Joe Sacco’s disheartening 7-word statement after Bruins’ loss to Ducks sums up lackluster NHL season in Boston

It may be time to let go. It won’t erase the pain, but it might be better than holding on to vague hope. The Boston Bruins continue their downward spiral into the abyss, headlined by the team’s seven-game losing slump. After the defeat against the Anaheim Ducks, interim head coach Joe Sacco needed only seven words to deliver a blunt, soul-crushing admission about the 2024-25 NHL season.

Few could have predicted such a dramatic, disheartening campaign after last season’s postseason exit in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, the Bruins are looking unrecognizable compared to last year’s version.

It’s been a farewell NHL season in Beantown; head coach Jim Montgomery was just the first household name to be shown the door, with many others following suit throughout the campaign. Brad Marchand, the franchise’s captain, was the most impactful departure, marking the beginning of a true new era in Boston—though not necessarily a better one.

The Bruins are looking like a complete trainwreck night in and night out. During a tight, contested game in Anaheim, Ducks star Leo Carlsson scored shorthanded to break the ice—and seemingly Boston’s fight and grit as well. The Ducks would go on to steamroll the Bruins by a score of 6-2.

Following the backbreaking loss, Sacco issued a harsh seven-word confession. “It’s a frustrating time right now,” Boston coach Joe Sacco said, via NHL.com, perhaps waving the white flag on the Spoked B’s season.

Recipe for disaster

Boston has struggled in almost every phase of the game lately and throughout the NHL season. Goaltending has been under scrutiny, as have the special teams, whose efficiency rates are alarming. However, one recurring issue in the Bruins’ outings is their lack of scoring and their tendency to concede the first goal in nearly every matchup.

“When you get down a few goals like we do, you start to try to play catch-up hockey and you open yourself up for more mistakes, and that’s the problem right now,” Sacco explained.

Over the last ten games, in which Boston holds a 2-7-1 record, the Bruins have scored the first goal in only two of those matchups. Sixty minutes is a long time, and leads can appear and vanish in an instant, but constantly playing from behind is hardly a winning formula, and Sacco’s Bruins have experienced it firsthand.