Losers of six straight, the Boston Bruins will visit the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night in the fourth of five games on their current trip. In losing the first three games to the Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings, the Black and Gold have been outscored 15-4, and aside from decent moments in each game, they haven’t been too competitive.
To compound matters, after the loss to the Kings on Sunday night, some comments out of the locker room made it seem like there are deeper problems than just those on the ice. For a team that will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 2024-25 season can’t end quickly enough. As they prepare to avoid being swept by Anaheim this season, here are three things to look for on Wednesday night in Southern California.
1. The Bruins' response after losing to Los Angeles
I mean, you would think that there’s only one way for the Bruins to go after their Sunday night in Los Angeles, but with this group, anything is possible. Their response is worth staying up for if you’re on the East Coast. A fast start like they got against the Kings, scoring 19 seconds into the game, but that didn’t end up working out against Los Angeles.
2. Morgan Geekie’s chase for 30 goals
Raise your hand if you thought that Morgan Geekie was going to score 30 goals this season. Yeah, I didn’t either. Ten games are remaining in the season, and he’s sitting on 25 after scoring the second goal against the Kings. He stayed on a line that game with Pavel Zacha, but David Pastrnak was moved to another line, and Geekie still found the back of the net. That was the question people were thinking: Can Geekie produce without Pastrnak?
General manager Don Sweeney kept him through the trade deadline, as he could have moved him for a rather good return, but now can they re-sign him before free agency begins on July 1, or does he get a pay raise somewhere else?
3. Can the Bruins improve their draft position chances?
Now that the playoffs are a foregone thought, can the Bruins tank enough to move up the draft lottery board? After not challenging a clear offside by the Sharks on the game-winning goal on Saturday night, it makes you wonder if interim coach Joe Sacco did it on purpose. It’s very unlikely that he’s not here next season as the head coach, but having their first round pick, it makes you wonder if the front office is trying to move up the draft board. With their draft history, does it matter?
Anaheim is in the same boat as the Black and Gold in terms of the draft lottery, so this is a big two points in terms of that, rather than the postseason this late in the regular season.