Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery laid into his top players after the team dropped a very winnable game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Not only did the Bruins drop the game, but they were actually shutout in embarrassing fashion by the Philadelphia Flyers, dropping to last place in the Atlantic. It is a new low for the team, as they have mostly enjoyed a lot of success in both the regular season and the playoffs recently. After the game, head coach Jim Montgomery called out the team's most important players, calling them responsible for the lack of offense.
'We're just not making plays and not doing enough to generate high-danger scoring chances. Whether that's a will to go to those areas or just not the right game plan, we're all culpable for not coming out with a victory tonight.Well, on every team, your best players-your star players-have to carry the weight, the load offensively. Those are the players out on the power play, and right now, offense isn't materializing for us.'
This is not the first time Montgomery has scuffled with his top players this season. Earlier this month, he called out Brad Marchand for a costly mistake in what was another winnable game.
This morning, Montgomery was seen having a private discussion with Bruins forward David Pastrnak. Pasta certainly qualifies as one of the team's top offensive players as he lead the team in scoring in each of the past two seasons, putting up 113 and then 110 points. Through ten games this season he has 6 goals and 8 points.
It was not just a run-of-the-mill practice either. Montgomery put his lines in the blender for practice, creating entirely new combinations including a top line of David Pastrnak alongside Jonathan Beecher and Pavel Zacha. Bruins reporter Ryan Jainchill summed up the changes.
'After being shutout 2-0 at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers on home ice, Boston Bruins Head Coach Jim Montgomery has once again thrown the forward lines into a blender. The Bruins have started the season 4-5-1, their worst start under Montgomery, and tied for their lowest win total through ten games since a 4-3-3 start in the 2017-18 season.'
We shall see if the Bruins can turn things around. Right now they look like they could actually miss the playoffs. Brad Marchand has just one goal and Jeremy Swayman has just a .900 save percentage. One would have to imagine that these numbers will start to revert back to their normal expected ranges, but right now the entire team should be on red alert.
