Four games into the 2026-27 season, the Boston Bruins already have a problem they can’t ignore: the power play has gone ice cold.
Boston is 0-for-11 with the man advantage against the New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild, and Ottawa Senators, and that kind of start is pushing the issue into ugly territory. For a team that doesn’t have the kind of offensive cushion to shrug off a stretch like that, the lack of production has become a real concern.
Marco Sturm didn’t dance around it.
“Yeah, we played on the outside a lot,'' said Sturm, per Jack Studley of Boston Hockey Now. "If you want to start with zone, yeah, the breakouts too, but I think the biggest thing is in the zone, we’re just not direct enough. We didn’t have that intensity, the drive to play fast and also attack that net.
“I think Spotter (Steve Spott) had a good meeting this morning just to remind them again about the things we’ve done well, so hopefully those guys get clicking here pretty quickly.”
The Bruins need that turnaround fast, with the Utah Mammoth coming to TD Garden on Thursday night. Getting the puck over the blue line has been part of the issue.
So has actually getting pucks on goal once they get set up. No entry, no shot.
No shot, no goal. That’s the formula Boston has to clean up immediately.
The early-season scoring drought isn’t limited to the power play, either. Pavel Zacha is part of a second line that has yet to find the net, alongside Casey Mittlestadt and Morgan Geekie. That’s not the kind of start Zacha or the Bruins wanted, especially with his future in Boston looking uncertain.
Still, Zacha isn’t sounding rattled.
“You want to be that guy to help the team, but on the other hand, it's still start of the season,'' said Zacha, per Scott McLaughlin of WEEI. "I’ve played in the league for a while, so I know there's ups and downs with points.''
The numbers say the Bruins would love for those ups to arrive soon. In a contract year and with an extension looking unlikely, Zacha would help himself and Boston by getting rolling offensively and boosting his trade value for both sides and GM Don Sweeney.
There’s also the matter of Ottawa, which has had Boston’s number for a while now. After Monday night’s home loss to the Senators, the Bruins are just 2-6-2 in their last 10 games against them. That’s not exactly the kind of run you want against a division rival.
The Bruins won’t see Ottawa again until January, which gives them some breathing room for now. But there are still three more meetings left before the season is done, so this isn’t going away anytime soon.
In Other News...
Bruins Already Have A Roster Question Fans Wont Ignore
The Bruins are getting set to host the Utah Mammoth, with Andrew Peeke back in the building to face his former team and Marco Sturm already tinkering with the practice lines ahead of the game. The final lineup still has not been confirmed, which leaves some room for last-minute changes as Boston tries to settle on the right look.
One of the more notable wrinkles is Pavel Zacha, whose status has become harder to ignore as the season goes on. Reports have him at the center of ongoing roster uncertainty, and with Sturm adjusting his forwards in practice, the question around Zacha is not just where he fits on the ice, but how long he figures to be part of Bostons long-term picture. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Finally Gave Fans A Glimpse Of What This Roster Can Be
For one night at TD Garden, the Bruins looked a lot more like the team they have been trying to become. A 6-1 win over the Utah Mammoth offered a clean snapshot of what this roster can do when the finishing is there, with David Pastrnak scoring twice and Casey Mittelstadt, Mason Lohrei, Morgan Geekie and Matt Poitras all adding goals in a balanced attack.
There was also a strong backbone behind the outburst, with Jeremy Swayman turning aside nearly everything he faced as the Bruins kept the game from ever slipping into doubt. Geekies involvement on the power play stood out as part of a night when Boston found offense in different ways, even if the bigger question remains whether this kind of performance can become the norm instead of the exception. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Could Still Have A Matthew Poitras Decision Coming
Matthew Poitras has already surfaced in the kind of speculative trade chatter that tends to follow promising young players, and the Bruins have every reason to keep listening without getting rushed. Reports have linked Edmonton to interest in the center, but Bostons stance appears to be clear enough to have slowed things down, with the asking price sitting at a level that makes any deal hard to push through.
The Oilers recent addition of Filip Hallander may have eased some of the pressure on them to chase Poitras right away, but the possibility is hardly gone for good. For the Bruins, this feels less like a deadline-style decision and more like one of those situations that can linger in the background, ready to resurface if injuries or other needs change the market. [Read more 🡒]