BRIGHTON, MA — The Boston Bruins ended a 0-for-13 power play drought in their 3-2 overtime victory against the Florida Panthers on Saturday, but they still went 1-for-5 and have only scored two power play goals since March 26.
Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery wants his power play unit to regain confidence so they can capitalize on scoring opportunities that may be overlooked during their current struggles.
“I also think it’s mental. We talked to them today; we had a meeting. Guys aren’t seeing plays that are there – they’re not seeing it in practice sometimes. …surprising,” Montgomery said after practice Monday at Warrior Arena.
Apart from shouting at the top of his lungs to “SHOOT!”, Montgomery echoed the sentiments of many Bruins fans who have been frustrated watching the team’s lackluster power play lately.
“I know it’s easy, I’m standing there, and I’m watching – but my old eyes can see it; they should be seeing it,” a baffled Montgomery said.
The reigning Jack Adams Award winner emphasized the need for his team to create chaos on the power play, which requires more attention to detail, improved positioning, and, most importantly – just like Bruins fans want – a willingness to shoot the puck!
“I think the details of everybody in their position needs to be better,” Montgomery explained to the players how to fix it. “We need to have a shot-first mentality from the elbows and from the top.
We need our bumper to be more active; we need our net-front guy to take away eyes better, do drive-by screens, and make more plays from the goal line. We need everybody doing their job better.”
The Bruins’ power play units will need to heed and execute their coach’s advice on Thursday as they face the Carolina Hurricanes, who boast the best penalty kill in the NHL, entering the game with an 86.2 percent success rate.
Additionally, if the Stanley Cup Playoffs started on Tuesday night, the Bruins would face the Tampa Bay Lightning, who currently have the fifth-best penalty kill in the NHL at 83.2 percent.
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