Bruins Share Blame For Montgomery Firing

Will the real Boston Bruins please stand up?

Bruins fans have been clamoring for that for much of the season.

Their collective grumbles and groans have only grown louder with each passing loss, reaching a fever pitch Monday night.

The team was handed its third-straight loss, a 5-1 lashing to the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets, finally forcing Bruins GM Don Sweeney’s hand.

Coach Jim Montgomery was fired, with associate coach and Medford native Joe Sacco taking over the team in the interim.

But where did it all go wrong? That remains the question.

The more the Bruins have struggled, the more I’m finding it harder to believe it’s the same squad from a year ago.

Remember those guys?  They jumped out to an incredible 13-1-2 start and were a solid 14-3-3 at the 20-game mark this time last year.

Not bad, considering they were dealing with the joint retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Those two losses would have saddled even the strongest of Stanley Cup contenders. Instead of rebuilding, the Bruins simply reloaded with a handful of players stepping up, posting career-best numbers and breakout seasons, respectively.

Although they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, in the second round 4-2 in a tough best-of-seven game series, the team appeared determined to return with a vengeance.

Read: Bruins Postgame takeaways: Boston crushed by Columbus

With a large group of returning vets in tow, Sweeney added to his arsenal this off-season. He signed a pair of high-priced free agents in center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov, filling two big holes. Sweeney also made a handful of minor moves upgrading the bottom six. With an added emphasis on size, they got bigger and stronger.

And after signing restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman to a mammoth 8-year, $66 million contract, the Bruins appeared good to go.

Now 20 games later, here they stand, stuck in a very mediocre 8-9-2 mark.

It’s almost as if this was the season the Bruins were supposed to have a year ago, sans Bergy and Krejci. At least that would have been a plausible excuse. Now all that’s left is a series of question marks with no definitive answer

Is the hockey universe just course-correcting itself? Did these guys simply overachieve last year?

The question is moot at this point. Jim Montgomery may have been the fall guy, but there’s plenty of blame to go around.

To a man, the Bruins have collectively gotten off to uncharacteristically slow starts.

It all starts at the top with its core including captain Brad Marchand, alternate captains Charlie McAvoy, winger David Pastrnak and goalie Jeremy Swayman.

Marchand entered the year recovering from three different off-season surgeries. It took a little time for him to warm-up. A costly turnover in a 2-1 loss to Utah, Oct. 19, led to a tense on-camera exchange with Montgomery that went viral. To his credit, the feisty winger regrouped and was back to his usual point-per-game pace. His late-game heroics in a 4-3 win over Calgary, Nov. 7, gave the Bruins a much-needed confidence boost.

ICYMT: Bruins Postgame Takeaways: Lack of Offense Has B’s Singing the Blues

Maintaining that edge has been tricky, however, with the captain held pointless over the last three games.

McAvoy’s point production has been cut in half, from three goals and 12 points a year ago, to just seven points this season. It’s no wonder Montgomery pulled him off the power play. The puck-moving defenseman has had his moments in both games against St. Louis and Seattle, but those have been few and far between. A world-class performer when he’s on his game, McAvoy needs to bring it on a more consistent basis.

Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle have also tailed off significantly, falling 10 points behind last year’s pace. Pasta provided 11 goals and 27 points a year ago. He saw a distinct drop with eight goals, nine assists and 17 points. Streaky for much of the season, he’s yet to carry the kind of swagger Bruins fans know and love in each game. For the moment, he looks more like a Dmitri Kvartalnov clone, leading to a recent third period benching. A turnaround for him is essential.

Coyle also endured a tough stretch going from 14 points to only five this season. His power play goal Monday was a footnote in an otherwise frustrating night. A number of Bruins forwards have dealt with their share of inconsistency. Pavel Zacha has arguably been the Bruins best forward as of late. He was shifted back to center to try to revive Pasta’s sagging offense. Both were held without a shot in Monday’s loss. Other forwards such as Justin Brazeau, Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie have all struggled. All three had a chance to earn the second line right winger spot, a job that nobody seems eager to claim at this stage.

A new addition, Elias Lindholm pocketed five points in his first three games. But a rough scoreless drought forced him off the Pastrnak line. He’s made strides regaining his offensive touch, including a highlight reel behind-the-net feed to Marchand in the Calgary win. But even he admits he needs to be doing more. On the plus side, Mark Kastelic and Cole Koepke have been significant upgrades over the likes of Jakob Lauko and Oskar Steen. If the season ended today, both would be battling it out for the Seventh Player Award.

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The defense has endured plenty of bumps and bruises. McAvoy’s struggles have had a ripple effect on the rest of the blueline brigade. Hampus Lindholm endured an early season lull. The defenseman appeared ready to turn the corner with some spirited play, before getting sidelined indefinitely with a lower body injury last week.

Zadorov has had his ups and downs. At his best, the hulking blueliner can be an intimidating presence. His reputation as a heavy hitter has preceded him, however, with officials handing him an inordinate number of penalties. If the refs ever allow him to play his game, he can be highly effective. Mason Lohrei has shown some nice offensive flair. Armed with a killer breakout pass, the sophomore continues to be a work in progress in the defensive zone. Brandon Carlo remains the team’s defensive conscience. Andrew Peeke and Parker Wotherspoon have provided solid depth.

And then there’s Swayman.

Simply put, the Bruins netminder has been wildly inconsistent, looking every bit like a goalie that missed all of training camp.

In the 5-1 loss to Columbus, he surrendered three first period goals, taking the wind out of Boston’s sails. The backbreaking shorthanded tally from Mathieu Olivier was one he’d certainly like to have back.

The NHL all-star currently sports a pedestrian 5-7-2 record, 3.47 goals against average and .864 save percentage in 14 games this season.

He’s allowed three or more goals 10 times, four plus six times.  This includes a season-worst seven goals against in Dallas, in a 7-2 loss against the Stars, Nov. 14.

“I need to step up,” said Swayman. “And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

A sentiment every Bruin should echo.

Christopher Hurley is a writer for Boston Hockey Now. Reach out to him at christopher.hurley34@gmail.com.

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