EDMONTON, CANADA - OCTOBER 15: Connor McDavid #97 and Leon Draisaitl #29 of the Edmonton Oilers discuss the play during the game against the Calgary Flames on October 15, 2022 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
Bruins Need to Call Up Fabian Lysell for an Offensive Boost
Teams can go through growing pains to begin a season. It is part of the process to get to where you want to be as a hockey team. Looking around the league, you see the Nashville Predators remain winless and still searching for their first point. That’s a team that made a lot of big additions and chemistry can take time. Well, the same can be said for the Boston Bruins.
The Bruins are another team that saw key departures, but also key additions to help round out the roster. From a forward standpoint, they are experiencing growing pains in the worst way possible. To begin the season, they have been sluggish offensively. They’ve gotten good production from the defense, as they’ve been unafraid to jump into the play. Also, the fourth line has practically carried them up until this point.
Bruins Offense Struggling During Five-on-Five Play
Pinch me if you’ve heard this before, but the Bruins’ offense is not strong during five-on-five play. This was evident during the 2023-24 season, but has remained the same in 2024-25. To this point, they rank 27th in Corsi for percentage (CF%) and are not possessing the puck nearly as often as their opponents. Also, they sit 25th in expected goals for percentage (xGF%), and while they are generating their looks, they are not suppressing the opposition nearly enough. Opponents are feasting upon scoring chances and are generating quality looks. Head coach Jim Montgomery does have the team taking the quality over quantity approach, but getting the puck toward the net needs to happen more often.
There is nothing wrong with this, but the fourth line has carried the Bruins to begin the season. Mark Kastelic, Cole Koepke, and John Beecher have been dominant and play a simple brand of hockey – and it’s effective. Together, they have an xG% of 68.1% and are averaging 4.07 expected goals for per 60 minutes. Also, they are controlling the play and limiting the opposition’s offense. The craziest part, is they have eight goals as a line with the next closest having two.
While this is a great thing, it should not be overlooked how the entire top nine is playing. The top line of Elias Lindholm, David Pastrnak, and Pavel Zacha are chasing the game more than controlling, but does have a positive goal differential. However, chemistry is still forming and it’ll take time before it finds its true form.
Finding the Right Combination
Something has to give somewhere because the offense being this poor is not acceptable. Montgomery has not been shy to bench players to either send a message or give other players a look. When the team lost Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk in free agency, the depth took a hit. Say what you will about DeBrusk being streaky and not being that extra layer of scoring, but his strong two-way play made him an impact player and it has not been replaced. The same can go for Heinen, who was a Swiss Army knife for the Bruins and could play with anyone and anywhere in the lineup.
