Not much has been going right lately for the Bruins, and unfortunately Monday was the same old song and dance as the Bruins were once again unable to find secondary scoring, or much scoring at all for that matter, in a 4-1 loss to the Penguins.
While not perfect, effort wasn’t the issue in this game for the black and gold -- they simply lack enough players who can finish scoring opportunities, as proven by just one goal out of 43 shots on goal.
Add in a lack of timely saves plagued and you have a recipe for a second consecutive loss. Here are three key takeaways:
1. Halak gives up a pair of soft goals
In recent outings, Jaroslav Halak has given his team opportunities to win games they had no right being in because of a lack of effort.
Monday night in Pittsburgh wasn’t one of those games. It’s not that Halak played so poorly that the Bruins didn’t have a chance to win, but he gave up two soft goals in the first period after the Bruins had a 1-0 lead.
When the team has struggled to score as often as they have, it would have been nice for Halak to step up and make the saves he should have stopped.
The first goal was a harmless wrist shot from the left wing boards off the stick of Evan Rodrigues that somehow snuck under the catching glove of Halak.
Pittsburgh’s go-ahead goal was another off-angle shot in transition, this time off the stick of Sidney Crosby from the right wing corner along the goal line.
This doesn’t excuse the Bruins' inability to respond, but they needed those stops from their goaltender and the game then shifted in Pittsburgh’s favor.
2. Clifton’s struggles continue
Connor Clifton seems to be regressing this season rather than progressing. In recent years, Clifton showed great mobility and physicality. This year he seems to be lacking confidence with the puck on his stick and as a result has struggles in the transition game.
An example of this was during the second period of Monday’s game against the Penguins where after fending off Evgeni Malkin, Matt Grzelcyk passed the puck to Clifton beneath the goal line, but he fumbled the puck and was unable to get a clean zone exit – instead, the Penguins' forechecking pressure led to Clifton taking a tripping penalty that would result in a Penguins power-play goal.
Clifton would again take a penalty on his next shift, this time a roughing minor, most likely out of frustration of his previous penalty leading to a goal against. It’s time for Clifton to be a healthy scratch even with their injuries on the back-end.
3. Don Sweeney needs to shake up roster personnel
After another game without an even-strength goal, GM Don Sweeney needs to make both internal and external changes as the team reaches the halfway point of the season.
Should Sweeney call up some players from Providence to bring more to the table than traditional fourth liners such as Chris Wagner and Sean Kuraly? Perhaps.
Should Sweeney make an external trade to bolster the team’s offense? Absolutely. Anyone not named Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak or Charlie McAvoy should be vulnerable to trade if it means helping the team win this year.
If Sweeney doesn’t make roster moves soon, the Bruins may find themselves in a free fall they won’t be able to climb back from.