BOSTON — One problem that prevented the Bruins from making the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs was a lack of offense.
The B’s went from being the NHL’s third-highest scoring team (258 goals in 2013-14) to the 22nd-most potent club (209 goals). No player scored 25 goals or reached the 60-point mark last season.
Injuries to important offensive players such as center David Krejci and defensemen Zdeno Chara and Dougie Hamilton certainly played a role in that decrease. That said, several other players didn’t provide the offensive output expected of them, but that should change entering the 2015-16 season with the improved scoring depth Boston has assembled over the offseason.
“I think our forward group is pretty deep,” Bruins president Cam Neely said during Thursday’s media day at TD Garden. “We’re going to get some more offense through all four lines. I think we’re going to be more consistent in that regard.”
The Bruins acquired wingers Matt Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes in the offseason, adding more size and skill to the top-nine forward group.
Beleskey, who signed with Boston as a free agent in July, plays a power forward-type of game and is coming off a career-high 22-goal season with the Anaheim Ducks. He has been playing on a line with Krejci and David Pastrnak throughout training camp and the preseason, and the trio has performed well while building real chemistry.
“They’re two close guys. I’m trying to fit in with them,” Beleskey said of Krejci and Pastrnak. “They’re great players, the skill set on both of them is awesome. I’m excited about what’s to come, and hopefully we get some more time together.”
Another player who should add more scoring depth is Brett Connolly, who played in just five games because of an injury last season after the Bruins acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning at the trade deadline. He’s had an entire training camp and preseason to fit in with Boston’s style of play, and his powerful shot and willingness to crash the net should benefit the team, as fans saw on his goal Wednesday night.
Connolly could be in the top six to start the season, but he’d be a nice fit in the bottom six, too. Boston’s bottom-six forwards didn’t give enough offense on a consistent basis last season. Ryan Spooner’s emergence at the end of the season — 18 points in the last 24 games — should give him the confidence to lead the third line this season, but the group as a whole must improve.
Key to that improvement is the fourth line, which was very inconsistent last season. Fourth-line mainstays Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell are gone, which should give way to more skilled forwards playing those roles. Bruins coach Claude Julien mentioned early in camp that he expects his fourth line to provide “more firepower” in 2015-16.
The Bruins also were snakebitten some last season. Several players saw dips in their shooting percentages — well below their career averages in some cases. On the bright side, the Bruins generated plenty of chances. They ranked seventh among all teams in high-danger chances created at 5-on-5, per War on Ice, as well as sixth in scoring chances made overall during 5-on-5 play.
The likelihood of Boston shooting so poorly again percentage-wise isn’t high, so if they create a similar amount of scoring chances as last season, more goals should come.
The Bruins are fortunate enough to rely on elite goaltender Tuukka Rask to be excellent in net. He owns the NHL’s highest save percentage since the start of 2012-13. But for the B’s to return to the playoffs from an improved Eastern Conference, they must score more goals to help Rask.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
