Salt was thrown in the wounds when Bruce Cassidy got fired. A change may have been necessary, but it was not a positive reaction. Nobody knew what to expect when the Boston Bruins hired Jim Montgomery to lead this team. The 2022-23 Boston Bruins have been electric to start the year. This was a team that was rumoured to be washed during the offseason and potentially miss the playoffs entirely. Instead, the Bruins are off to their best start in 92 years (13-2) and currently are the second-best team in the entire league. The team is firing on all cylinders and is playing some of its best hockey.
Jim Montgomery Has The Bruins Thriving In His System
When you make a coaching change you never know what to expect. And not a knock on Bruce Cassidy, but that change has paid dividends in the early goings. The fans are taking notice, but so are the players. Boston Bruins forward AJ Greer went on to say this about his new coach, “He just lets us play,” forward A.J. Greer said. “He isn’t being too hard on us, but he’s also correcting us, sometimes without even having to say anything. It’s fun to play for him. The way he uses the systems and the way he’s using this team is exactly how we want to play, and you see it with the success we’re having. It’s really well-thought out, because everyone’s dialed into that same mindset and everyone’s collectively pulling the boat here.”
And one system that has been working for the Bruins is their penalty-killing unit.
The Killer B’s
When Cassidy was the head coach, the team had a top 10 penalty kill except for in 2018-19. But under new head coach Jim Montgomery, the Bruins’ unit had been absurd. While being a high calibre offensive unit, the Bruins are smothering defensively. And when it comes to being down a man, they have the league’s most efficient penalty-killing unit. During the season so far, Boston has been penalized for 194 penalty minutes. However, the team has the league’s top penalty-killing unit, with a 91.7% success rate. The unit currently sits 9th in the league with the expected goals against at 9.05 in this play of the game.
Despite allowing two power play goals the other night against the Vancouver Canucks, what has made this unit lethal is limiting the opposition’s chances. Defensively they do an excellent job of keeping the puck away from the high-danger areas of the ice (18 shots allowed). The unit keeps teams away from the area. Most opponents get their looks from the low-danger areas of the ice (20 shots) and have also allowed (25) middle-danger shots. In total, the Bruins have limited shots that get to the net and have only let up 63 shots on goal (10th least in the league).
Goaltending
One key standout for this unit is in the crease. Linus Ullmark has been great. Not just throughout the season, but when on the penalty kill. Ullmark has posted a .956 save percentage and has allowed only four goals. In addition, he has a goals saved above expected of 2.1. While facing the chances they face; six rebounds have been given to the opposition. Considering where the chances are coming from, to give up only six is very good. Goaltending has been good at swallowing the puck after those rebound chances and not letting anything up. When it comes to the scoring chances, the Bruins have a scoring chance save percentage of 90.70 and a total save percentage of 92.06.
The Bruins have allowed just five powerplay goals (1st in the league). In addition, the Bruins’ goals against per 60 while shorthanded is 1.9 (also 1st in the league). Depth centre Charlie Coyle has the lone short-handed goal for the team. The Bruins have been opportunistic on the penalty kill and have generated 13 scoring chances for themselves. Despite only one going in the net, the looks are there.
The System Is Working
Practicing what the coach wants you to do has been on full display. You see it in the analytics and you see it on the ice. Not only has it applied at even strength (6th in HDCF% 54.96) but you see it on the penalty kill. Veteran forward Nick Foligno went on to say this about the coaching system, “He really understands what [we] are going to have success with,” Foligno said. “That’s being heavy down low. He talks about wearing out the goal line, and that’s conducive to a lot of guys in this room. That messaging alone plays into a lot of guys’ hands. Guys are more comfortable. The reads you can make down low; you don’t get burned on as many times if it doesn’t work out. There’s still a 200-foot game that [another] team has to get through. I think that’s really played into a lot of our hands.”
As a team, they have dominated the goal line and it has been a noticeable site to see. Boston has allowed the 10th least amount of shots in the high-danger area (91) at even strength and the fifth least on the penalty kill (18). They take to the attack as well. The lethal Bruins offence has scored the seventh most goals from the high-danger areas (20) while firing the 10th most in the area (106). You can tell the players are buying in and excelling at the new system.
Let The Good Times Roll
The Boston Bruins have been a wagon to begin the year. The players have bought in and they are enjoying life under their new head coach. You are also noticing players who were not thriving under the old system, thriving under the new. As a unit, the penalty kill has stood out, but this team is firing on all cylinders. They lead the league in scoring in all situations (59) and rank second in goals against (33). Production is coming up and down the lineup and the goaltending is holding up great. Jim Montgomery has the Bruins playing great hockey, and the players have bought into the system.
This hot level of play may not last forever, so enjoy this and just let the good times roll.
All statistics come from Natural Stat Trick.
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