( Photo Credit: Lindsey Wasson / AP Photo )

By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan

The Boston Bruins were on a noteworthy pace before skating into a six-game losing streak that began on December 18, but penalty issues have finally caught up and inserted themselves more and more into the spotlight this season. The lack of discipline has been an absolute backbreaker for momentum, and its impact has spread to both the players and the collective’s fundamentals.

It’s quite peculiar that this issue has been so prominent under new head coach Marco Sturm, especially considering most would agree he’s coached well so far. Could this be par for the course under a new regime, or is it simply a gradual issue that has surfaced this particular season?

First-Year Head Coaches and Penalties

To this point in the season, first-year head coaches and their respective groups are averaging at least 3.5 penalty minutes less than the Bruins. The closest tandems are head coach Joel Quenneville with the Anaheim Ducks at 10.30 penalty minutes per game and head coach Jeff Blashill with the Chicago Blackhawks at 10.29 PIM/GP.

These types of numbers suggest a level of uniqueness to the situation, which should put some heat on Sturm, who is supposed to be the difference from last season rather than an exacerbator. Especially considering the Bruins finished top three in penalty minutes last season with 801, on-ice discipline is a specific issue with this roster and the way they’ve been playing.

Could these penalties be a byproduct of the way Sturm and the organization want the roster to play? It’s possible that the mix of youth and an energetic forecheck has contributed to the issue, but more often than not it’s been Bruins defenders grabbing and holding that has shown up in big moments.

Nikita Zadorov does lead the team with 113 penalty minutes, but to some degree that sporadic lack of discipline was expected, which leaves Mark Kastelic’s 80 penalty minutes as potential supporting evidence that the team’s identity may be part of the cause. Sturm has managed to get players to be more willing participants in the dirty areas, and with that comes some unknown territory in terms of stick and body discipline.