Brad Marchand has maintained an optimistic outlook all season. The Boston Bruins captain has said over and over, as recently as this week, that he believes his team can do some damage in the playoffs – if they can just find a way to get there.
On Thursday night, after a 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders, the Bruins’ fifth straight defeat, Marchand struck a bit of a different tone. While still asserting that the team played well (they did outshoot the Islanders 38-20) and that they would “claw and fight” all the way to the finish line, he also acknowledged that they “may not achieve what they hope to this year.”
“You don't always achieve every goal you're shooting for, but that's what builds great bonds and great friendships, when you go through this adversity together,” Marchand said. “We’re doing that. Obviously, it hasn't been the season that we've wanted, and we haven't had the success that we would have liked this time of year, but the good thing is that we're coming together over it. At the end of the day, we may not achieve what we hope to this year, but that doesn't mean that we can't build for something greater and bring it back next year. So, we're going to work every single day to continue to improve and build our game, and we're going to claw and fight every single day to get in the playoffs here.”
That clip has gotten a lot of reaction on social media. Some applauding his honesty. Some pointing out that he sounds like someone who plans on still being a Bruin next year even as his name continues to pop up in trade rumors. Some saying he’s waving the white flag. Some criticizing him for talking like this as the captain when the Bruins are still just four points out of the playoffs with 22 games left.
I can see all sides on this, but I lean more towards the first two reactions than the latter two. It’s a clearheaded assessment of where the Bruins are and what’s ahead of them. Saying they’re still going to “claw and fight” to make the playoffs makes it pretty clear he’s not completely throwing in the towel. And yes, he absolutely sounds like someone who expects to be part of the solution, and not someone who anticipates getting traded before next Friday’s deadline.
Marchand and general manager Don Sweeney have both made it clear that they want this relationship to continue. The question is whether they can get close enough in extension talks – in terms of both years and money – that they’re confident a deal will eventually get done, whether it’s now, closer to the end of the season, or even after the season. If they’re too far apart, though, a trade may very well be on the table, even if it’s not what either side wants.
Here are four more thoughts in the wake of the Bruins’ fifth straight loss:
Pastrnak is making an MVP push
Something else Marchand said postgame: David Pastrnak is building a Hart Trophy case.
“He should be very high in the MVP candidate race right now,” Marchand said. “He's on another level, and it's impressive to watch him every night, the things that he does. He just creates so much for this group. He's leading the charge right now. I mean, we know, we get to see it every day, we understand the talent that he is, but he's rising to another level right now where he's one of the best in the league, and it's fun to watch.”
Marchand is right. Pastrnak scored the Bruins’ lone goal Thursday, winning a battle against Maxim Tsyplakov along the boards with a good second effort before firing a pass to the front that deflected in off an Islander. That extended his career-best point streak to 16 games, which is the longest in the NHL this season.
Pastrnak has 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) during the streak. He has 36 points in 21 games since Jan. 1, four more than anyone else in the NHL during that time. His 18 goals over the last two months also lead the league.
After a slow start to the season, Pastrnak is now tied for fifth in the NHL in points (73) and tied for fourth in goals (31). The raw numbers are still too far behind the likes of Leon Draisaitl (44 goals, 88 points), Nathan MacKinnon (90 points) and Nikita Kucherov (86 points) to argue that Pastrnak should be at the top of any Hart Trophy ballots, but you can certainly make the case for him to be as high as fourth.
Pastrnak’s 35 primary points (goals plus primary assists) at 5-on-5 are second only to Draisaitl (38). He has 26 more points than any other Bruin (Marchand is second with 47), which is the biggest gap between a team’s leading scorer and second-leading scorer in the NHL. If Pastrnak somehow drags this team into the playoffs, he’ll get votes. He might even if they miss.
Poitras the latest Bruins injury
The hits keep coming on the injury front. After interim head coach Joe Sacco announced Thursday morning that Trent Frederic is week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered on Tuesday, Matt Poitras then left Thursday’s game injured and did not return.
It was a freak play. Poitras was skating by the Islanders bench when Brock Nelson gave him a shove towards the boards. Unfortunately, Islanders backup goalie Jakub Skarek opened the door to the bench for a line change at that exact moment, and Poitras wound up slamming into the corner of the open door.
Poitras slumped over in the open doorway, clearly in a lot of pain, and needed to be helped down the tunnel – the Islanders tunnel – by Boston and New York trainers. The Bruins announced a short time later that Poitras was “unlikely” to return with a lower-body injury.
Skarek and Nelson both should have been more aware of their surroundings. Skarek should not have opened the door with players from both teams jostling in the vicinity. Nelson should have been aware that the door might be opening – he and linemate Simon Holmstrom were both going for a change – and avoided the unnecessary shove on Poitras. Nelson was initially assessed a five-minute major, but it was reduced to a two-minute minor for interference upon review.
Poitras missing any time would be unfortunate. The 20-year-old center has been playing well and needs to just keep playing as he continues to develop. He does need to find the back of the net more – he’s now gone 19 games without a goal at the NHL level – but he’s been helping to create chances. Earlier in Thursday’s game, he made a nice play in the defensive zone to spring linemates Justin Brazeau and Riley Tufte on a 2-on-1.
UPDATE: Poitras practiced Friday and is expected to play this weekend, which is obviously very good news for both him and the Bruins.
Boston’s third line has been far too quiet even with Poitras making some plays. The team waived Oliver Wahlstrom earlier Thursday because he wasn’t getting the job done. Neither is Tufte. Brazeau has gone silent (10 games without a point) and could be traded before next Friday’s deadline as a pending unrestricted free agent. All that brings us to…
It’s time to call up some kids
With Wahlstrom waived and Frederic possibly heading to injured reserve, the Bruins could have two open roster spots up front on Friday. If Poitras misses time, it might be three. They need to give at least one or two of the Providence kids a look.
Georgii Merkulov is leading AHL Providence in scoring for a third straight season. He had two more points Wednesday night and has 17 points in his last 17 games. He has gotten just three games in Boston this season, but could be first in line for a promotion now.
Fabian Lysell, Boston’s 2021 first-round pick, has hit a cold spell in Providence (4 points in his last 11 games), but looked fine in the one game he played in the NHL this season. John Farinacci, who just turned 24, is making a push of his own with 10 points in his last nine games for Providence. He has yet to make his NHL debut.
Bruins management tends to defer to “safer,” more experienced options – think Vinni Lettieri, Marc McLaughlin, Patrick Brown – but they really do need to see what they have in these younger guys at some point. With this season going nowhere and the injuries piling up, there’s really no excuse to keep them all buried in Providence any longer.
UPDATE: The Bruins did indeed call up Merkulov on Friday, along with forward Jeffrey Viel and defenseman Ian Mitchell. They sent Wahlstrom, Tufte and Mike Callahan down to Providence.
Swayman has regressed again
Jeremy Swayman made a terrific save on Hudson Fasching in the third period to keep it a one-goal game, but he could have done better on both Islanders goals.
The first was an Alexander Romanov shot off the rush from just outside the faceoff dot that beat him clean over the shoulder. On the second, Swayman gave up a juicy rebound right to Kyle Palmieri in the slot off another shot from outside the dot.
Swayman now has an .893 save percentage over his last 10 games (with a 3-4-3 record). That’s much closer to the rough numbers he started the season with (.885 through his first 21 games) than the improved numbers he put up from mid-December to mid-January when he seemed to be turning his season around (.919 save percentage during a 12-game stretch).
Yes, the Bruins’ defense has been depleted by injuries to Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm. That doesn’t help. But you need your $8.25 million goalie to step up and be great if you’re going to have any chance of overcoming those losses, and that hasn’t happened. Swayman has given up four or more goals five times in the last 10 games, after doing so just once in that prior 12-game run.
“It seems like right now, any time we make a mistake it’s going to end up in the back of our net,” Marchand said Tuesday night.
That may have been a little too blunt from the captain, who may not have meant for it to sound like a shot at Swayman. But it nonetheless speaks to a feeling that the Bruins just aren’t getting bailed out right now.
And sure, ideally you play good enough defense that you don’t need to get bailed out by your goalie. But this team is undermanned and undertalented, and they do need it. That they’re not getting it is one of many reasons they’ve now lost five in a row.