Marco Sturm has made something as easy to overlook as a faceoff into a real edge for the Bruins.
It’s the kind of detail that usually gets brushed aside, especially in preseason, when coaches have bigger fires to put out. A faceoff lasts a split second.
It can look like one of the least dramatic moments in hockey. But Sturm has zeroed in on what happens after the puck hits the ice, whether Boston wins the draw or loses it.
That attention mattered last season. In the Bruins’ final regular-season game, the puck was dropped 56 times, creating 56 separate plays off those draws.
And while Boston ranked ninth in five-on-five faceoff percentage in 2024-25, the numbers around those wins were not all clean. The Bruins were the worst team in controlled exits after a defensive-zone win and also the worst at creating scoring chances when they won in the offensive zone.
A year later, the Bruins were again ninth in the league in faceoff percentage in 2025-26, but the results behind those wins looked a lot better. They tightened up the controlled exits and generated more shots in the offensive zone.
The shift came from preparation. Sturm studied opponents’ faceoff tendencies in a way he had never done before in his coaching career.
Once he figured out what other teams liked to do in different zones, the Bruins practiced those situations until they had multiple answers ready to go. Now they have a few different plays for each event, whether it ends in a win or a loss.
That work helped Boston turn faceoff wins into more than just possession. Instead of winning the puck and dumping it away, the Bruins were able to build actual scoring chances. That was part of what hurt them in close games last season, and Sturm’s new approach was aimed right at that problem.
He’s not doing it alone, either. Sturm and the other coaches build most of the post-faceoff plays, but he also gives players room to contribute ideas. That has helped create a better connection inside the room, with players feeling like they have a real voice in the process.
And sometimes those player ideas pay off in a big way. Viktor Ardivsson designed a play that led to two goals, a reminder that the best answers can come from anywhere.
With the Bruins sitting at a 53 winning face-off percentage, Sturm has every reason to keep digging into opponent tendencies and keeping the details sharp. The more the team refines that work, the more it can turn a small moment into something bigger.
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For a fan base that is always alert to possible roster upgrades, the temptation to connect dots is obvious, especially when a player profile like Marchenkos gets dragged into the mix. Still, the buzz appears to be little more than the kind of coincidence the internet loves to turn into a rumor, leaving Boston supporters with a fresh topic to watch but no real sign that anything is actually brewing. [Read more 🡒]
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Bruins Finally Found A Backup Goalie Worth Watching
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DiPietro took advantage of it in camp and preseason, where he put together the kind of showing that made the backup picture more interesting than it has been in a while. For a Bruins team looking to sort out the goal crease after last springs disappointment, having a second goaltender who earned the job on merit gives the season a little more stability, even if the long-term questions around the position are still very much part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]