Bruins Daily

Bruins Brief: Johnson Searching For Role; Another NHL Coaching Change

Published

2 months ago

December 6, 2024

Good morning, my name is Andrew Fantucchio. It’s Friday, December 6, and here are the top stories, news items, and highlights surrounding the Boston Bruins and from across the NHL today.

Bruins News:

Tyler Johnson Still Searching For Role: Tyler Johnson has been scratched from the Bruins lineup for the last three games. He was a veteran leader while he was in Chicago over the last three years, but now, two months into his first season in Boston, Johnson is still searching for his role and voice with the Bruins.

Bruins Riding First Winning Streak Of Season: It took nearly two months, but the Boston Bruins finally have their first official winning streak of the season. On the back of two goals from both Brad Marchand and Morgan Geekie, they picked up their third straight win by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.

Brad Marchand Burns Bizz (Again): Brad Marchand is officially in Paul Bissonnette’s head.

Blackhawks Fire Coach:

Losing to the Bruins was the final straw for Luke Richardson, as the Chicago Blackhawks fired their head coach on Thursday.

Richardson was in the middle of his third season with the rebuilding Blackhawks. In both of his first two seasons, the team failed to win more than 30 games and isn’t any closer to doing so this year after an 8-16-2 start.

This season was supposed to be a major step forward for the young Chicago squad. They’re not expected to make the playoffs but were, at the very least, supposed to be respectable.

The Blackhawks made several veteran additions over the offseason to help cultivate the young core they already had in place. Instead, the team is trending backward, and young phenom Connor Bedard is visibly frustrated.

As was the case when the Bruins fired Jim Montgomery last month, the Blackhawks hope that moving on from Richardson will spark a turnaround.

But that alone isn’t enough to fix this downtrodden team. The challenge is only just beginning for the Blackhawks.

Yesterday’s Scoreboard:

Panthers: 7, Flyers: 5

Canadiens: 3, Predators: 0

Senators: 2, Red Wings: 1

Lightning: 8, Sharks: 1

Jets: 3, Sabres: 2 (OT)

Hurricanes: 5, Avalanche: 3

Kraken: 5, Islanders: 2

Blues: 4, Flames: 3 (OT)

Edmonton: 6, Blue Jackets: 3

Today’s Schedule:

All Times EST

Washington Capitals v. Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m.

Seattle Kraken v. New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m.

Pittsburgh Penguins v. New York Rangers, 7:30 p.m.

Columbus Blue Jackets v. Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m.

Dallas Stars v. Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.

Minnesota Wild v. Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.

More From National Hockey Now:

Florida: It can be easy for a coach to be too hands-on while their team is going through a rough patch. But while the Florida Panthers worked through a difficult losing streak, Paul Maurice left them alone, and it worked.

Detroit: Dominik Hasek and Viacheslav Fetisov teammates when they won multiple Stanley Cup wins with the Detroit Red Wings. Today, they’re at war with one another.

Pittsburgh: The Pittsburgh Penguins have a plethora of prospects performing well down in the AHL. How many of them actually have what it takes to succeed at the highest level, though? That remains to be seen. (+)

New Jersey: Jack Hughes is heading to the 4 Nations Face-Off, and the New Jersey Devils star already has an idea of who he wants to play with for Team USA.