The Boston Bruins enter the new season with the same top power play unit as last year. The Bruins typically roll with four forwards and one defenseman.
Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk, and David Pastrnak are the forwards. DeBrusk plays in front of the net, while Marchand occupies the halfwall to the goalie’s left.
Patrice Bergeron functions as the bumper in the high slot, and Pastrnak readies himself for one-timers to the right of the goalie.
Torey Krug runs the power play as the lone defenseman up top. He often has the puck on his stick, and he tries to create opportunities for Marchand and Pastrnak. Krug also likes to shoot from the point with traffic in front of the net.
Boston’s power play was effective with this group last season. The Bruins finished third in the NHL in total power play goals and power play percentage. This carried over into the playoffs, as Boston led all playoff teams in power play percentage.
In this setup, the Bruins quickly pass the puck to move around the penalty killers. They try to isolate penalty killers and create mini two on ones.
Although Boston’s power play usually causes headaches for the opposition, there is one glaring issue. The Bruins give up way too many shorthanded opportunities. Last season, for example, Boston conceded more shorthanded goals than any other team.
This issue carried over into the new season. The Bruins gave up a couple shorthanded chances to Dallas in the first game. The shorthanded opportunities continued in the second game.
Boston had a chance to extend the lead against Arizona with an important power play. Bergeron took the opening faceoff, and the Bruins lost track of Michael Grabner. Pastrnak hooked him on a breakaway, and the power play was over after eight seconds.
What’s consistent across all these shorthanded chances? They seem to occur when Boston’s top unit is on the ice.
Here’s the issue: the Bruins are vulnerable to counterattacks with only one defenseman out there. Especially when he’s an offensive defenseman. If the Bruins turn the puck over, the forwards need to get back to prevent odd-man rushes. This is often easier said than done.
The Bruins should continue to use their best players on the first power play unit. There’s too much talent to leave on the bench with a man advantage. However, the Bruins must take better care of the puck to avoid these chances.
If the shorthanded chances continue, Bruce Cassidy should consider a change to the top unit. One thing he can do is swap a forward for a defenseman. He did this with the second unit; Matt Grzelcyk joined Charlie McAvoy up top.
Cassidy also can keep the same players but change the setup. He can spread things out and bring someone like Marchand closer to the blueline.
The Bruins aren’t at a point yet where they need to worry about the power play. But, things need to change if the Bruins continue to give up shorthanded scoring opportunities. There’s no excuse for a shorthanded goal with so much talent on the ice.