Who is to blame for the Bruins’ current disaster? Sweeney deserves his share originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins were in desperate need of a major shakeup, and on Tuesday, that move finally came when the team announced it had Fired head coach Jim Montgomery.
he will be replaced by associate coach Joe Sacco provisionally.
Montgomery deserved better, but someone had to take the blame for what has been a disastrous start to the 2024-25 season for the Original Six franchise. The Bruins entered on Tuesday with a record of 8-9-3 in the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It is almost a miracle that they are not lower in the standings considering how poorly the team has played.
The list of problems affecting this team is long. The offense has been mediocre in every aspect. Team B scores 2.40 goals per game, the second lowest average in the League. The power play ranks last with a success rate of 11.7 percent. The penalty kill ranks 26th. The goaltender, the team’s constant force for nearly a decade, has posted a save percentage of .883 (25th). Franchise goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who signed a Eight-year, $64 million contract. Before the season, he has played well below expectations.
Perhaps worst of all, this has been a boring hockey team. Low scoring, low energy, low level of competition – things we haven’t said about Bruins teams in a long time.
Montgomery obviously deserves some blame for what happened. He didn’t get the most out of his players, many of whom have thrived in his system over the past two years. His line combinations didn’t work. The team has gone long stretches without getting many shots on goal. Discipline has also been a major issue, as evidenced by the league-leading 91 minor penalties committed by the Bruins (14 more than any other team).
Craziest statistic of all? The Bruins have now lost five games by four or more goals this season.
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