The Bruins’ power play has already taken a big step forward from where it was a year ago, and now JJ Peterka might be the piece that makes it even more dangerous.
Boston’s man advantage was a mess in 2024-25, finishing 29th in the NHL at 15.2 percent. That was a steep drop from the days when the Bruins could roll out a unit built around Torey Krug’s point blasts, David Pastrnak’s left-circle one-timers, Brad Marchand’s feeds from the half wall, and Patrice Bergeron doing damage from the bumper.
Last season under assistant coach Steve Spott, the group clawed its way back into relevance, jumping to ninth in the league at 23.4 percent. But the addition of Peterka gives Marco Sturm another layer to work with, and that could change the shape of Boston’s top unit entirely.
Peterka’s speed, shot, and creativity already fit what the Bruins were building last year, when they stopped funneling everything toward Pastrnak. The bigger question is how the new setup affects everyone else around him.
During Tuesday’s 5-1 preseason win over the Flyers, Boston rolled out four of its five projected top power-play players together: Pastrnak, Peterka, Morgan Geekie, and Pavel Zacha. Hampus Lindholm filled in on the blue line for Charlie McAvoy, who will miss the first six games of the regular season because of suspension.
The new alignment had Peterka on the right elbow, across from Pastrnak. Geekie shifted from the elbow into the bumper role in the slot, a spot Elias Lindholm occupied last season, while Zacha worked netfront.
Sturm sees Peterka as more than just another shooter.
“That was one of the reasons why we brought him in, and not just because of skill and speed,” Sturm said Wednesday. “The feedback we got from Utah is that he’s a hell of a power-play guy, and especially on those elbows, he can really shoot the puck.
“So, we hope to find the right spot and the right mix. … If you look at our power play - the 1-3-1. If you look at our three guys - having David on either elbow … JJ, and Geeks, that’s pretty damn good.”
That setup should make life harder for penalty kills already leaning hard toward Pastrnak. If Peterka can punish teams from the opposite elbow the way Geekie did last season, when he scored 12 power-play goals, Boston gets a much less predictable look.
Peterka also gives the Bruins another passing threat. He can feed the slot to Geekie, move it back to the point for McAvoy or Lindholm, or send it to Pastrnak in the left circle for the one-timer.
Geekie’s move into the bumper spot may be just as important. He wasted little time showing what that role can do in Tuesday’s win over Philadelphia, finishing a sequence that produced a goal 14 seconds into the power play. After Peterka moved the puck to Lindholm up top, Lindholm found Pastrnak in the left circle, and Pastrnak instead floated a slap pass into the slot for Geekie to redirect home.
Geekie said the middle role feels natural to him.
“Honestly, I played bumper my entire life until last year,” Geekie said. “It feels normal, but it’s different.
You have a world-class player like Dave on one side. You have to think what he’s thinking in that situation.
He makes world-class plays. … It’s one of those things where you’re always thinking and not necessarily moving.
It’s fun. It’s a different perspective from being on the wall.”
He may not get as many clean looks from the elbow, but the bumper spot brings its own damage. Tips, rebounds, deflections, and quick-release chances can all pile up there, and Sturm clearly believes Geekie can handle it.
“[Spott] always said he really believes in Morgan Geekie being one of the best bumpers in the league,” Sturm said. “Because of his release and his hands, he can be really, really dangerous.
And having, overall, those weapons everywhere, I think it’s just going to help us. But like I said, he needs more reps to feel even more comfortable.
I’m glad he had a nice touch [Tuesday] for a goal, so hopefully he believes in that role too, because we do.
The bottom line is simple: Peterka makes Boston better at five-on-five, and he makes the power play more flexible. That flexibility, plus Geekie’s shift into the middle, could be the wrinkle that keeps the Bruins’ man advantage rolling.
LOOSE PUCKS
It was a tough day for a few players on the roster bubble.
Matt Poitras missed practice on Wednesday because of a lower-body injury suffered during Tuesday’s skate. He is day-to-day. Defenseman Mason Lohreo also exited practice early after an injury, and Sturm said he is being tested, with an update expected Thursday.
Frederic Brunet skated with Boston’s Group B on Wednesday, a group made up mostly of younger players, Providence regulars, and others on the roster bubble. Sturm said not to read into that placement.
“I can’t put everyone in one group because otherwise I would have way too many guys out there,” Sturm said. “So doesn’t mean anything, and that’s what I was trying to explain to him.
So he did fine. All the guys who were in the other group were fine.
But we had to make a cut because of practice. That’s all.”
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