BOSTON — Charlie McAvoy at the top of the umbrella. David Pastrnak cocked and ready inside his off-wing circle. James van Riemsdyk and his big body parked in front of the opposing net. Pavel Zacha and captain Brad Marchand free to fire away or dish off passes for a one-timer.
In theory, the Bruins’ power play unit should be a finely-tuned machine, taking advantage of the man advantage with regularity.
Only it hasn’t been that way lately. And which is concerning with the playoffs set to begin in less than two weeks.
Following Tuesday night’s 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes, Boston’s power play continues to be on a misfiring streak. They’ve scored just one 5-on-4 goal in 18 chances over their last six games, with Charlie Coyle (who makes appearances on the PP1 at times) cashing in last Saturday in a win over Florida.
The Bruins had a power play opportunity in each of the three periods Tuesday, but the only thing noteworthy is that they allowed a shorthanded strike to Seth Jarvis five seconds into their final one, giving the Hurricanes their fourth and final goal with 6:38 to go.
Go back a little further, and what should be an advantageous situation for the Bruins has been anything but.
They were just 2-for-27 over their last nine games with an opposing player in the penalty box. The contest before that, a 6-2 win over Ottawa at TD Garden March 19, saw them go 2-for-2; that multi-goal power play effort marks just the second time they’ve done that in their last 39 outings (the other coming 12 days prior against the Maple Leafs).
Incredulously, 47-goal man Pastrnak has one power play goal in his last 31 games after connecting 11 times in his first 48. Zacha (3), Coyle (3). Morgan Geekie (2), van Riemsdyk (2), and Justin Brazeau (2) all have more man up tallies during that time frame.
To put it in further perspective, Pastrnak has as many power play goals as rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei over the last 31 games … and Lohrei has only played in 10 of those.
Marchand, the team’s second leading scorer who is tied with Coyle for second on the club in PPG’s (7), hasn’t produced one since January 13 against St. Louis … that was 37 games ago.
Over the last 39-game stretch, Boston is 19-for-116 on the power play, connecting at a 16.4 percent rate. Prorated over a full season, that would place them below Calgary (27th, 16.9 percent) and Buffalo (28th, 16.7 percent) in the league rankings. Both of those squads were making early spring tee times long ago.
The season-long totals for the Black-and-Gold aren’t as dire, but it’s far from a smooth running machine, either. Their 22.3 percent connection rate (53 PPG in 238 chances) sits 13th overall in the 30-team league. The home/road split doesn’t matter much, either; they’re at 23.3 percent (12th overall) at TD Garden and 21.6 percent (again, 12th) on enemy ice.
What’s perhaps most concerning is that against teams either in the playoffs or on the precipice (within 2 points of a spot heading into Tuesday’s games), the Bruins are just 10-for-83 on the power play January 11. That’s a mere 12 percent. Continuing along that path in the postseason, when defensive structures tighten up considerably, just isn’t going to cut it.
Conversely, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston’s likely first round playoff opponent, lead the NHL in power play percentage at a robust 29.5. Having netted 69 PPGs in 77 games, they’ve been particularly deadly at Amalie Arena — where Games 3, 4, and potentially 6 of an opening series would be held — where they rip the twine one out of every three times there’s a foe in the sin bin. (The Bruins are killing 82.4 percent of their penalties off, good for 8th in the league).
Teams with true Stanley Cup aspirations need to take advantage of every possible opportunity they receive in the playoffs. If the Bruins are serious about doing so, returning to their lamp-lighting ways on the power play would go a long way towards that.
###
Phil Stacey, the Executive Sports Editor of The Salem News, covers the Boston Bruins and pro hockey for CNHI Sports Boston. Contact him at pstacey@salemnews.com and follow him on Twitter/X @PhilStacey_SN