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Jim Montgomery's evaluation of the Boston Bruins' power play

Published April 8, 2024 at 8:37 PM
BY CHRIST
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The Boston Bruins' power play has fallen short of expectations. Boston converted one out of five chances overall and has only scored twice on the power play in its last 24 opportunities.

"I also think it's mental. We talked to them today, we had a meeting. Guys aren't seeing plays that are there – they're not seeing it in practice sometimes. Surprising," Montgomery said. "I know it's easy, I'm standing there and I'm watching – but my old eyes can see it, they should be seeing it."

The primary lineup, consisting of Charlie McAvoy, Brad Marchand, Pavel Zacha, David Pastrnak, and James van Riemsdyk, practiced together before Monday's session. During special teams practice, they received passionate, occasionally explicit guidance from Montgomery. On the other hand, the second power play unit on Monday comprised Coyle, Morgan Geekie, Danton Heinen, Jake DeBrusk, and Hampus Lindholm, who all took to the ice.

Firstly, Pastrnak tops the Bruins' leaderboard with 12 power play goals, yet he hasn't scored one since March 7. Despite his significant 5-on-5 contributions, amassing 107 points over 78 games, it's evident that having Pastrnak on the first unit doesn't guarantee goals due to his reputation alone.


Similar circumstances apply to Marchand, who hasn't scored a power play goal since Jan. 13, and van Riemsdyk, whose last goal in such situations was on Feb. 17.

With only four regular season games left, the Bruins are running out of time to establish consistency on the power play. However, their upcoming opponent specializes in nullifying such opportunities. Facing the Carolina Hurricanes for the second time in five days on Tuesday presents a formidable challenge, as they lead the league with an 86.2% penalty kill rate. Following their 4-1 defeat on April 4, the Hurricanes will undoubtedly seek redemption. It's a formidable challenge, but one that the Bruins must confront and conquer to reach their peak performance for the playoffs.

Source thehockeynews: How Jim Montgomery Evaluates The Boston Bruins Power Play
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