Bruins’ Jim Montgomery Should Be on Hot Seat

Offensively, it has been a combination of lack of chances and terrible finishing that has held the Bruins back. The team ranks 20th in the league for expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60), fifth-last in scoring chances per 60 (25.71/60), and sixth-last in high-danger scoring chances per 60 (9.48/60). Furthermore, the Bruins have the sixth-worst team shooting percentage at 5v5, shooting at just over 7% while also averaging the fifth-least shots on goal per 60. To summarize – the Bruins are not generating enough chances and when they are – they cannot finish effectively.

For an offensive system that added a supposed first-line center in free agency, being this bad is something that can fall on the scheme of the coaching staff. Boston did lose Jake DeBrusk who brought some speed and inconsistent scoring, but players like Pavel Zacha, Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle have all seen drastic declines in their shooting percentage and as a result, have combined for four goals and eight points as a trio in 14 games. Simply not good enough.

Now defensively at 5v5, the Bruins are slightly better, but have had their statistics improve slightly due to the consecutive shutouts at the beginning of the month. Boston ranks within the top half in the league in expected goals against per 60 (2.44/60), goals against per 60 (1.95/60) and high-danger scoring chances against per 60 (9.77/60). The issue allowing goals lies on the penalty-kill, where Boston has allowed a league-leading 15 goals against while shorthanded for a 20th-ranked 76.2% penalty-kill percentage.

Following a horrendous outing against Toronto where the Bruins were on the penalty kill seven times, Boston now ranks atop the NHL for most times shorthanded at 63, leading the second-place Maple Leafs by six. They also lead the league in total penalty minutes (175), penalty minutes per games played (12:30), penalties taken (79) and minor penalties (74).

Finally, in the crease, the Bruins have not had their typical dominance that has been common over the course of most of the 2010s and 2020s. Both Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo are boasting a .894 save percentage for a combined team save percentage of 88.47%. The Bruins’ netminders are the fifth-worst in the league for high-danger save percentage, something unusual for Swayman in particular. That said, both are coming off of a shutout and in Swayman’s more recent loss to the Maple Leafs, he stopped all even-strength shots, only allowing goals on Toronto’s powerplays.

Fault Begins to Lie on Jim Montgomery

Sluggish stretches of play happen to almost every team, except maybe the record-breaking Bruins of 2022-23, but even they went through a tough stretch that just so happened to be in their playoff series against the Florida Panthers. There is a chance that Boston is going through a rough 15-game stretch, but when it’s at the beginning of a new season without evidence that this team can perform well, it becomes a lot more worrying.

The biggest issue at hand right now is being the most undisciplined team in hockey and that quickly becomes a coaching issue. Players know not to take small stick infractions, but the Bruins tend to lose control of games and get baited into taking weak penalties. Losing defensive structure also causes Boston to use their sticks more, resulting in more tripping, hooking and slashing calls as a result. The team tends to lose the energy and high-paced skating especially when the going gets tough, which ties into the excess stick work.

If you have watched any good chunk of Bruins games this season, you may notice the team still looks slow and even disinterested at moments. Their play looks similar to preseason hockey, with less effort and hustle than you’d expect. When Boston is moving aggressively and gaining zone time, they get chances and eventually, goals. Against Toronto, they had moments of success that drew penalties, but the horrendous power play kept them from scoring – going 0-for-6.

Players need to play, of course, but when players don’t have a certain drive, perhaps a switch in the locker room can bring that back. This early into the season, trades are unlikely as teams aren’t ready to make bold decisions with sub-20 games played. Boston also lacks assets that would entice teams to send help now unless a first-round pick is included, which seems more unlikely given Boston’s lackluster prospect pool. All of this forces the eyes to come back to Jim Montgomery.

Bruins Falling Behind, But Not Out of It

Before the season started, many fans and analysts believed the Bruins to be one of the premier contenders out of not only the Atlantic Division, but the Eastern Conference entirely. With the additions of Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov, the Bruins filled needs at the center position and size department. Fourteen games in however, those additions have not helped the team as Boston’s defensive structure has been severely lacking along with an abysmal offensive system that is keeping the Bruins below .500 in the standings.

Fortunately for Boston, the rest of their divisional opponents are also not off to roaring starts, as the Maple Leafs, who just defeated the Bruins, are only three points ahead – yet sit second in the division. Only two teams have a worse points percentage than Boston (Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens) and two other teams (Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings) are playing exactly .500 hockey thus far. While Boston’s play has not been anywhere close to their potential, they are still well within striking distance to make up ground on their foes.

As mentioned before, making moves in early November is risky. This may be a slight roadblock that Boston is able to navigate around, but that has to be sooner rather than later. Just as the Bruins could potentially bounce out of this funk, the same can be true for the aforementioned Atlantic Division teams. Jumping to making a significant change such as firing a head coach that has led the team to a 118-39-21 record since taking over, including a Jack Adams Trophy win as the league’s best coach, can very well backfire, but it is most definitely officially on the table.

Montgomery does not have a contract extension past this season, but general manager Don Sweeney has had talks with him regarding one. Will the Bruins give him a chance to fight out of this slump and potentially just let him walk when the offseason comes around? Maybe, but they want to contend this season and Montgomery has to be on the hot seat now with a very short leash to turn this around, or there might very well be a new bench boss in Boston by the 2025 calendar year.