For the first time since the end of October, Morgan Geekie's scoring pace slipped below 50 goals after Saturday night's win over the Vancouver Canucks. The Boston Bruins' newest sniper still has a shooting percentage above 24%, which is nearly double the league average, but he hasn't been scoring with the same ease as he was early in the season.
It isn't overly surprising that Geekie is going through a lull where he has no goals in his past six games and only three in his last 12. His production was a nice treat for Bruins fans, but it was unlikely he could keep scoring at that rate, especially given the volatility of the team's offense.
The most puzzling part about Geekie's lack of scoring is that the Bruins' powerplay has been buzzing over the past 10 games. He had become the left elbow shooter for Boston after taking David Pastrnak's spot, and most of the scoring was coming from his lethal shot. The Bruins have powerplay goals in seven of their last 10 games, including two in Saturday's win.
Opposing penalty kills are starting to zero in on Geekie as the Bruins' most significant threat, which isn't leaving him as many opportunities to score. However, with the opponents sticking closer to Geekie's side of the ice, it's leaving players like Pastrnak with plenty of room to maneuver on the other side, which he used to the Bruins' advantage with a nice assist on Elias Lindholm's powerplay goal against the Canucks.
What Morgan Geekie's shooting regression means for the Bruins' offense
Geekie can generate offense on his own, but he was never going to stick at a 50-goal pace if his powerplay production dried up and he moved off an even-strength line with Pastrnak. In a quest to get more balanced scoring, Marco Sturm now has Geekie on the top line with Lindholm and Alex Steeves, and Pastrnak on the second line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov.
The problem for Geekie is that he knew what he was getting from his superstar linemate on most nights. There were some quiet shifts, but Pastrnak was going to set up Geekie for at least a couple of chances a night. He doesn't have the same luxury playing alongside Lindholm, who is a bit more hot and cold and not as natural a playmaker.
If the lines stay this way, Geekie is going to need to step up the powerplay. If he doesn't, 40 goals could be a bit more realistic of a goal than 50. With back-to-back wins in Western Canada and nine goals in two games, Sturm's quest for depth scoring is working. However, it could come at a cost for Morgan Geekie fans and fantasy hockey owners.