Four massive takeaways from the Boston Bruins first 10 games of the 2024-25 season

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Joshua Deeds
November 1, 2024 (11:12)

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TheBoston Bruins have had a dismal beginning to the 2024-2025 regular season, as they're 4-5-1 in the first ten games.

Red flags are everywhere, as Jim Montgomery could be on the hot seat, and Don Sweeney didn't construct a winning roster.

At least, that is how it seems early in the NHL season. Are people who are sounding the alarm early wrong? Let's discuss.

The team's issues are fixable, and there's a plethora of talent available should you need to make a trade, which arguably Sweeney has needed to do for some time to shore up the top six.

The Fourth Line

In light of David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand's lack of meaningful production, the fourth line has stepped up during the beginning of the season. Mark Kastelic, John Beecher, and Cole Koepke have been the Bruins' best line in the first ten games of the season.

The fourth line has 19 points combined in ten games and is set for career highs this season.

Kastelic currently sits at three goals and six points in 10 games with his previous high being five goals and 10 points in 63 games. Koepke had one goal and three total points in 26 NHL games prior to the 2024-25 season and now has three goals and seven points in 10 games. Beecher has successfully avoided a sophomore slump so far in his second season with two goals and six points.

This fourth line has produced more than the 1st and 2nd lines which feature Brad Marchand, Elias Lindholm, Charlie Coyle, and Pavel Zacha. These fourth liners were questionable whether they'd make it out of training camp.

Despite the Linus Ullmark trade being legitimately terrible, there's one positive that has come out of it.

Top Players are slumping

The Bruins's fourth line has punched far above their weight this season, and in contrast, the top six has been disappointing. Jim Montgomery has tried to spark offense by flipping on the blender and finding new lines which works, but once again has been unsuccessful.

Marchand and company aren't clicking and he's been on the end of the coach's aggression, and would humbly state that he deserved it. Morgan Geekie and Charlie Coyle who both had career years last season have failed to deliver this season. Geekie signed an extension with the Bruins during the off-season and has only produced 1 point in 9 games.

David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand could be the most disappointing of all in the top-six, as Marchand has six points( 1 G, 5 A) in 10 games, and Pastrnak has 8 points( 6 G, 2 A) in 10 games, far below expectations for two players who are considered elite winger.

While they've been factors in overtime, and came in clutch with game-winning goals they have yet to be a factor in regulation, where they're needed most.

The majority of the Bruins roster is underperforming right now. Montgomery needs to figure out the lines, and the players need to shake out of whatever funk they've been in to start the season. This roster is better than the borderline anemic play they've demonstrated in a number of their games so far.

Discipline

The Bruins are 2nd in the league in penalty minutes, and they're just behind the Philadelphia Flyers. The lack of discipline on the ice is killing their chances of playing a solid 60 minutes. They are also struggling on the penalty kill with an 80% rate, ranking 14th in the NHL. They're just not as capable on the PK, as they used to be.

This struggle is another one that's riding the bus to failure.

Newly acquired Nikita Zadarov is one of the most penalized Bruins players this season with 21 penalty minutes, more than David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy who are tied for 14.

Special Teams

As mentioned above, the Bruins are currently 14th in the league on the penalty kill. For the past few seasons, this has been an area of strength for the team. They finished last season seventh in the league (82.5%), first in 2022-23 (87.3%), and ninth in 2021-22 (81.3%).

The Bruins power-play continues to be dismal this season, continuing a trend of the past several seasons. They couldn't convert on 5-3 against the Philadelphia Flyers who gave them 1:40 of time on the 2-man advantage. The power play is converting at a rate of 14.3%, 25th in the league.

In the three previous seasons, they finished 15th in 2021-22 (21.2%), 12th in 2022-23 (22.2%), and 14th in 2023-24 (22.2%).

The Bruins and Jim Montgomery need to find a way to address these four issues and implement a new plan. In order to play their best and fullest 60 minutes, they need to find a way to take fewer penalties, even if it means putting a leash on Zadarov and figuring out what isn't going right with the power play.

That may mean a coaching change, or a change in philosophy in these scenarios, especially on the PK.

They have until American Thanksgiving to get an idea of how the Bruins can compete long-term.

Can they right the ship in four weeks?