We are just 11 games into the 2025-26 NHL season, and it seems like the Boston Bruins have already hit a season-low of rock bottom's just three weeks into the season. The writing was on the wall for the Black and Gold that it had the potential to be a tough year, but nobody saw a brutal October.
Monday night's 7-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators was just the latest in abysmal efforts from Boston under first-year coach Marco Sturm. They started out well with Morgan Geekie opening the scoring 3:06 into the game when he sniped an Ottawa turnover past goalie Leevi Merilainen.
Great start, embarrassing finish.
Boston would allow seven straight Senators goals, four on the power play, four in the third period, and suffered breakdown after breakdown. They fired 28 shots at Merilainen, and out of 26 saves, you could count on one hand how many of those chances were high-danger. After the game, just three weeks into the season, the comments coming out of the locker room from Sturm and the players should raise more flags than last week's seven-goal outburst by the Anaheim Ducks.
Bruins loss to Senators compounded by postgame comments
The comments started with Sturm on the NESN broadcast to Andy Brickley when he said, "You either buy in or not." Again, this game is No. 11 of the season, and if the coach feels players aren't buying in, well then there's a problem.
One player who always stands up and talks to the media after games is Geekie. Like many of his teammates, he was at a loss for words after the Ducks' loss, but after the Ottawa loss, he was really at a loss for words.
“It can’t get much worse, really,” Geekie said. “I don’t know, sorry. I just know how hard this group works and how bad everybody wants it, and then to show up like that is just, like, I don’t know.”
Oh, Morgan, it can, and it likely will get worse before it gets better. Boston took five penalties, and four of the power plays turned into goals. Three in the third period and one in the first. The Bruins' penalty kill hasn't been bad this year, but it was nonexistent against the Senators.
“We put them on the power play five times, they score four of them,” Geekie said. “It’s like you’re shooting yourselves in the foot. It’s been like that all year, but 5-on-5, we don’t really create a ton. And I mean, we’re a little better defensively, but we’re still giving up lapses and stuff like that. I don’t know. I wish I could tell you more. It’s tough today.”
Boston is going to lose a lot of games this year; it's just what it is. However, if you're going to lose games, at least go down fighting, and there was little to no fight all night against Ottawa. It's the first time this year that you could say the players checked out during the game. The response on Tuesday night against the New York Islanders at home will be telling.
“Obviously it’s a slap to the face,” said defenseman Nikita Zadorov. “We’re Boston Bruins, that’s unacceptable. So, we’ve got to come up [Tuesday] and then play the way we should, in front of our crowd. I think it’s the best thing about this league. You have a game like that, but you can regroup tomorrow and then show who you are actually.”