Morgan Geekie isn’t hiding from the numbers. The Boston Bruins’ leading goal scorer from last season has only one through 11 games this year, even as the team’s offense has rolled early.
Boston’s attack has been one of the league’s bright spots so far, averaging 3.82 goals per game to rank fourth in the NHL. Of the 17 Bruins who have scored this season, seven have already found the net at least three times. The team’s 8-2-1 start has taken some pressure off the scoreboard, but Geekie is still trying to rediscover the finishing touch that made him such a big piece of last year’s offense.
“Maybe from the outside looking in, the goal totals are not where they should be, but at the end of the day, we’re 7-2-1 (now 8-2-1), and there’s not much more you can ask for than starting that well,” Geekie said on Thursday. “For me, there’s obviously a lot of room for improvement, but it’s a team game at the end of the day. I’m just going to try and do everything I can to try to find a way to put the puck in the back of the net.”
That finishing slump stands out because of what Geekie did over the last two seasons. He scored 72 goals in that span, tied with David Pastrnak for the team lead, and did it with a sharp edge around the crease.
He took 331 shots and scored at a 21.8% clip, one of the best rates in the league among players with at least 100 shots on goal over those two seasons. Only Anthony Mantha, at 22.2%, was higher.
This season has looked different. Geekie has one goal on 12 shots, and his shooting percentage sits at 8.3%. The bigger change may be the volume: he’s averaging just 1.09 shots per game after putting up 2.09 per game over the previous two seasons.
He’s aware the chances haven’t been as clean, either.
“Not great, to be honest. I definitely had a few opportunities, but can definitely try to create more or kinda construct them from turnovers and things like that,” Geekie said of his chances this season. “It seems lately I’ve been on the side of distributing more, but I definitely want to try to find myself more in those situations to get those shots and opportunities.”
Even with the quiet goal total, Geekie has still been useful in other ways. His seven assists are second on the Bruins, and three of them have come on the power play.
His scoring profile has always leaned toward picking his spots. That approach helped turn him from a player whose career high had once been 17 goals - set in Boston - into someone who has put together back-to-back 30-goal seasons. Before that, he had never reached more than 10 goals in a season, including 16 goals in 142 games with the Seattle Kraken.
“It’s huge. For me, you know, I was at one point a guy that didn’t really score at all, so it’s always a privilege to score in this league, and I understand how hard it is.
So for me, it’s just kind of coming to the rink and trying to find other ways to contribute. … I just try not to put too much thought into it, just try to continue to get back to my game and play well on both sides of the puck.”
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James Hagens Is Giving Bruins Fans A Very Different Reason For Hope
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The shift has been especially noticeable in the way Hagens has attacked his role away from the puck. Known more as a point producer, he has embraced playing wing and focusing on defense, and his early work has already stood out across the league. For a Bruins team looking for reasons to believe in its next wave of talent, Hagens is offering one built on effort, maturity and a readiness to do whatever the coaches ask. [Read more 🡒]
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Marco Sturm has noticed the difference, praising Mittelstadts pace and consistency while crediting the work he put in over the summer. Mittelstadt has sounded pleased with where his game is headed, too, and the growing chemistry hes building with James Hagens and Elias Lindholm gives the Bruins another useful layer as they continue sorting out their lineup options. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Hot Start Faces A Real Test As Geekie Pressure Builds
The Bruins return home with an eight-game point streak on the line, and the San Jose Sharks are the opponent standing between them and another clean finish to the season series. Boston already handled San Jose once, winning 6-3 on Oct. 13, and this meeting gives the Bruins a chance to keep their early momentum rolling while keeping pressure on a group that has shown enough offense to make games interesting.
Morgan Geekie is part of the subplots worth watching as the Bruins try to keep the streak alive. He has picked up seven assists in 11 games and has talked about the frustration of a scoring slump, leaving Boston with one more layer to monitor as the schedule tightens and the spotlight stays on whether the start is sustainable. [Read more 🡒]