Defensive struggles abound: Who are the ’17-’18 Boston Bruins?
The only thing consistent about the Boston Bruins 2017-2018 season has been their inconsistency. It appears that the biggest issues for the team thus far are on the back end.
The Boston Bruins faceoff Thursday night against Big Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks. Going into this game, there are some moves fans should be looking for on the defensive end. I am unsure who the players will be in the game, what D pairings will be changed, and who is going to step up; but it needs to be done and done quickly.
Zdeno Chara is still out there leading by example with 3 points and a +6 rating. Brandon Carlo remains even with 2 points, and rookie Charlie McAvoy has 7 points and a -2 rating. Paul Postma stepped into the lineup against the Sabres due to Adam McQuaid’s injury. He netted no points and a +1 rating in 11 minutes of ice time over a span of 15 shifts.
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Torey Krug has been the biggest disappointment in the defensive end for the Black and Gold. He’s logged only 2 points with a -8 rating. He could still be battling the jaw injury he suffered during the preseason, but his stat line is horrendous. Krug seems to be the weakest link, but do not expect him to be removed from the lineup, as he usually always bounces back.
The biggest problem in the defensive end has to do with the breakout from the zone. Over the last span of games, the Bruins have been consistently turning the puck over on the breakout. Last game, we had a good example of this when Jason Pominville stole the puck on the forecheck after a weak breakout attempt from Krug and company, and took it to the net for a goal.
What to expect going forward
As we watch the San Jose matchup Thursday, expect to see some better breakout passing plays and decisions in the defensive zone. There was a good example of what the breakout should be looking like on the Brad Marchand goal early in the second period. The ability to run a good breakout is there, but the boys need to dig deep and make it a happen more often.
The net clearly needs some work too, but I refuse to bash Anton Khudobin right now. In the last game he faced 42 shots and saved a whopping 38 of those shots. It would nice to see Tuukka Rask back in net, but with him currently out with the concussion, we get what we get. Luckily, it appears Rask is back practicing with the team.