Bruins’ Power Play Concerning Entering Playoffs

With an overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday (March 30), the Boston Bruins have clinched their fourth Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history. The season has been nothing short of spectacular for the Original Six club, and as we enter the final weeks of the regular season, it’s hard to find any glaring weaknesses in their game. However, since January, the Bruins have struggled to convert on their power-play chances leaving the team and fans searching for answers.

Bruins’ Power-Play Concerns Begin in January

Coinciding with the new calendar year, the Bruins’ power-play struggles began on Jan. 1. Before the New Year, they converted on 27.6 percent of their power-play chances. Through 36 games, they had scored 37 goals on 134 power-play opportunities. However, things have gone in a different direction for the club since, as they have scored just 20 power-play markers on 126 chances. While clipping along at a much lower 15.6 percent success rate, the power play has even gone on to cost them games as recently as March 28 against the Nashville Predators, when they went 0-5 with the man advantage in an eventual 2-1 loss.

One key difference starting in January was the loss of Jake Debrusk, who was injured in the 2023 NHL Winter Classic against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Up to the time of his injury, Debrusk was on pace to shatter all his previous career-high totals, including power-play goals, which he had chipped in five through 36 games while playing on the Bruins’ top unit. However, the speedy forward went on to miss the next 17 games, and at the same time, the Bruins’ power play began to look much less threatening to the opposition. Since returning to the lineup, he has only potted one power-play goal in 21 games.

Bruins’ leading scorer, David Pastrnak, had 10 power-play goals in the 36 games before Jan 1. In the games to follow, he has scored seven power-play goals in 39 games, a slight drop off in production but not enough to explain the vast overall decline in the Bruins’ conversion rate.

Why Is the Bruins’ Power Play Struggling?

So, if it’s not due to Debrusk’s departure in early January and Pastrnak is still scoring on the power play at a reasonable rate, then why have we seen such a drop off in the Bruin’s power-play success over the last half of the season?

Predictability. Predictability has to be a factor for the significant drop in production with the man…