The Boston Bruins scored the first and last goal of the night during their matchup with the Ottawa Senators. The only problem was Marco Sturm and Charlie McAvoy’s team allowed 7 goals in between their two tallies. With the loss, the Spoked B has now conceded 7 goals in two of its last three games in the NHL season.
The Bruins are brewing a recipe for disaster, and against the Senators, they found out. Of course, things headed the only way they could’ve: south. An outright embarrassing performance by Boston, as it lost to an Atlantic Division opponent in lopsided fashion. Now, the Bruins are tied with the fourth-worst points total in the NHL standings.
After the game, Sturm addressed the media at Canadian Tire Centre with a harsh and straightforward message about his team’s performance. Ottawa blew Boston out of the water, and the Spoked B must get back on track before spiraling out of control in the 2025-26 NHL season.
“You either buy in or not,” Marco Sturm told NESN after the game. “That’s it right there. That’s the difference. If you look at the Senators today, they do it and we’re not. That’s the game.”
Caught up to them
The Bruins really tried their luck, and it didn’t work whatsoever. Coming into the game, the Sens boasted the seventh-best power play in the NHL, converting on 28.1% of their opportunities. Boston, on the other hand, had killed off 87.2% of its opponents’ man advantages. Still, against Ottawa, the Spoked B was outclassed, conceding goals on 80% of the Senators’ power plays (4 of 5).
“Not serious enough right from the start, and that’s really unacceptable,” Boston coach Marco Sturm said after the game, via NHL.com. “We’re probably the worst penalized team in the league, so it finally caught up to us. You can blame the ref, whatever you want, but it’s on us if we’re going to do that and be in the box the whole time. It’s not going to work and not going to win hockey games.”
Numerical order
Boston did Ottawa quite a favor. The team in Canada’s capital now boasts the best power-play percentage (PP%) in the league, converting at a remarkable 35.1% rate on the man advantage. As for the Bruins, they’ve dropped to 16th in penalty killing. Still, there’s no time to dwell on it for too long.
Up next, Boston will host the New York Islanders, determined to bounce back. The Bruins have lost seven of their last eight outings, earning just two of a possible 16 points. Moreover, they’ve allowed the fourth-most goals per game in the NHL, with an average of 3.82. For reference, only one team—the New Jersey Devils—boasts a higher average of goals scored per game. That means when facing Boston, most opponents erupt offensively and produce well above their season average.