Brad Marchand was not happy after the Bruins' latest loss.
Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins have not had the most ideal start to the 2024-25 campaign. The Bruins have struggled to get above .500 and entered play Monday having lost their last two games. On Monday, things did not improve for Boston. They fell on the road to the Columbus Blue Jackets by the score of 5-1.
On paper, the game should now have resulted in a lopsided score. The Blue Jackets and Bruins each took 29 shots on goal. Columbus won the faceoff battle, but they did so 50.8% to 49.2%. Additionally, Columbus took more penalties in this game. Boston received a whopping six power play chances as opposed to Columbus's two.
In the end, though, it was a 5-1 loss. And after the game, Marchand did not hold back in his assessment of what went wrong. “It’s not acceptable to have the same mistakes and same things over and over .. It starts with our compete level. We have it throughout periods, but then we have other moments where we think we’re a skill team and that’s not us. We have to understand our identity,” the Bruins captain said, via 98.5 The Hub's Ty Anderson.
Brad Marchand, Bruins are trending in the wrong direction
Brad Marchand and the Bruins entered play Monday having lost four of their last six games. The Blue Jackets made an emphatic statement in front of their home fans to make it five of their last seven. Columbus scored three goals in the first period to storm out of the gate. Former Bruins forward James van Riemsdyk even found the back of the net against his old teammates.
Charlie Coyle capitalized on one of Boston's power play chances in the second period. But the Blue Jackets closed the door before going on to score two more goals in the final frame. Boston has fallen to 8-9-3 but remains tied on points with the Tampa Bay Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins had their eyes on challenging for the Stanley Cup in 2025. However, they are the sixth-worst offense in terms of Goals For Per Game, according to ESPN. Only the Detroit Red Wings score fewer goals per game in the Eastern Conference. Additionally, they are tied for the 10th-worst team save percentage.
The Bruins need to change things on the ice sooner rather than later. What changes they make will certainly be interesting to watch. In any event, it appears as if something is going to give in Boston before too long.
