Why the Boston Bruins might be the worst shootout team ever
By jc
Since the NHL introduced the shootout in 2005, the Boston Bruins only have 64 victories in 140 opportunities. Here are more reasons why the Bruins might be the worst shootout team ever.
The Boston Bruins welcomed the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, and everything looked great through two periods. Then, the Bruins somehow blew a four-goal lead in the third period and ultimately lost 5-4 in a shootout.
This was the second shootout loss in a row for the Boston Bruins. On Sunday night, Boston lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Flyers.
In seven total shootout attempts over the two games, the Bruins only managed to get one by the goalie. That came from Charlie Coyle. The other attempts all ended in failure.
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The Bruins lack of success in the shootout may come as a surprise. Boston has 64 goals this season, good enough for fifth in the league. Two of the top five points leaders play in Boston, as does the NHL’s top goal scorer.
But, should we be surprised at the shootout failures? Not if we consider Boston’s history in the shootout.
The NHL introduced the shootout in the 2005-2006 season. Since then, the Bruins participated in 140 of them. Only 64 of them resulted in wins. That’s a .457 winning percentage.
That winning percentage is seventh worst among all NHL teams. Compare the Bruins to other teams with at least 140 shootouts, and that winning percentage becomes the worst.
Think of how many extra points the Boston Bruins left on the table because of shootout losses. These points add up!
The team’s overall winning percentage isn’t even the craziest part. In the 140 shootouts, Bruins players had 528 total attempts. How many of these were successful? 135. The 25.6% rate of success is the worst all time, regardless of shootout attempts.
Let that sink in for a minute. A shootout is no different than a clean breakaway. It’s you versus the goalie, without any defenseman trying to stop you. You don’t get better chances than that. And the Bruins players only score a quarter of the time!
The Boston Bruins goalies actually hold up their end of the bargain. Out of all teams with at least 140 shootouts, Boston allowed fewest goals. The shootout losses are therefore largely the fault of the shooters.
Boston’s shootout numbers are insane, especially when you consider the team’s success over the past decade or so.
Since 2008, the Boston Bruins have been one of the best teams in the NHL. One Stanley Cup, two more trips to the Final, one President’s Trophy, and a few division titles make up the list of accomplishments. Only Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles have been better.
Then there’s the list of Boston Bruins forwards over this time period: Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Marc Savard, David Pastrnak, David Krejci, to name a few. One guy’s a hall-of-famer, one led the playoffs in scoring twice, another scored 100 points in a season, and so on.
How could a team with those types of forwards, with that level of success, be so bad at the shootout?
Next. Should we be concerned about Tuukka Rask?. dark
Some fans chalk it up to bad luck. Others say that the Boston Bruins traditionally aren’t as skilled as other teams. Whatever the reason is (if there even is a reason,) I think it’s safe to say we’ll all be happy if there are no more shootouts this year.