Boston Bruins: Statistical Areas Of Concern
Boston Bruins: Statistical Areas Of Concern
During the All Star Break, there is a lot of time for management, coaches and players to assess themselves and what needs to happen next going forward. When viewing the team stats of the Boston Bruins, there is a lot to like, including, but not limited to, top 5 in power play and penalty kill, a +16 in overall goal differential and a current playoff position.
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However, there are obviously some areas in which the Bruins could improve in. A change in a few players over the offseason can tend to lead to changes in certain team statistical categories, but the three areas I will be focusing are all very fixable. If these areas of concern can be remedied, the Boston Bruins have an exceedingly decent chance to challenge for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Faceoffs
The Boston Bruins currently sport a faceoff winning percentage of 50.2%. If this number remains the same for the rest of the season, which it is on pace to at the moment, it will be the Bruins’ worst faceoff winning percentage in eight years. In more recent years, the Boston Bruins have been at the top of the league in faceoff wins which is what helped them become a great possession team and getting more shots on net than shots against.
Looking at the players taking faceoffs, it is no surprise that Patrice Bergeron, arguably the best faceoff man in the league, still has a great winning percentage of 56.8%. Joonas Kemppainen is the only other center on the team with a winning percentage over 50, with 51.4%. After that, David Krejci sports a 48.7% followed by Max Talbot with 48%. Then, we have Ryan Spooner with an abysmal 40.2%.
When more than half of the centers on the team are losing faceoffs more often than not, the team loses opportunities and risks getting scored on by the oppoisition. The possession game is a big part of Claude Julien’s manner of coaching. If the Boston Bruins are going to capitalize and execute on their scoring chances they need to have more scoring chances and that all starts with winning faceoffs.
Home Record
The Boston Bruins currently have a losing record at TD Garden. This is unacceptable and would be a horrible reason for missing the playoffs. With April just around the corner, the games are going to be more intense than ever and teams will be beginning to lean on their home crowd for support.
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The Bruins’ away record is excellent at 15-5-3, but, as I said, it is going to be harder to win away from home the closer the playoff race becomes. The city of Boston has to be a place where the Bruins can grab a win when they need it the most. With a record of 11-13-2, an finish to the season at over .500 at home would be a huge boost, if the away record can remain somewhat on pace. This is a problem that any team would want to fix as soon as possible, especially with the playoffs coming soon where home ice advantage is such a key to success.
Regulation Plus Overtime Wins
An overall record of 26-18-5 does not look that bad, but when you take away the three shootout wins that the Boston Bruins accumulated this season, that record drops to 23-18-5. Then, if you consider overtime losses as actual losses, which they are, you have a record of 23 regulation/overtime wins and 23 regulation/overtime losses. That is a .500 record.
Now, obviously the 3-1 shootout record has improved our overall record and cannot be completely disregarded, but it is a dangerous game when we start to rely on winning shootouts. Even the 3 v 3 overtime has become more about puck luck than actual skill and determination. No matter how you look at it, considering how well they are doing in certain categories, the Boston Bruins are not winning enough games straight up.
There is always a fear that certain special teams may begin to go cold, or a certain player may get injured which will change the chemistry of the whole team. Right now, the Boston Bruins are barely getting by with their current record and could easily spin into complete playoff exile, much like the Montreal Canadiens did.
There have been far too many close games where the Boston Bruins have lost. Even games in regulation that were destined for overtime ended a few minutes too early because the team could not keep it together. There are going to be plenty of games in the coming months that will carry a playoff atmosphere with them. If the Boston Bruins cannot keep up with this intensity and continue to allow teams to steal points from them on a week to week basis, their chances of going deep in the playoffs would not be very good, even if they were to make it.
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The team needs an upgrade, internally or externally. Maybe winning faceoffs and playing better in front of the home fans will be enough to improve the Bruins record and make their wins more convincing. Or, maybe the team needs to go shopping for a skilled faceoff man to help Bergeron carry the load. At any rate, if these three statistical areas of concern are not addressed, I fear that the team will begin to see the true reality of where they stand in the Eastern Conference.
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