Haggerty: Even Strength Problems Continue For Boston Bruins | BHN+

The good news is the Boston Bruins have secured three out of a possible four points in their first couple of games against the New Jersey Devils.

The bad news: they didn’t score a single 5-on-5 goal over the course of those two games and needed special teams to come through for them again in Saturday afternoon’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Devils at the Prudential Center. It’s the same song, different for the Bruins given their well-documented even strength offensive issues over the last few years.

Clearly some of it is due to missing the NHL’s leading goal scorer in David Pastrnak as he works his way back from hip surgery, and other injuries that have shuffled right wings Ondrej Kase and Craig Smith in and out of the lineup.

But generating offense during 5-on-5 play has been a problem for years now with the B’s, particularly during the Stanley Cup playoffs against quality teams. The fact it’s a challenge again to start this season should be cause for early concern with the Boston Bruins. Zero 5-on-5 goals in two full games with overtime should set off some early warning bells and whistles.