Offense has misfired without No. 1 center
Again lacking in offensive mojo, outshot for a fifth consecutive time in their 2-1 overtime loss to the Rangers on Saturday night, the Bruins nonetheless awoke Sunday tied with the Blueshirts atop the NHL standings with a .741 points percentage.
So, yes, things could be better, but ...
The Bruins clearly are not the 6512-5 powerhouse that dominated the 2022-23 regular-season standings, yet they’re still decidedly among the league elite in the thick of the 82-game schedule.
No secret, they owe that success chiefly, if not solely, to the stellar goaltending of Linus Ullmark, who was brilliant in Friday’s shootout win on Long Island, and Jeremy Swayman. The latter came away with a point in his last two starts despite only being supported by lone goals against the Devils (Morgan Geekie) and the Rangers (Trent Frederic).
Both Ullmark, the returning Vezina winner, and Swayman were stellar last season, too, but they backed an offense that scored 305 times and rolled up a league-best +128 goal differential. That was the best margin we’ve seen here since the high-octane days of 1973-74, led by Phil Esposito (145 points) and Bobby Orr (122).
Through 29 games this season, the Bruins by comparison are a pedestrian plus-21 on the scoreboard, fourth in the league as of Sunday morning. They held a 44-goal advantage at the same point last season.
All of which is to say, despite being knotted with the Rangers atop the standings, the Bruins are very much in need of regenerating their offensive engine in the wake of the Patrice Bergeron-David Krejci retirements. They have yet to figure it out, especially at center.
Top pivot Pavel Zacha, recently sidelined with an upper-body injury, could return Tuesday when the Bruins host the Wild. Ditto for Charlie McAvoy, their big dog on defense. Once those two are back and up to pace, that should help an attack that has been outshot 177-138 over the last five games.
But it’s mainly centers who call a team’s offensive tune, ideally driving lines with speed, puck possession, passing, and goal-scoring. Thus far, Zacha and Charlie Coyle have been filling those 1-2 center spots, and thus far, the results have been more 2-3 than 1-2.
A bona fide No. 1 center could change the dynamic considerably, dropping Zacha into the two-hole and moving Coyle back to the three-hole that he dominated last season. Adding that kind of impact player outside of the free agent market in July, however, is all but impossible.
The key names potentially available remain Elias Lindholm in Calgary and Sam Reinhart in Florida. But don’t bet on either of them being moved, at least not until the March 8 trade deadline, and only then if their GMs see zero hope of signing them to an extension.
Blue line needs punch
Once McAvoy returns to the blueline crew, the Bruins will be counting on him to juice up the scoring punch back there, be it his own or the rest of the six-pack.
Mason Lohrei’s goal on Friday night was the 10th this season by the backliners. The league average through Saturday was 13.
The three clubs with the most goals by defensemen prior to Sunday’s action: Colorado (25), Montreal (23), and Carolina (20).
McAvoy, with three goals on the season, last connected with a power-play goal Nov. 18 vs. the Canadiens. He last scored at even strength in a 3-2 win over Florida on Oct. 30.
The world awaits
Still no word, but if the Bruins release rookie pivot Matt Poitras for the upcoming World Junior Championship in Sweden (puck drop Sunday), likely leaving Geekie to remain a center in coach Jim Montgomery’s forward order, he’ll be joining a Team Canada forward group that includes yet another Geekie.
The Canadians, who flew to Gothenburg on Saturday, arrived in town with Conor Geekie, Morgan’s younger brother, as one of their 12 forwards.
They still have roster room to add Poitras, who helped set up Frederic for the Black-and-Gold’s lone goal Saturday night.
Poitras was sidelined briefly in the second period, having suffered a stinger, believed to be in his right shoulder, when hit into the sideboards by Rangers defenseman Erik Gustafsson.
Poitras returned later in the period and finished out the night and is expected to be at Monday’s workout in Brighton.
Wild change their ways
The Wild, next on the docket, have shimmied their way within striking distance of a wild-card spot in the West after replacing Dean Evason with John Hynes behind the bench. They nipped the Canucks, 2-1, in a shootout Saturday, improving to 7-2-0 under Hynes. They have a stop in Pittsburgh on Monday night prior to facing the Bruins on Tuesday (7 p.m.) . . . Following Tuesday’s action, the NHL will impose its annual holiday roster freeze, preventing clubs from making trades until Dec. 28 . . . The Providence Bruins, with Georgii Merkulov topping their scoring chart (10-13–23), fell, 4-1, to Syracuse on Sunday afternoon, their last home game until Jan. 7. The WannaBs begin a seven-game road tour Tuesday night in Toronto . . . Jake DeBrusk, who remains stuck on four goals, has not scored in seven December games (0-2–2, 17 shots).