The Bruins’ 6-2 win over the Penguins on Thursday night was the kind of result that can hide a few problems. The scoreboard looked clean enough, and Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy did their usual heavy lifting. But if Marco Sturm is paying attention to the defensive numbers, the back end may need a reset sooner rather than later.
Lindholm and McAvoy were the only pair that really looked the part from an analytics standpoint, finishing with a 4-1 edge in goals. That’s exactly what you’d expect from Boston’s top duo. The issue is what came after them.
Nikita Zadorov and Will Borgen came away with no goals for and no goals against, but the underlying numbers weren’t nearly as tidy. Their xGF% sat at 42.2%, which suggests they were a little fortunate to leave the night without damage. There’s a certain sleepwalking quality to that pair at times, and on Thursday they absorbed a bit too much pressure.
The more concerning spot was the young tandem of Mason Lohrei and Frederic Brunet. Brunet’s return to the lineup didn’t stand out as a problem, but Lohrei was the Bruins’ worst player analytically. That’s the kind of performance that makes you wonder whether his strong start to the season is about to level off after the first month.
There is a straightforward way to reshuffle things and try to even out the load. McAvoy and Brunet spent training camp together, so giving that pair another look would make sense. It would also allow Lindholm and Borgen to reunite after they helped hold things together during McAvoy’s suspension.
From there, the third pair would become Zadorov and Lohrei. That setup could be worth a run until Lohrei shows he’s in one of those down stretches again, at which point the Bruins could send him upstairs for a game or two and bring back the Zadorov-Clifton pairing.
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Hagens was hurt after a cross-check from Samuel Girard and did not return, leaving the Bruins to wait on word about a player they have leaned on more than most expected at this stage. For a team trying to build momentum, any uncertainty around a young contributor like that is worth watching closely, especially with no update yet from the club on how serious the issue might be. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Could Be Pulled Into A Stunning Nikita Kucherov Chase
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For the Bruins, the intrigue is obvious. Any player of Kucherovs caliber would reshape the conversation in Boston, and his name is already floating in speculative discussions about possible landing spots if the situation ever reaches a more open market. Nothing is imminent, and Tampa Bay still holds the cards for now, but this is the kind of star-level tension that can linger long enough to pull in interested teams from across the league. [Read more 🡒]