that Chris Kelly would continue working with the power play unit. The Bruins’ coaching staff readjusted their roles as the season progressed, and Kelly took a bigger role with the penalty kill. Kelly was a successful penalty killer throughout his playing days, naturally making him a better fit as the guy running the group. The Bruins lacked an authentic power play voice last season, with the coaches shuffling roles throughout the year to address team needs. Earlier this summer, the Bruins hired Marco Sturm as the 30th head coach in franchise history, and the team retained assistants Chris Kelly, Jay Leach, and Bob Essensa.
What is Changing
Marco Sturm and Don Sweeney mentioned bringing in an assistant coach with power play experience during Sturm’s introductory press conference. Ten days after the press conference, the Boston Bruins hired Steve Spott as an assistant coach. Spott comes with power play experience, overseeing the power play while working on Pete DeBoer’s staff in San Jose, Vegas, and Dallas. Spott appeared as a guest on NESN’s “The Hockey Hub” and mentioned how he is anticipating bringing fresh ideas and new messaging to the power play this season, and the goal for the power play is to finish in the top ten.
The Bruins made some additions this offseason with the power play in mind. Viktor Arvidsson comes to Boston with a shot-first mentality, and his style of play will fit into what the power play needs. Arvidsson can also get gritty in the net front area, which is ideal for the power play. Arvidsson scored ten goals on the man advantage during the 2022-23 season with the Los Angeles Kings. He scored four on the power play the year before, working with then-Kings power play coach Marco Sturm. Sturm is not directly overseeing the power play here, that is Spott’s job, but the two will work together to formulate the plan for the man advantage.
Another addition the Bruins made this summer was the signing of Czech winger Matej Blumel. According to the New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver, Steve Spott was influential in this signing. Spott was familiar with Blumel from his time in Dallas, where Blumel played 13 NHL games and excelled for the AHL’s Texas Stars, scoring 11 power play goals each of the last two seasons. Blumel scored a league-leading 39 goals for the Texas Stars last season and signed with Boston on July 1 to a one-year deal worth $875,000.
How It Should Look
Piecing together the Bruins’ power play for next season will be one of the more critical tasks for new head coach Marco Sturm and his assistant, Steve Spott, to figure out at training camp and throughout the preseason. When looking at the roster for the season ahead, the first power play should shape up to look like:
Zacha – E. Lindholm – Geekie
Pastrnak – Lohrei
Keeping David Pastrnak in his spot while bringing Pavel Zacha back to the first group gives the Bruins stability and familiarity with their first power play unit this season. Lindholm and Geekie developed a connection of their own, while also constantly clicking with David Pastrnak throughout his 106-point campaign last season. The four forwards spent time together on the power play last season, and Mason Lohrei found his game as a powerplay quarterback when given the opportunity, elevating his game to be a versatile defenseman who is hard to read; Lohrei tallied 15 assists on the man advantage last season.
The Bruins’ coaching staff will finalize the second power play unit in training camp, and it can be viewed as a blank canvas for power play coach Steve Spott. The Bruins have a lot of talent, and can use it to their advantage with the second power play unit, especially if it looks something like this:
Arvidsson – Mittelstadt – Blumel
McAvoy – H. Lindholm
Viktor Arvidsson comes to Boston with power play experience, and with a bigger role compared to last year, he has the opportunity to weaponize his shot-first mentality. Casey Mittelstadt is a creative player; he had ten power play assists during his time with Colorado and Boston last season. Due to his ability to find open lanes, he would be a good option to play in the middle bumper. Rounding out the group with Matej Blumel’s scoring ability and AHL power play experience makes him an exciting option for the second power play unit.
Running the two-man defensive unit has slowly found its way out in the NHL, with many teams opting for four forwards and one defenseman, but it was increasingly difficult to leave one of these guys out of the power play lineup. McAvoy struggled last season on the power play, but he has a proven track record of being a reliable defensive option for the Bruins with the man advantage; last season, he only provided two assists to the black and gold power play, but he has added 12, 17, and 17 in the three seasons before that as the top option for the power play.
Final Thoughts
At times last season, the Bruins’ power play seemed like a lost cause. However, the Bruins took steps to improve last year’s 15.2% production rate and 29th rank. Steve Spott is now working on the Boston bench, and he curated a successful power play in Dallas, producing at a rate of 23.7% over the last three seasons. His experience will be highly beneficial in helping Sturm take on his first year as an NHL head coach, and providing a fresh face to run the power play is a step in the right direction.
I am very high on the Matej Blumel signing. His past AHL power play experience, along with the report of Spott’s influence on the signing, leads me to believe that he can step into the role on the second power play unit. If not Blumel, players like Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten, and Matt Poitras will compete for the power play spot. The Bruins have young talent; this upcoming training camp is their chance to make a name for themselves.
Fortunately, a power play can be fixed during the offseason. It is more demanding to do it while the season is ongoing, especially when you are short a coach behind the bench. The power play will not be perfect (remember the four-for-four during the 2019 Stanley Cup Final?), but the numbers should improve compared to last season, making the Ford Bronco Horse ad read less intimidating if we hear it this fall.
Leave a Reply