Joe Murray: The Bruins have no identity
I’m running out of things to say about the hockey team in Boston.
So many things are wrong with the Bruins that I can’t point to one fix to turn this around. I’ve reached on the take that they usually start seasons out so well that maybe this year they start slow and finish strong.
They are in the worst possible spot: good enough to be a playoff team, just not bad enough to blow the whole thing up.
Cam Neely recently discussed the idea of two paths as the trade deadline approaches. The only path for this team is to start looking ahead to the long-term future of the team. This version of the Bruins has no leadership, they can’t score goals or prevent other teams from scoring them in handfuls. They have lost their identity and there is no solution in sight.
The identity had been defense and goaltending. The team moved on from Linus Ullmark, freeing up salary cap space, and in return received Mark Kastelic, Joonas Korpisalo and a first-round pick. The trade broke up the NHL’s best goaltending tandem between Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
We know the story after that, as the team went into camp without an extension for their goaltender, head coach, and captain Brad Marchand. Swayman went into business for himself after agreeing to an eight-year, $66 million contract with the Bruins on Oct. 6. He wasn’t ready to start the season, and the slow start and early struggles resulted in the team moving on from coach Jim Montgomery.
There was a slight spark once Joe Sacco took over, but there have been persistent issues defensively and on special teams. Giving up goals has been another. The last time two Sabres scored a hat trick in the same game was Jan. 18, 2008, when Derek Roy and Drew Stafford did it in a 10-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers, before Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka accomplished the feat against the Bruins on Tuesday night.
One of the most concerning things is the Bruins’ issues on the road. After a 7-2 loss to the lowly Sabres, the B’s fell to 9-14-3 away from the Garden and now have a minus-25 goal differential. The Bruins have allowed five or more goals in 38.5% of their road games, 10 of 26 games.
Road record for the Bruins
2022-2023: 31-8-2
2023-2024: 23-9-9
2024-2025: 9-14-3
The Bruins have allowed 165 goals in 52 games. They have given up five goals or more in 13 of the team’s 52 games (25%). The Bruins franchise record for most goals allowed in a season is 306 in 1961-62. They allowed five or more goals in 34 of their 70 games, 48.6%. The Bruins are on pace to give up 260 goals.
They should see some improvements on the blue line, as they expect Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm back after the Four Nations face-off.
