After a 7-2-0 start against a softer schedule under interim head coach Joe Sacco, the Boston Bruins got a rude awakening against a real contender on Tuesday, suffering an embarrassing 8-1 loss against the Winnipeg Jets.
Making his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show on Thursday, former Bruins player and coach Mike Milbury weighed in on Boston’s recent play. While acknowledging some improved defensive play for Sacco’s first nine games, Milbury said his overall view of the team and its ceiling has not changed, because he still sees one big fatal flaw.
“Pretty much where I was a couple weeks ago, which is that they have a giant hole in the middle, and they're not going to be a contender until they address that,” Milbury said. “They can polish up the sidelines and the wings and defense or whatever, but they don't have enough in the middle.”
The Bruins had hoped that signing Elias Lindholm to a massive seven-year, $7.75 million AAV contract over the summer would sufficiently strengthen their center position, but things haven’t played out as expected so far. Jets centers Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry and Vladislav Namestnikov controlled play throughout Tuesday’s game.
“I mean, this Elias Lindholm has been a bust,” Milbury said. “Three goals and, what, 10 assists? I mean, this is not what you pay 8 million dollars for. Not to mention [Nikita] Zadorov, who once in a while he hits somebody. The rest of the time he's in the penalty box or making really what I think are inefficient and not very studious plays on the ice.
“They looked like they had grasped a concept of defensive efficiency under Joe for the last nine games, I guess it was, and then they hit this bump in the road. Winnipeg is a legit contender. I mean, they've fallen on a little bit of a hard time recently. I think they were 4-6 in their last 10 after a ridiculously hot start, but they clearly have talent. And the Bruins, for whatever reason, weren't ready.”
One reason the Bruins may not have been ready is that they apparently haven’t been practicing well recently, as revealed by captain Brad Marchand after the game. Milbury said it falls on Sacco to make sure that isn’t happening.
“I read that they felt that their practices weren't good. Well, I have to tell you, that's on the coach,” Milbury said. “I'm a big fan of the coach. I've known him for a long time and I think he's going to do a pretty good job, as good a job as you can with the tools that he's given, but if the practices are sloppy and attention is not paid to detail, then it is on him. I saw it from Marchand and I saw it from Joe Sacco himself that they weren't happy with their practices. Well, take a look in the mirror, buddy, because that's your job.”
The Bruins’ western road trip continues Thursday night in Seattle, with puck drop set for 10 p.m. ET.