by Bob Morello
Bruins’ destiny is in their own hands
Tuesday the Bruins were in Carolina to take on the Metropolitan Division leaders, the Hurricanes in what was the final game of their four-game road trip which began April 2nd. The month of April had not been kind prior to the Carolina stop, as the previous three games played on the road resulted in a record of 0-2-1, with Boston only able to muster a single goal in each of those losses against Florida, Tampa and Philadelphia. A glaring drop following a productive 10-3-3 month of March. That stat only magnified one of the many problems facing the Bruins while they limp their way to attempting to lock up a playoff spot. With 95 points and holding a spot in the first wild card position, the concern is not so much as the position going into the playoffs, but rather the surrounding concerns, namely the lack of offense as they continue to have a problem mounting shots. Much of that due to the lack of goal production from Morgan Geekie, who prior to the Hurricanes game, had only managed two goals in the last 22 games. Even more mystifying is Geekie had not been able to put a single puck in the back of the net in his last 17 games, and stuck on his 34 goal total. The locals’ inability to generate shot volume has also been a concern, as they realize the urgent need to start getting pucks to the net. The power shortage has been magnified on Boston’s sputtering power play, as those missed opportunities are becoming an important constant in the many recent, tight scoring games. Noticeable the occasion has arisen, where a shot opportunity is passed up, and the extra pass results in a missed high scoring chance. When you add up the aforementioned issues, you can see that a return to their March success would have easily put this group over the top.
Bruins head coach Marco Sturm continues to adjust his lines in hopes of finding the right trio that will get the offense back on track, with little success lately. The conversation on talk radio has been heavy on whether the Bruins should call up former Boston College standout, and their 2025 first round pick (7th overall), up from Providence to the big club, in hopes that he may be the spark they need to put their offense back on track. Despite all the controversy regarding a playoff spot, the Bruins are in charge of their own destiny at this point. It will be both interesting and exciting to see how it plays out, and whether the team goes into the playoff round with a push or a limp. With three regular season games remaining, Boston will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (12:30pm), followed by a solo road game with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday (6:00pm) and a return to TD Garden for their regular season finale with the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday (7:00pm). Stay tuned…