Currently, the Bruins stand 3rd in the Atlantic Division and 6th in the Eastern Conference. They have noticeably had struggles this year, with a 14-11 record, and it seems to be getting worse every game. It can be debated that the impulsive decision to fire coach Bruce Cassidy in 2022 was the beginning of their woes, although if you look at their accomplishments over the last two years, this notion can be heavily countered.

With Cassidy as a coach, the Bruins made the playoffs 6 out of the 6 years he coached but only made it past the second round of the playoffs once. General Manager, Don Sweeny, hired Jim Montgomery as head coach before the 2022-2023 season, and his first season was groundbreaking. The Bruins went 65-12-5, the best single-season record in NHL history, had 135 points and a .823 points percentage – winning the Presidential Cup for the best record that season. They entered the playoffs as the favorites to win it all but lost in the first round to the Florida Panthers, shocking fans everywhere. Last year was much of the same, although they lost valuable players such as Bergeron and Krejčí. They entered the playoffs 2nd in the Atlantic Division and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in 7 games. They unfortunately lost to the Florida Panthers again, this time in 6.  Fast forward to this year, a horrid start to the season led to the disposal of Montgomery and Joe Sacco became the interim head coach. Things went from bad to worse and there was a feeling that the team had tuned the coach out, ultimately leading to his dismissal. Why has this season been such a dud for the unbeatable Bruins? 

The loss of Jake DeBrusk was a notable loss to the offense. Although labeled by many as a high-maintenance player, DeBrusk averaged 19 goals per season over the 7 seasons he played in Boston. This is a loss that the Bruins were not able to make up for. In the off-season, Sweeny acquired Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. Both players are mainly defensemen and don’t make up for the lack of scoring. This year, our top scorers are Pastranak and Marchand, not a surprise for anybody watching. It seems as though those two are the only players actually making a difference in the game, even though Pastranak isn’t throwing his weight around as much as he should. Words being thrown around about them include undisciplined and stupid, as well as them spending too much time in the penalty box.

All the players seem to have a bad attitude and there just isn’t any team chemistry. They seem to always be second to the puck and constantly outskated. In regards to their goalie, Jeremey Swayman, there was a lot of pre-season dispute over his contract and pay. Ultimately they decided on an 8-year, $66 million contract; something that Swayman has not lived up to. During this contract saga, Swayman missed a significant amount of training camp which affected the “locker room atmosphere”. He is going through one of the worst slumps of his career, a concerning fact the Bruins need to face. Although there have been noticeable ups and downs for this Bruins team, it is only the beginning of the season. They have been playing a little better under the new coach which hopefully stays the course. A lot can change from now until the playoffs. They have the talent, it’s only a matter of adaptation and fortitude from the Boston Bruins. Can they do it? Their next game is Saturday, Dec 7 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Check out NHL.com, Ticketmaster, Seat Geek, or all the other various places to get tickets!