Bruins Notes: Boston Steadily Improving Direction Under Joe Sacco

The Boston Bruins needed a spark when they quickly decided to move on from Jim Montgomery and promoted Joe Sacco to interim head coach in November.

Montgomery is a highly successful coach, but sometimes a different voice can strike a new tune. That seems to be the case for Boston after Wednesday’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Bruins moved to 6-2-0 since Sacco’s rise to interim head coach.

Brad Marchand and Morgan Geekie each scored a pair of goals for the Bruins, who have looked far better on each side of the puck since a frustrating start to the campaign.

“I just try in small increments,” Sacco told reporters, per team-provided audio. “We try as a staff to help the team get better every day. We talked about getting back to an identity that we wanted to get back to. It’s about the process. I know it’s cliché, but it really is.”

Boston’s defense has shaped up better in recent games and the offense that could not find any way to put the puck in the net has suddenly racked up 20 goals in a five-game stretch. The Bruins are finding their style of play again, though Sacco knows there’s a long journey ahead in that mission.

“We’re getting there,” Sacco added. “There’s still spurts and moments during the game. It’s never going to be perfect. We all know that. There’s moments and spurts during the game where I think we can do things a little bit better. Manage the game. Overall, I really like the direction we’re going.”

Sacco appreciated the Bruins’ energy to wrap up the back-to-back on the heels of Tuesday’s overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings. December just started but the month appears to be a breath of fresh air as Boston hopes to turn the tides on the start of its season.

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One Big Takeaway As Goal-Scoring Duo Lifts Bruins Over Blackhawks

by Tim Crowley 3 Min Read

Here are more notes from Wednesday’s Bruins-Blackhawks game:

— Marchand and Paul Bissonnette continued their recent TV banter with the analyst challenging the Bruins captain to score a pair of goals to erase his “Mr. TNT” suspension. Marchand did indeed net two goals on the night.

— Jeremy Swayman’s “mini training camp” in-season appears to be paying off. The Bruins goaltender allowed two goals or less for the fourth time in his last five starts.

— Marchand and Geekie mark two of the seven Boston players this season to tally a multi-goal performance.

— Boston moved to 6-2-0 since Joe Sacco took over as interim head coach.

— The Bruins hold a 19-4-7 record in December dating back to the 2022-2023 season.

— The Bruins return to action Saturday afternoon for a matinee matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers. Puck drop is set for 1 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.