Bruins Diverse Power Play Beginning To Click, Scoring In Five Straight Games

The Boston Bruins are off to an amazing start to the season with only one regulation loss through their first 15 games.

At 12-1-2, the Bruins are sitting at the top of the league with 26 points thanks in part to outstanding goaltending, top-notch penalty killing and the recent success of the power play.

With 11 goals in 50 opportunities, the Bruins have a success rate of 22% and while those numbers themselves may appear to be underwhelming, the Black and Gold have scored a power-play goal in each of the last five games they've played.

"I think we're being diverse in our looks," Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters following the team's practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday, per team-provided video. "But, what I think is people are starting to get comfortable reading off each other."

The Bruins had to change both of the power play units from last season to this season following the retirement of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci as well as other off-season departures like Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno and Tyler Bertuzzi.

"I think we're using (James van Riemsdyk to net front really well," Montgomery explained. "Whether he's at the net front or off on the goal line."

Montgomery added: "I think that (Pavel Zacha), (David Pastrnak) and (Brad Marchand) are becoming interchangeable which makes us unpredictable."

No Matchup Found

Click here to enter a different Sportradar ID.

Story continues below advertisement

Last season, Bergeron would take his place in the bumper while Pastrnak would hang out around the faceoff dot but with the change of personnel came the change of positioning.

The Bruins have been able to rotate Pastrnak and Marchand in and out of the bumper position and having Charlie McAvoy on the blue line allows Boston more continuity on the man advantage.

They have been able to spread out the scoring with Pastrnak leading the team with three power-play goals followed by Marchand, van Riemsdyk and Charlie Coyle with two each.

"Mostly, it's just them getting comfortable for us," Montgomery said. "We've been preaching we want to make more low plays and I think they're getting more comfortable making low plays than just relying on the high plays."

On the other end of the ice, the Bruins' penalty kill has allowed only five goals in 57 attempts good for 91.2%, the best in the league.