Boston Bruins: Is this team tough enough right now?

Enforcers are a dying breed in the NHL. While the style of play has shifted towards a focus on speed and skill, there is still a need for teams to have some toughness in their lineup but right now it seems like the Boston Bruins are lacking that.

The Boston Bruins are a team known for their tough, physical style of hockey. At least, that’s what they used to be known for. Even the Big Bad Bruins have bought into the new style of play, and it’s hard to argue with the results they’ve had.

However, during their game on Monday night against the Capitals, there were a few times throughout the game where it was hard not to question the toughness of this team.

The first example came when Torey Krug was the recipient of a big hit from Tom Wilson that knocked him out of the game. While the hit was clean, there was very little reaction from anybody on the ice wearing black and gold.

Of course, Wilson probably felt like he could get away with a little bit more knowing that Zdeno Chara was missing the game to deal with an infection as a result of the broken jaw he suffered during the Stanley Cup Final last season. Krug slid into the boards awkwardly as a result of the hit and remained sidelined for the rest of the game.

Wilson wasn’t done there. Later in the game, he tried to get under the skin of David Pastrnak, first by spearing him and then trying to run him over near the bench. When neither of those worked, Wilson took one more shot at Pastrnak which resulted in a bunch of other players stepping in but not doing much of anything.

Wilson was given a 10-minute misconduct for his role in this melee, but it’s tough to watch players repeatedly go after Pastrnak and not face any sort of consequence for it. Part of me misses the days when Shawn Thornton and Adam McQuaid were around to patrol the ice.

With about a minute and a half left in the game, T.J. Oshie got in one last shot on Charlie McAvoy. It was a big hit, and looked worse because McAvoy stumbled right before contact, but it was a big hit on a star player and the Bruins had no response for it.

The game was out of hand at this point, so I can see the argument that the Bruins were just trying to close out the game and move on. But with McAvoy’s injury history, it’s still somewhat shocking that nobody reacted.

The Capitals were out of the game, but they were making it clear that they were sending a message. Maybe things would be different if Chara was playing, but relying on your 42-year-old captain with a recently broken jaw to be the enforcer on the team doesn’t seem like the best plan either.

I’m not saying that the Bruins need to go out and trade for an enforcer, but I will say that they definitely need to have certain players step up when needed. If not, these hits on Krug, Pastrnak and McAvoy will become a lot more common as the season moves on.