Bruins coming alive again after brief slump

With a 5-0 win at Nashville, the Bruins have won consecutive games for the first time since a six-game winning streak from Jan. 14 to Jan. 24 after knocking off the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, 3-2 in overtime. 

Boston enjoyed total domination of the Predators on Thursday with five different skaters finding the back of the net and 10 players recording at least a point. Meanwhile, Tuesday’s tight win in Dallas represented a thrilling glimpse at a potential matchup in June. 

“I liked the effort,” Patrice Bergeron told reporters postgame. “Last game, obviously, was a playoff atmosphere, and we came out on top in a hard, tight-checking game. Today, I thought we capitalized on our chances. We played a good, sound hockey game. Obviously it wasn’t perfect at all times, and [Jeremy Swayman] kept us in the game on a few saves. But it’s a great road hockey win and a great road trip.”

Swayman (30 saves) bounced back with his second shutout of the year after two straight losses that saw him stop 54 of 60 shots (a .900 save percentage). 

For the Bruins, it’s a refreshing stretch after struggling to just one win in their previous five games. 

“I think, you know, we’re trying to stick to the process,” Bergeron said. “I think these last two games are more of how we want to play, especially last game, and we want to build from that. We’re, I guess, aware that there are going to be some dips in a season, and it’s about being aware and committed to rectifying things sooner rather than later. I was pleased with this road trip.”

The two wins have seen Boston rectify areas of its game that had slipped in the brief slump.

Ahead of the win in Dallas, Jim Montgomery echoed a similar sentiment that former coach Bruce Cassidy lamented at times during his tenure in Boston, that the Bruins’ power play could have a tendency to get stubborn.

“What we’re not happy with is everyone’s not in an attack mode,” Montgomery said pregame on Tuesday. “Everyone’s kind of wanting to set it up and have the perfect shot or play, and it’s a slower power play. We want to increase the attack mentality, which will increase the puck movement and put the penalty kill on its heels.”

Boston responded to the challenge on Thursday. Bergeron scored the Bruins’ first power play goal since Jan. 24, ending an 0-for-21 stretch. Even on a 1-for-4 night, Boston’s power play was more dynamic, creating offensive momentum with three shots on its first opportunity before Bergeron cashed in on the second. Overall, the Bruins landed six shots on goal on 13 attempts over the four advantages, according to Natural Stat Trick. 

“Of course, you want some results, but first and foremost, you want to create some momentum coming out of it,” Bergeron said in NESN’s postgame walk-off interview. “I thought tonight we had some good looks even early on … I think tonight is an example of how we want to play on the power play.”

Also of concern in the recent dip was the depth production. The bottom-six forward group accounted for three goals in its 1-3-1 stretch as the absences of Jake DeBrusk and Tomas Nosek began to take a bigger toll on a shuffled forward group with the third and fourth lines struggling for traction. Against Nashville, bottom-six forwards factored in on three of the Bruins’ five goals. 

Among them, Taylor Hall, who has a goal and two assists in three games since the break (and two goals and two assists in his last five), has begun to reemerge after a stretch with just one goal from Dec. 17 to Jan. 28. Nick Foligno has had a strong restart as well with a goal in Saturday’s loss to Washington and two assists in Nashville after just one goal from Dec. 23 to Feb. 1 (19 games). 

Both ranked among the top Bruins skaters in terms of Corsi-for at 5-on-5 play with Foligno checking in with a 55.56 percent shot attempt share and Hall with a 53.57 percent margin. 

Foligno won a foot race against Cole Smith, and outworked him, despite a size disadvantage, to get the puck back to Derek Forbort for the 4-0 goal. On Trent Frederic’s tally, Foligno recognized the open space in front of him and hustled into position to receive a feed from Hampus Lindholm before wonderfully setting up Frederic. 

Granted, the Bruins aren’t necessarily asking Foligno to be an offensive spark plug each night, but Hall started the season on a 20-goal pace. His slump was noticeable at a time when Boston needed others in the forward group to step up in place of the injured DeBrusk. 

With DeBrusk’s return imminent, possibly as soon as Saturday, and Nosek potentially returning on Boston’s four-game swing in the northwest next week, Hall and the rest of the bottom-six may be able to continue to regain their footing, like the power play.

Even then, there are still other areas to improve in Montgomery’s eyes. 

The Bruins attacked Nashville in transition, scoring three of their five goals off the rush, between Brad Marchand on a 3-on-1 in the first, Craig Smith catching a break to start the second and Hampus Lindholm springing Bergeron for a breakaway as well. 

“Our ability to transition [was important], especially through the neutral zone and to get to good areas in the offensive zone with people at the net,” Montgomery said on the NESN broadcast postgame.

Going the other way, Montgomery thought the Bruins could have been better. 

“Our defense to offense was really good, but our offense to defense was not,” Montgomery said. “We gave up a lot of odd-man rushes, and thank god Swayman was terrific tonight.”