Kalman: Breaking Down Bruins' Biggest Issues At Season's Midway Point
By Matt Kalman, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Bruins are halfway through the 2015-16 season and, to paraphrase a line from former NFL coach Dennis Green, the Bruins are who we thought they'd be, or something to that effect.
At one point earlier this season they were sucking up standings points like a Hoover and were on the cusp of first place. With a 1-1-1 start to their current five-game road trip, which hit a low point when the Bruins blew a third-period lead to the New York Rangers on Monday, Boston is clinging to a wild card in the Eastern Conference. By the time the Bruins get back from the road, they could be outside of the playoff structure.
And this is exactly how we expected this season to play out. They're not talented enough to be among the handful of Stanley Cup contenders but have just enough talent, coaching and experience to be in the thick of the race in the murky conference standings. Such is the predicament a team finds itself when its new general manager (in this case, Don Sweeney) knows he needs to restock the organization for the future but has a mandate from ownership to keep winning and keep the sellout streak going.
One thing is undeniable: the Bruins have become more entertaining. Depending on the opponent, Boston has played some clunkers. But their attempts to integrate younger players and be more aggressive offensively, in addition to their all-world power play, have made them more fun to watch, win or lose.
It's going to be an interesting second half and the Bruins figure to be in the race until the last week of the season, much like last season. Instead of giving out meaningless midseason report-card grades, here's a look at some of the issues the Bruins need to clear up at each position:
Goalies
He'll never convince all the people, but by now Tuukka Rask has to have proven his status as an elite goaltender to an overwhelming majority of New Englanders. His .936 save percentage in 5-on-5 play since Oct. 17 is sixth in the NHL. Best of all, he's already been rested for 14 of the Bruins' 41 games.
Whether Rask gets to keep resting will depend on Jonas Gustavsson's second half. He's won seven of his 11 decisions but has appeared shaky in some starts. Rebounds are not his friend.
The Bruins have picked their spots for Gustavsson's starts well and the team seems to trust him. Should that confidence begin to quiver the Bruins might be forced to ride Rask more than they want or give Malcolm Subban another NHL shot. Either of the latter scenarios could put the Bruins' playoff hopes in jeopardy, so Gustavsson will have some second-half pressure on him.
Defense
Despite the criticisms thrown his way because he still hasn't broken anyone's skull, Zdeno Chara has had another fine season. Sure his gaffe total has been up, but it hasn't helped that he's had to play with a parade of third-pair defensemen asked to play on the top pair. The Dougie Hamilton void is felt every night Chara has to take Zach Trotman or Colin Miller under his wing. We've still seen Chara have some impressive nights against the league's elite, including Alex Ovechkin.
While Colin Miller has made some strides toward earning permanent status in the Bruins' D corps, Trotman and Joe Morrow have had their ups and downs during part-time duty. With Dennis Seidenberg's game also in a constant roller-coaster state, the Bruins are going to have to make decisions about how much they want to develop their young guys or ride the veterans. Seidenberg seemed to benefit from a couple games off earlier in the season.
Kevan Miller's continued presence in the lineup remains a mystery. He holds his own on the penalty kill, but more often than not opponents exploit his limitations. With Torey Krug's continued improvement, it might be time to let one of the kids take Kevan Miller's third-pair minutes.
Forwards
There's no telling when David Krejci will return and that doesn't bode well for the Bruins scoring enough to get into the playoffs. Although Ryan Spooner's recent all-around improved play has to have the Bruins salivating over the vision of Spooner settling back into a third-line role after Krejci's return, for now the Bruins lack enough firepower to win at the same clip they were succeeding in December.
Sweeney earns kudos for his offseason acquisitions, Matt Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes. Although Beleskey has only scored seven goals, his physical presence is a difference-maker every night. The guy never takes a night off. Hayes has struggled to produce, but he's still on pace for 20 goals. As long as the Bruins only rely on him for secondary scoring, they can survive with his lack of physicality and long stretches of invisibility.
David Pastrnak figures to get better the more game action he gets after missing a couple months. He could be a perfect fit next to Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, the way Tyler Seguin was in 2013. Loui Eriksson's return to his Dallas form will make Sweeney's decision-making difficult as the trade deadline approaches. Unless Sweeney can get help for this season in a trade for Eriksson, he might have to hang on to the wing for the stretch run and risk losing him as an unrestricted free agent over the summer.
If there's a major disappointment up front, it's Brett Connolly. His work ethic is almost on par with Beleskey, but Connolly just can't seem to finish. He has five goals in 39 games. The Bruins didn't trade two second-round picks for an energy player. Landon Ferraro, though, has been a revelation as a waiver pickup. Coach Claude Julien seems to have the right ingredients on hand to create an above average fourth line and keep the Bruins a four-line team.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
