Given the makeup of their roster and the tight-checking, responsible style they have adopted under Joe Sacco, there are going to be times when the Boston Bruins struggle to generate offense.
There will be similar instances when they can’t finish off their chances as evidenced by their 26th ranking in NHL offense headed into Tuesday afternoon’s 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. Only non-playoff teams like the Flames, Blues, Red Wings, Blackhawks, Ducks and Predators sit below them in the NHL in terms of generating offense under the paltry 2.66 goals per game clip that Boston is at these days.
In their New Year’s Eve matinee, the Bruins started off well enough by dominating the first 10 minutes and even capitalizing on a fortunate bounce when Parker Wotherspoon’s dump attempt kicked right in front of the Washington net. Justin Brazeau was the right player in the right spot at the right time to jump on the loose puck and launch it past Logan Thompson for the fortuitous puck luck.
Justin Brazeau takes advantage of a fortuitous bounce and knocks one home just 1:21 into the game.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) December 31, 2024
Three goals in four games for Brazeau.
1-0 Boston. pic.twitter.com/24o3F5UCRQ
That was the third goal in four games for the red-hot Brazeau, who continues to make a living producing off chances at the net-front.
But that was pretty much a wrap for the Black and Gold after that as the Capitals scored the next two goals in the first period, including the Jakub Chychrun power play game-winner snapped short-side high from the top of the circle, and then took control of the game when Boston experienced a mediocre second period.
The B’s desperately tried to tie it in the third before eventually giving up the empty netter in the game’s closing seconds, but it was pretty much the exact formula that Boston will use to lose some games this season based on their style of play. Maybe that will change if the Black and Gold can pick up another impact offensive player or Matt Poitras gives them another offensive dimension when he returns from the AHL, but for right now this boring, low event hockey game was how things are going to play out from time-to-time.
“There was not a lot of room out there. You had to fight for your offense. You had to work for your offense,” said Joe Sacco to the assembled media following the road loss. “We had some chances in the third to tie it up and I thought we had a really good start to the game and came out ready to play. We just weren’t able to capitalize.
🎥 Coach Sacco and the #NHLBruins react following Tuesday afternoon's loss to the Capitals in Washington.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 31, 2024
Watch full postgame reaction ➡️ https://t.co/SSlzP6WJoQ pic.twitter.com/bi6qhqMlyM
Some will point to Jeremy Swayman not being able to be one save better than Capitals netminder Logan Thompson on the afternoon, but neither of Washington’s goals were on the B’s goaltender. Others will look at the B’s fourth line getting victimized for the first Washington goal and then Mark Kastelic committing the high-sticking penalty that led to the Capitals game-winner, but it’s not realistic to expect NHL teams to win games by constantly pitching shutouts as they did in Saturday’s home win over the Blue Jackets.
Instead, the B’s need to start finding ways to wring more offense out of the same group of players until reinforcements arrive, if they do ever arrive this season.
“I thought we lost some momentum in the second when we tried to go east-west a little too much and got into a track meet with them,” said Brazeau. “We did a good job in the third, but obviously the chances didn’t go in. But if we keep playing like that then we’re going to be fine.
“They’re a good team. They clog up the inside. So you’re just trying to get pucks through and get things to the net hoping for a good bounce to get through. Obviously, things didn’t go our way tonight.”
Certainly, Brazeau is holding up his end of the bargain even as few other Bruins players are going above and beyond expectation offensively. The 6-foot-6 forward scored his career-best ninth goal of the season in the first period and is probably sad to see December go after scoring four goals in 14 games.
The 26-year-old is on pace for 19 goals and 37 points this season, which is a really nice step forward for him in his first NHL season. But Brazeau absolutely needs some other Bruins players to go above and beyond what’s expected from them offensively if they hope to pull out wins in these kinds of games where it’s a grind rather than a physical, emotional battle that seems to bring out Boston’s best.
“In the second we were a little sloppy. We didn’t get a lot of pucks deep. Talking to the guys about the first period, there were more direct pucks and getting pucks behind their guys down low,” said Nikita Zadorov. “In the third [period] I thought we had a good push, and we had our chances. We didn’t capitalize and that was the difference.
“They’re a good defensive team and hard-checking team. I thought we generated enough to at least get it to overtime, so you’ve got to take some positives out of today for sure.”
The real problem for the Bruins is that they will all be pretty good defensive teams once the Stanley Cup playoffs arrive, and it really won’t matter whether the B’s deserved overtime or not. Instead, it will simply be about wins and losses, and how effectively they can channel a very erratic power play, an underperforming star player in David Pastrnak (currently on pace for a 27-goal season, which would be his lowest offensive output in 10 years during a full NHL season) and a roster that’s at least one top-6 forward short into a more dangerous offensive outfit in the postseason.
The real question is whether or not that’s going to be possible as we continue to see games like the New Year’s Eve loss to the Capitals where there’s simply not enough consistently happening offensively.
