BOSTON — The Boston Bruins have ranked among the NHL’s highest-scoring teams, especially during 5-on-5 play, throughout Claude Julien’s tenure as head coach.
If this season’s scoring rates don’t improve, though, the Bruins will finish outside the top 10 in goals scored per game and 5-on-5 goals for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.
| Year | Goals/Game | NHL Rank | 5-on-5 Goals | NHL Rank |
| 2007-08 | 2.51 | 24th | 128 | 23rd |
| 2008-09 | 3.29 | 2nd | 171 | 2nd |
| 2009-10 | 2.39 | 30th | 136 | 28th |
| 2010-11 | 2.98 | 5th | 177 | 1st |
| 2011-12 | 3.17 | 3rd | 193 | 1st |
| 2012-13 | 2.65 | 14th | 96 | 6th |
| 2013-14 | 3.15 | 3rd | 179 | 3rd |
| 2014-15 | 2.47 | 22nd | 54 | 17th |
The Bruins struggled to score once again in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. It’s the 11th time in the last 14 games that Boston has scored two goals or fewer and the 18th occurrence through 30 games.
“I think that’s been our biggest challenge this year is getting the puck to go in the net,” Bruins forward Milan Lucic said. “That comes down to — it’s all about bearing down and making the most of your opportunities, and we just haven’t done that this year.”
David Krejci’s absence from the Bruins lineup (10 straight games missed) has contributed to the team’s lack of scoring. Losing your top-line center and leading scorer from last season is tough for any team to overcome.
That said, eight of the nine Bruins players with 40-plus points last season are still on the roster and six have played in at least 26 of 30 games this campaign. Seven of the eight 16-plus goal scorers from 2013-14 have returned and five have played in more than 25 games this season.
There’s enough talent on this roster for the Bruins to finish inside the top 15 (or at least top 20) in goals scored, especially when you consider that defensemen such as Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton and Zdeno Chara are capable of scoring between 30-40 points and move the puck well out of the defensive zone.
The primary issues are a lack of finish and not taking enough shots. The Bruins rank 25th in shot attempts (321) during a 14-game stretch in which they’ve scored two or fewer goals 11 times (Nov. 12 through Dec. 13).
The quality scoring chances that are being created — including two missed opportunities on 3-on-1 rushes in the last two games — rarely result in goals. Boston has a 8.2 shooting percentage, which ranks 23rd in the league. This points to a lack of execution.
“I think we’re forcing plays and our execution and, you know, those kind of things, so we just need to be a little bit better in those kind of areas to win hockey games,” B’s head coach Claude Julien said. “Even at the end there, we got another 3-on-1 in overtime, and we fanned on a shot. Normally with confidence that’s in the net, so those kinds of things are what’s frustrating everybody right now.”
The Bruins must find ways to score more goals quickly because they’re only one point ahead of the Florida Panthers for the last wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“We can’t wait any longer to turn this thing around,” Lucic said. “We have to figure it out next game because teams are catching up to us and last night we slide out of a playoff spot. Yeah, we were able to get back in there with one point but, you know, a lot can happen tonight.
“No one is going to do it for us. We can’t bank on other teams to lose and other teams to do us favors. We have to start bringing it on the ice and start getting wins.”
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
