The Bruins started the first ten games of the season with a 4-6 record, which is unlike them, considering they’ve been a dangerous playoff team in past years. Although they’ve been in the playoffs the last few years, the Florida Panthers have owned the Bruins as they beat them by a series score of 4-2 in the second round of the playoffs last year. In addition, a year prior to that, the Bruins had one of the biggest collapses in NHL history as they blew a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals and ended up losing 4-3.
The Bruins have lost key pieces in recent years including losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krecji to retirement and young forward Jake DeBrusk to free agency. The Bruins also have had trouble drafting in recent years. In 2015 they held back to back to back first round picks, but they picked terribly. They picked Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, and Zach Senyshyn and all three of these players are no longer on the Bruins including two that aren’t even in the NHL anymore. They could’ve had franchise players including Mathew Barzal, Travis Konecny, and Kyle Connor if they drafted better.
These poor decisions have been starting to catch up with them this year, as the start of the season has been frustrating for the Bruins. After their 4-6 start, things didn’t get any better as they were 8 – 9 – 3 before the firing of head coach Jim Montgomery. A lot of people were surprised by this move since Montgomery went 120 – 41 – 23 through his two years as the Bruins’ head coach.
Bruins’ assistant coach Joe Sacco took over as the interim head coach and they’ve been playing much better since with a 7 -3 record in their last 10 games. Sacco is from Medford, Massachusetts and was a standout hockey player. He went to school at Medford High before going on to Boston University and soon after, the NHL. He bounced around from the NHL and AHL during his 13 year playing career before starting his coaching career in 2005. He’s been the assistant coach for the Bruins for the last 10 years before being promoted to head coach on November 19.
Sacco is known to be a very straightforward coach, as he’ll tell you what’s right and not just what you want to hear. He was a detail – oriented player that focused on special teams and defensive play styles which has carried over to his coaching style. He holds players accountable for making costly mistakes that could make or break a game. Overall, the Bruins may not have a ton of talent, but they’re fully capable of making a deep playoff run with their experience and the change of scenery in Joe Sacco.