The Boston Bruins just dropped their 6th straight game to the Anaheim Ducks, after starting the season 3-0. Constant bad turnovers and bad bounces have contributed to this, as well as the defense just seems to disappear after they take the lead.
What could be done about this? They could call up some players, bench some stars, they could do a lot of things, but they need to do something and fast. So here are some possible line mix-ups that could snap this six-game losing streak.
Here was the projected line up for game one against the Washington Capitals just for reference:
Morgan Geekie -- Elias Lindholm -- David Pastrnak
Pavel Zacha -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Viktor Arvidsson
Tanner Jeannot -- Fraser Minten -- Michael Eyssimont
Marat Khusnutdinov -- Sean Kuraly -- Mark Kastelic
Mason Lohrei -- Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm -- Andrew Peeke
Nikita Zadorov -- Henri Jokiharju
Jeremy Swayman
Joonas Korpisalo
Obviously, Hampus Lindholm is dealing with something, so the defense is not fully healthy, and the Mason Lohrei and Charlie McAvoy line is not working anymore. So we need to switch up the defense. These lineups are if Lindholm were fully healthy.
Line Up #1
Let's go back to the first three Bruins line-ups. Obviously, grinders are wanted, and you want to be a physical team, but it is not helping this team at all now.
Jeffrey Viel may have been good for a few games, but put Johnny Beecher or Marat Khusnutdinov back on the third line. Beecher scored the single goal against the Avalanche, so they know what he can do for this team. Also, put Casey Mittelstadt back in as center. Why is he playing wing? Pavel Zacha is stronger at that point.
Projected Line Up:
Morgan Geekie -- Elias Lindholm -- David Pastrnak
Pavel Zacha -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Viktor Arvidsson
Tanner Jeannot -- Fraser Minten -- Michael Eyssimont
Marat Khusnutdinov -- Sean Kuraly -- Mark Kastelic
Nikita Zadorov -- Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm -- Andrew Peeke
Mason Lohrei -- Henri Jokiharju
Jeremy Swayman
Joonas Korpisalo
Line Up #2
The Bruins are struggling to score, and when they do score, they give up a goal within a minute. So the first line-up is pulling up one of the six prospects in the Top 20 of the AHL in scoring.
Those six prospects are Georgii Merkulov, Fabian Lysell, Alex Steeves, Matej Blumel, Riley Tufte, and Patrick Brown. Even pulling up some defenseman or deciding to sit a goalie could really light a fire under the team and get them back to how they were at the start of the season.
Projected Line Up:
Morgan Geekie -- Elias Lindholm -- David Pastrnak
Tanner Jeannot -- Alex Steeves -- Pavel Zacha
Georgii Merkulov -- Fraser Minten -- Fabian Lysell
John Beecher -- Sean Kuraly -- Mark Kastelic
Jordan Harris -- Charlie McAvoy
Nikita Zadorov -- Andrew Peeke
Hampus Lindholm -- Henri Jokiharju
Michael DiPietro
Joonas Korpisalo
Line Up #3
This line up is the completely out of left field line up where anything is on the table.
Sit Jeremy Swayman, David Pastrnak, and any of the big stars and show that this means business. Even if not completely out of the game, only allow them to play one or two shifts.
Marco Sturm has already done some of this with David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha, even with Mason Lohrei. The players need to be held accountable for their actions.
Projected Line Up:
Georgii Merkulov -- Marat Khusnutdinov -- Riley Duran
Michael Eyssimont - Matthew Poitras -- Mark Kastelic
Tanner Jeannot -- Sean Kuraly -- Fraser Minten
Matej Blumel -- John Beecher -- Viktor Arvidsson
Nikita Zadorov -- Victor Soderstrom
Michael Callahan -- Andrew Peeke
Frederuc Brunet -- Henri Jokiharju
Michael DiPetro
Jeremy Swayman
This lineup is a complete shake-up and showcases what could be entirely different for the Bruins.
Something Needs to Change
After dropping six games straight after starting off the season 3-0 is a cause for concern. The Bruins need to change something, or the season may be over before it fully kicks into gear. There is still a chance to climb back into the race; they just need to climb back now.