Hooking the goaltender, even when it is not his fault, is standard operating practice for a team looking for a spark.
A coach thinks that bringing in a backup will grab the attention of the other players.
The general manager has a similar tactic: fire the coach.
It’s difficult to say who is more responsible for the Boston Bruins’ 8-9-3 start: general manager Don Sweeney or coach Jim Montgomery. From goalkeeper to defense, five-on-five attack, and special teams, the Bruins are a complete mess.
However, a coach’s responsibilities include identifying answers and maximizing the performance of his athletes.
Montgomery has fallen short on both fronts.
The Bruins have yet to score this season. Their power play and penalty kill have consistently performed poorly. Turnovers occur all the time.
Meanwhile, you could say that five players have met expectations: Justin Brazeau, Mark Kastelic, Cole Koepke, Joonas Korpisalo, and Hampus Lindholm. Everyone else has underperformed, to varying degrees. Elias Lindholm would be prominent in the latter category.
None of this looks good on Montgomery.
“Everyone struggles. “Whether (in your) life or with your team,” Montgomery remarked following Monday’s 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. “That’s what life is about.” How do you pick yourself up? It’s not about how hard you fall. It’s how soon you get up.”
Montgomery may have run out of time to accomplish it.
The third-year coach, who is in the final season of his contract, noted that the Bruins are in postseason contention after 20 games. This is correct. They are presently the second wild card and fourth in the Atlantic Division.
This could be the Bruins’ greatest magic trick so far, as their numbers tell a different narrative.
Only the Pittsburgh Penguins (minus-25) and San Jose Sharks (minus-22) have a worse goal differential than the Boston Bruins (minus-21). Boston ranks dead last in the power play (11.7 percent). Their penalty kill rate (75.6 percent) ranks 25th. Jeremy Swayman, who missed all of training camp, has a.884 save percentage.
“I don’t think missing training camp helps anyone,” Montgomery said. “That’s why you have training camps.”
If Swayman had signed sooner, putting some of his $66 million on the table, he may have advanced in his career. Perhaps he would have smacked Mathieu Olivier’s short-handed backhander away instead of allowing it to pass through his pads. Perhaps he would have bailed out Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, Pavel Zacha, or Mason Lohrei, all of whom turned up the ball up the ice before Columbus scored four goals on the rush.
“I tried stripping the guy and didn’t,” Coyle admitted after Olivier’s man-down goal. “That is on me to prevent him from reaching the net. That’s entirely on me.”
What’s done is done. Swayman’s top aim is to regain his confidence, improve his game, and show his teammates that he was correct to play hardball. If Swayman continues to take backward steps, he won’t have many friends in the locker room.
“I think I’ve had enough time now to adapt and get back to things,” Swayman was saying. “I suppose the most important thing I missed out on was this group. I’m really trying to focus on simply being in the room again and being a leader. I want my play to speak to that. So I have to step up. That’s exactly what I plan to accomplish.
David Pastrnak had 0 shots on Monday. Neither did Zacha, whose fumble late in the first period set up James van Riemsdyk’s tip-in goal. Lohrei, an offensive defenseman, had zero shots while contributing to four Columbus goals.
Overall, the Bruins’ puck play fell short of NHL norms. This has occurred frequently this season.
“I’m not happy with how things are going,” remarked Brad Marchand. “We need to improve significantly in a number of areas. Mistakes will occur during a game. We’re simply multiplying them. It is not acceptable to continue making the same mistakes.
The Bruins were 1 for 6 on the power play. The second unit scored the only goal. The number one unit did nothing. Again, this fits the pattern of the Bruins’ top players being among their worst.
“To have success in this league, special teams have to be really good,” Marchand said. “Power play has to be able to deliver in critical moments. We haven’t done it at all. Everyone of us should be much better out there. We need to be excited about the chance. Being on the power play is a privilege. It is not a given, right? We need to do much better. We need to be significantly better than we have been. Accountability has not been present in that sector. There is no excuse. “We have to be better.”
Sweeney is trying. He promoted Riley Tufte from Providence last Saturday. Tufte replied by playing on two of the St. Louis Blues’ three goals. A day later, Sweeney returned Tufte to the AHL.
On Monday, the GM mentioned Jeffrey Viel. Koepke was a healthy scratch. Viel fought Olivier in the first period. The Bruins made inefficient use of their energy.
Sweeney may have no choice but to make a larger move. Montgomery may have reached the end of the line.
