It's hard to blame David Pastrnak when the Boston Bruins struggle. The organization's new captain is just outside the top 10 in league scoring and hasn't fully found his stride yet this season, but he needs to be better to avoid games like Tuesday night's 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes outplayed the Bruins as a whole, but Pastrnak's line with JJ Peterka and Pavel Zacha was horrifyingly bad. The eye test told us it wasn't pretty, but even after watching the full 60 minutes, I was still taken aback by what HockeyStats' advanced analytics showed.
They had Pastrnak's line tabbed with a 3.3% xGF%. I didn't even realize the number could get that low, but their 0.06 xGF and 1.80 xGA confirmed that this wasn't even close to one of their better nights. Whether it is Pastrnak himself, a quiet night from Peterka, or whatever is ailing Zacha, this trio just isn't working.
The other line in the top six didn't have a great night either, as Morgan Geekie struggles through the season's first month. It's getting to the point where you have to wonder whether he is holding Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten back, even though the two sophomores are playing well. Unfortunately, too many plays are dying on Geekie's stick right now.
The solution might be to unite Geekie, Zacha, and Peterka on a line, setting the stage for the return of a line that played well together last season but didn't get enough run: Pastrnak, Minten, and Khusnutdinov.
Bruins should reunite Khusnutdinov-Minten-Pastrnak line
Some of the underlying numbers for this trio weren't great in 2025-26, but in 188 minutes together, they outscored their opponents 15-6. Something about the line just worked, and some people even irresponsibly compared them to the Perfection Line of the past.
This year, Minten and Khusnutdinov look like seasoned veterans after a successful rookie season, and they might be the ones to inject new life into Pastrnak. The pair deserve a winger who doesn't hold them back, and they might be getting sick of watching the play die on Geekie's stick.
It would leave Zacha, Geekie, and Peterka to figure it out amongst themselves. If it takes a while, Marco Sturm can find solace in the fact that lines three and four haven't taken a step back since uniting. By reuniting Pastrnak with the two youngsters, I believe that the Bruins get three solid lines.
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