Slumping Boston Bruins in Desperate Need of Defensive Reinforcement
Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins have now lost a season-worst four straight games and each defeat has been quite brutal. Boston’s been lacking its trademark grit, drive and killer instinct of late. Tuukka Rask has been stretched thin. Although the team’s struggles can mainly be attributed to an underperforming group of defensemen. If the issue isn’t addressed in house or via a trade, the Bruins cannot and will not be viewed as a legitimate playoff contender.
Of their last four losses, the Bruins third-period collapse on Monday night in Calgary, was the most alarming. They allowed the Flames to score twice in the final frame to force overtime. In overtime, the Flames ripped two points right out of the hands of the Bruins, who had held a three-goal lead at one point during the game.
Boston’s been plagued by inconsistent defensive play for most of the season, but it was further spotlighted in the loss to Calgary. Matt Bartkowski was inserted into the lineup as Claude Julien sought a way to inject life into a battered unit. Bartkowski rode the bench in third period. Julien and the Bruins can’t seem to solve the internal issues the team is dealing with in terms of their blue line play and it’s taken a toll on Rask.
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The Bruins have allowed 16 goals over the last four games. In the losses, a once stout and punishing defensive unit, has skated around in an aimless fashion. As a result, Rask has been peppered and called upon to save the day in 23 of their last 24 games. He’s tired and on the verge of flaming out.
The absence of Johnny Boychuk has really started to show. Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg are almost certainly not at full health, despite taking the ice each night. Boychuk provided stable reinforcement and an intimidating force when the game was in the balance. Dougie Hamilton hasn’t yet grown into a top-tier shutdown guy and Torey Krug is undersized. Opposing forwards are having their way with the Bruins and Rask is paying the price.
Boston’s regular defensive rotation of Chara, Seidenberg, Hamilton, Krug and McQuaid are a combined goal differential of minus-18 through five games in the month of February. Kevan Miller is the lone Bruin that’s not a negative with a plus-5 rating. With that said, reinforcements along the blue line are desperately needed. A rough, rugged, bruising d-man has become the Bruins’ biggest need, not a scoring winger like previously thought.
Malcolm Subban will likely make his NHL debut on Wednesday night in Edmonton. Rask could certainly use a few games off. If Subban starts and plays well, he is certainly a piece the Bruins could flip to fetch a defensive stalwart. Whether Boston plans to showcase Subban for trade, or spell Rask in favor of the slumping Niklas Svedberg, a trade of any fashion has to be on the horizon or things could get ugly fast.