Would a personnel jolt boost the Boston Bruins' chances for success, as the NHL season nears its decisive stages?
ESPN's Emily Kaplan suggest that might be the case Wednesday when she named scoring at even strength as Boston's biggest concern. The NHL trade deadline is April 12, and Kaplan believes the Bruins should target a player capable of adding scoring punch below their top line in the coming days.
"Scoring at even strength has plagued the Bruins in 2021," Kaplan wrote. "We'll put it bluntly: only the Sabres have scored fewer goals at 5-on-5 than Boston this season. Besides Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, no Bruins player has more than six goals at 5-on-5. They're looking for more from their depth players."
Boston's thrilling shootout win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night showed the importance of secondary scoring, as Nick Ritchie's first-period goal tied the game at 1-1, and Matt Grzelcyk's third-period goal levelled the score at 4-4 with just four minutes remaining in regulation.
Boston's second line received credit for helping the Bruins earn their next-most-recent win, which took place Saturday against the Sabres.
Whether these victories, which sandwiched Monday's loss to the Devils, represents the start of a trend remains to be seen. Boston will play seven more games before the trade deadline, giving team officials the chance to assess accurately its forward depth at a critical time in the season.
