The Boston Bruins will look to right the ship Saturday night. The team has lost three in a row and they are still trying to find the right spark to ignite the offense. An Original Six matchup inside TD Garden could help be the spark they need.
Coming into town is their division rival Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs have lost three of the last four, including two in a row, being outscored 11-3. Both teams are looking to right the ship and both are searching for the right spark. What better way to do that than by facing each other? Stakes are always high for these two teams and tonight will be no different. For the Bruins, here are the keys to emerging victorious in this game.
Matching the Maple Leafs Urgency
Both teams are going to come out with a sense of urgency. The Maple Leafs have lost three of their last four and have not looked like their dominant selves offensively. Furthermore, head coach Craig Berube went on to rip his star players after the third goal they gave up against the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night. Coincidentally, head coach Jim Montgomery went on to do the same thing, as he had words with captain Brad Marchand after a bad turnover and poor play. The coaches are not shy about holding their stars accountable. There is no doubt that both teams will be playing with a sense of urgency and desperation in order to right the ship and play better hockey.
Related: Tommy’s Takes: Bruins Penalty Troubles Cost Them in Loss to Stars
The Maple Leafs will be playing hard and the Bruins need to match it. Montgomery discussed the teams’ attitude and approach and how it needs to be better moving forward. After their loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday, Montgomery did not hold back.
“Our attitudes need to go in a better, healthier direction, as in trying to control what you control, which is trying to excel at your role,” he said. “Our attitudes are not in the moment. They’re on results. And when your attitude is on results, you tend to take too many penalties because you get frustrated quickly and you tend to turn over pucks a lot because you don’t want to work for the offense.”
The Bruins need to have an attitude adjustment. It is still early into the season, so panic and frustration shouldn’t set in. At the end of the day, we’re all human and we want things to go the right way. Control what you can control, try to play your best hockey, and play your game. The end of the quote is the main thing. The Bruins need to play disciplined because, despite the lack of success, the Maple Leafs will make you pay if you give them enough chances.
Bruins Must Stay Out of the Penalty Box
The Bruins remain the most penalized team in the entire league. The issue is, it’s beginning to burn them. As mentioned above by Montgomery, frustration can lead to penalties and mental mistakes can become costly. The penalty kill for the Bruins is ranked 19th in the league, good for a 77.5% success rate. However, if the Bruins get into trouble, the Maple Leafs have enough firepower to make you pay and wish you did not take that penalty.
Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Morgan Rielly, and John Tavares are just a few names that can make you pay on the man advantage. If you give that kind of talent more opportunities, they’ll eventually cash in. However, there is optimism for the Bruins in the event they do get into penalty trouble.
The Maple Leafs power play has been missing and the team is wondering where it went. For the 2024-25 season, the Maple Leafs power play ranks 27th with a lowly 11.1% success rate. The Bruins need to limit the Maple Leafs’ high-quality chances.
The Maple Leafs have certainly gotten their looks, but they haven’t buried them nearly enough. They’ve been able to find success getting to the high-danger areas of the ice and also generating chances from the inner slot. The Bruins have had trouble in that area, so they’ll need to adjust and make sure they play tighter defensively.
A Complete Bruins Performance at 5-on-5
There is no denying that the Bruins are not the greatest team during 5-on-5 play. In fact, the results are much to be desired and the team is searching for answers. They rank 28th in Corsi for percentage (CF%), 28th in expected goals for percentage (xGF%), and 25th in high-danger Corsi for percentage (HDCF%). Not only are they not getting the quantity, but not the quality either.
The Bruins are changing lines once again, but have a new look second line that could give them the spark they are searching for. They’ve moved Pavel Zacha back to the top line and have placed Matthew Poitras on the second line with Charlie Coyle and Marchand. Poitras is skilled and dynamic and could be a great offensive boost to the top two lines. However, it won’t be easy.
The Maple Leafs have been a strong team at 5-on-5. They have the tenth-best CF% and have the fifth-most shot attempts in the league. Of those attempts, they do not miss and have the fourth-most shots on goal, which has them tied for fifth in 5-on-5 scoring. They get the quantity, but also the quality and are creative with offensive chances.
The Bruins have a tall task ahead of them and will need to be sharper than they have been recently.
A Great Day for Hockey in Boston
It is a great day for hockey in Boston. The Bruins and Maple Leafs are always a great matchup. Both teams will be looking to right the ship and are looking for bounce-back efforts. The Bruins need to match their desperation and also stay disciplined. With a new look lineup, the Bruins will want to play their most complete game yet. Get the popcorn ready. It should be a fun one, in what is the first matchup of the season.