Boston Bruins Struggle When Away From TD Garden
By Jay Peterson
If there is one thing that every member of the Boston Bruins can work on in this upcoming season, it is their performance away from home. For years, the TD Garden has been a very difficult place for other teams to play in and last year was no exception. However, the Boston Bruins record on the road, away from the TD Garden, is one of the biggest reasons why their season ended in early April last year.
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While the Boston Bruins show a strong record of 24-10-7 at TD Garden, their away record is an embarrassing 17-17-7. That is correct, the Boston Bruins played .500 hockey while on the road last season. Knowing this, it is remarkable that the Bruins didn’t miss the playoffs by even more points. If they could have only put themselves one or two games above .500 on the road, they would have made the playoffs. It is frustrating to think about now, but it is essential that the coaching staff address this issue.
The lack of wins and amount of losses isn’t the only thing that stings when reviewing the Boston Bruins away games in the 2014/15 season. The Boston Bruins scored a total of 108 goals while at home and 101 goals while on the road. While these totals don’t seem that different, they do when viewing the goals against. The Bruins have always prided themselves on being a defensive team, so the fact that they only allowed 88 goals (tied for 3rd overall in the NHL), at home is no surprise. However, when you look at how many goals the Bruins allowed on the road, 113 (25 more goals than at home), it leaves all fans puzzled as to how such a drastic change in statistics is possible.
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When looking at their plus/minus in the 2014/15 season, the Boston Bruins were a +14 at the end of the year (all stats found on nhl.com). Most teams that are a plus in plus/minus by the end of the year are guaranteed to be in contention for a playoff spot, as the Bruins were. However, did you ever wonder where the +14 came from? In short, it came from TD Garden. At home, the Boston Bruins had a plus/minus of +17 (tied for 9th overall in the NHL). I know what you’re thinking; +17 at home and a +14 overall? Away from the TD Garden, the Boston Bruins had a plus/minus of -3. No wonder their away record was so awful last season.
The Boston Bruins have an advantage that not all NHL teams possess; an incredible home crowd that fills the seats every night and screams at the top of their lungs; and not for the opposing team. This will always help the Bruins put together a respectable season. However, if they continue to perform on the road the way they did last year, all of the success they produce at the TD Garden will be for nothing.