Bruins Still Struggling To Get Reliable Scoring Outside Of Top Line

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Meet the new Bruins. Same as the old Bruins.

They can't score goals. Not beyond the top line, at least.

The lack of consistent scoring beyond the first line continued to plague the Bruins on Tuesday night, when they lost 2-1 in a shootout on Long Island. The loss drops the Bruins to 0-3-1 against the Islanders this season.

That ugly record vs. the Isles is an issue in and of itself, as the Bruins dropped down to fourth place in the East Division, hanging on to the final playoff spot with a one-point lead over Philadelphia. But it's the lack of reliable scorers that's most concerning in the overall big picture.

"I thought we were the better team. Didn't have much luck around the net," head coach Bruce Cassidy said on Tuesday night. "I liked our team's effort from start to finish. It was a pretty tight third period. ... Didn't generate a lot but didn't give up a lot either. So we kept ourselves in the game."

Cassidy added: "As a coach, you're never displeased when your team goes out and plays a strong, structured hockey game. We just couldn't finish enough plays -- or one more play, I guess."

Cassidy is, as usual, telling the truth. Boston outshot New York 33-27, only allowing a goal while shorthanded. It was not a bad game for Boston, and if Semyon Varlamov hadn't made a desperation save to rob David Krejci in the middle of the second period ...

... then the goal-scoring issue is perhaps a bit less pronounced.

The reality, though, is that the lack of goal scoring has become a significant problem, especially since that memorable win in Lake Tahoe.

Since blowing out the Flyers 7-2 in that nationally televised game, the Bruins have played seven games. Save for the five-goal outburst in the Friday night tilt against Washington, goal scoring has been an issue. In the other six games, they've averaged fewer than two goals per game. Unsurprisingly, they've gone 2-3-2 in that stretch.

The Bruins have 66 goals in their 23 games played this year, an average of 2.78 goals per game that has them ranked 21st in the NHL, behind the Rangers and Canucks, two teams that currently sit outside of the playoff picture. They've scored two or fewer goals in 11 of their 23 games. They are 2-6-3 in those contests, and 11-0-1 in all other games.

And once again, when the Bruins do score, they are a top-heavy team. The top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak have combined to score 32 of the team's 66 goals, accounting for just about half of the entire team's scoring.

Meanwhile, Krejci has yet to score a goal in his 19 games played. Jake DeBrusk, a besuited spectator on Tuesday, has just one goal. Anders Bjork has one goal in 22 games. Nick Ritchie has scored eight goals, but five of them have come on the power play.

And it's the area of 5-on-5 play where the Bruins issues really stand out. Boston has scored 39 goals at 5-on-5, ranking them 27th in the NHL. Only the Devils, Predators, Stars and Sabres have scored fewer goals at 5-on-5.

"I don't think it's frustration. I think it's the game. The Islanders are a great defensive team," Pastrnak said. "We didn't score many goals lately, but at the same time, I think the opportunities are there. We missed a couple empty-netters, Ritchie hit the post, the goalie made a great save on Krej. So I don't think it's frustration. I think it's just good things that we're getting the chances. It's a lot of them. It's just about executing them and burying them. Obviously you're going to go through times like this in the season that you're just not going to score five goals a game."

Fortunately for the Bruins, despite that two-game New York skid in which they allowed 13 goals in two games to the Islanders and Rangers, they've been stingy when it comes to allowing goals. The duo of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak may not exactly be in line for a second consecutive Jennings Trophy (their combined save percentage of .925 led the league last season; this year, it's at .911), but the Bruins are still fourth-best in the NHL at keeping the puck out of their own net. Defensively, the Bruins' structure and system has led to opponents generating just 26.3 shots per game, second-fewest in the NHL.

The elements are in place for the Bruins to make another surge. But it's just not going to happen until or if the second and third lines figure out a way to put the puck in the net. In a unique season with a monotonous schedule and a challenging format to reach the playoffs, and with the Flyers breathing down their neck in the East, they're going to need that to kick in sooner than later.

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