Some Bruins Have Really Improved Under Coach Joe Sacco – Hockey Writers – Boston Bruins

In the month since Joe Sacco replaced Jim Montgomery as head coach of the Boston Bruins, the Bruins have become one of the best teams in the entire NHL. In 15 games since November 19, they are the third-best team with a 10-4-1 record, including a 7-2-1 record in their last ten games. While there were some blips in the record – a loss to the Winnipeg Jets and a 5-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken – Boston's overall performance improved in many respects. Scoring is up a bit, defense has taken a big step and special teams looks better, there have been struggles in coverage.

The main reason for the current strong record has been the improvement of some key players – producing and contributing more in the squad compared to the pre-Sacco era.

Brad Marchand

Leading captains and Brad Marchand put the team on his back and led them to this winning record under Sacco. In 15 games, he has scored nine goals (leading the team) and is second on the team in points over the same period with 14. He is in the midst of a nine-game point streak, which is the sixth-longest of any player. so far this season and one of the longest in his career. Eight of his nine goals during this span have been at even strength, two of which have been game-winners and he is shooting 20.9%.

Brad Marchand responds to the roar of the Vancouver crowd with the opening goal, duly celebrating!#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/exDMJoqvZ4

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On a roster that holds the spirit of offense in their lineup, Marchand is on fire, keeping the Bruins alive in close games and giving them the spark to consistently win. Playing on a line with Elias Lindholm and now Charlie Coyle on the wing, and adding some depth to the offense beyond David Pastrnak, is another layer of success for the Bruins. Of course there has been a tussle with the ball but for a team that has scored the worst goals in the league, they will take anything at this point.

Marchand, 36, is in the final year of his current contract that fueled rumors that he might have been circulating as Boston hovered around the .500 mark. Now that he and the Bruins have picked up their combine game, those rumors have cooled a bit, but they provide an interesting conversation about Marchand's next deal — if he re-signs with Boston — and what it looks like. If he continues this 33-goal, 63-point pace, that extension will serve him well, proving he's still a viable player in the later years of his career.

Morgan Geekie

Coming off of his season that saw him nearly put up 40 points, Morgan Geekie's start to the season has been very disappointing. He often struggled with not only burying opportunities, but creating them in the first place. At times he seemed to float lazily on the ice and lacked a sense of drive in his game. That has been reversed in the last 15 games as Geekie is the third leading scorer for the Bruins during that time with six goals and nine points.

In his last ten games in particular, the 26-year-old has five goals and three assists for eight points and two of those five goals have been game-winners, most recently scoring late in regulation to lead the Bruins to a 3-1 win. over the Buffalo Sabres. Geekie's play has been a bonus, but he's also been solid defensively, sitting as the sixth-best Bruin in goals against with 60.

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Like Marchand, Geekie is under contract this offseason, but at 26 years old, his steady improvement in play could earn him a raise from his current $2 million salary. As it stands, Geekie is on pace to score more goals than he did last season – which is already a career high to date. Seeing his play from the first month and a half of the season to now is a huge jump, giving Boston some help in the top six. Ideally, Geekie is a third-string hitter at this level, but given Pastrnak's recent chemistry, he'll be a good suitor on the top line from now on.

David Pastrnak

While both Marchand and Geekie have looked significantly worse since mid-November, Pastrnak still leads the team in points and assists at the same time, with 18 points in 15 games and the same number of assists as the next leading scorer. Unfortunately for Boston, his renowned goal-scoring abilities have taken a step back in three months. In 35 games, the Czech striker has just 12 goals, putting him on course for a 28-goal haul in an 82-game season. That would be his career low with at least 70 games played.

On the face of it, there are concerns about potential injuries as Pastrnak seems to be missing more shots than usual, shooting an unusually low 8.6% which is the lowest of his career. There were concerns earlier this month that Pastrnak would miss some games due to injury, but he ended up playing in every game, leading to the belief that he was suffering from some sort of illness.

All told, he's still a big part of the team, as he currently has 54 assists — his second-highest in a single season, behind his 63-assist campaign in 2023-24. His play has been outstanding since Montgomery was fired, a big reason why Geekie and Pavel Zacha have seen an increase in production themselves – because Pastrnak has found them to be the best. Boston would prefer him to score more goals as they are paying him more than any other Bruin, but averaging 1.20 points per game in his last 15 games shows that even in a down season, he is a big asset to Boston as well. and arguably the most important player in the team.

Being the cheap scorer that he is, Pastrnak could find himself on a scoring spree later in the season which could increase his scoring rate. Still, as long as he improves the players around him, the Bruins will find ways to win hockey games. As he changes his game around, his playmaking skills are also improving and it's strong evidence that he can be productive in more ways than just one-time hits on the power play.

Joonas Korpisalo

Coming into this season with the least expectations of any Bruin, Joonas Korpisalo has been a blessing in disguise – especially since starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman struggled heading into the Christmas break. Since Sacco took over as interim coach, Korpisalo has started five games, posting a 4-1-0 record with a 2.00 goals against average (GAA) and a .910 save percentage (SV%). to close.

Korpisalo has had very few bad situations, looking calm in his games and unlike Swayman so far, he has been able to win games for Boston or at least, give them a good chance to win. On the season, he boasts a .904 SV% and a 2.42 GAA with two shutouts – both leading the team and significantly better than his final season with the Ottawa Senators in 2023-24.

Having such strong performances has led some fans to want Korpisalo to split more starts with Swayman than he does. Is he good enough to be a full-time starting goalkeeper? Maybe not, but with Swayman seemingly having trouble finding the game that earned him an eight-year extension, Korpisalo could be the best way to give Boston big wins at this point in the season, while taking the pressure off Swayman to win. that big boy.

Being able to turn negative narratives before he's even played a single minute in the Spoked-B to fans who want to be equally divided is a testament to how well the Finnish goalkeeper has been playing not only under Sacco, but all season. If it continues, Sacco may have to move and give Korpisalo more of the starting minutes, but as it stands, Swayman may get most of them.

The Bruins are in decent shape

Watching the Bruins all season has felt like a loopy rollercoaster with many ups and downs, but there's no denying that the height of drive and motivation has been palpable. Players all around the lineup were playing with purpose and a lot of reason to win. There are still many issues and this team is far from perfect, but the clear improvement is a sign that they are not going down without a fight and will be there in the end, fighting for a playoff spot in the highly competitive Eastern Conference.