If it's not broken, don't fix it. That has been something that has been preached for years. It is also what first-year Boston Bruins coach Marco Sturm is doing.
After going through a six-game losing streak earlier last month, the Black and Gold had won four out of their last five games. After a surprising win over the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 25, the Bruins were routed by the Ottawa Senators two nights later. Since that loss, wins over the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, and Carolina Hurricanes have Boston back at .500 at 7-7-0 through 14 games.
Game 15 will be on Tuesday night on Long Island against the Islanders as they look to increase their winning streak to four games. If they are going to do that, they are going to do it on the strength of the same lineup that Sturm has been rolling out the last 10 days.
Bruins rolling out same lineup against Islanders during winning streak
Sturm is going to continue the same lineup he has been using recently, and why not? Jeremy Swayman will be back between the pipes after his 28-save performance three days ago in a 2-1 win over the Hurricanes. On defense, Mason Lohrei will miss another game with the recent call-up of Jonathan Aspirot slotting back into the lineup.
“When you do the prescout, it’s kind of refreshing to your memory very quickly. It’s a good team, a good hockey team. They play connected very well,” Sturm said. “I think this will be exactly how the game was in Boston the other night – whoever makes more mistakes is going to have a tough time.”
Changing a winning lineup is a no-brainer for a Bruins team looking to continue to build off of their success last week. The jury is still out as to whether or not they are a playoff team or one that will compete for a spot later this season. Regardless, if it's not broken, don't fix it.