The Bruins have an evidently, costly problem that’s setting them back more than any other team in the NHL.
According to a recent study by the folks at casino.org, Boston topped the league in the share of player payroll spent on players sitting in the penalty box. In other words, the study measured how much the organization spent in terms of payroll per minute in the sin bin.
And the results were not pretty.
Boston’s racked up $438,731 in penalty-related costs, which amounted to 47% above the NHL average and nearly three times that of Chicago’s league-low $149,485.
Perhaps the more important number might be the one that shows just how much those penalties affected the Bruins on the ice.
Boston spent 436.6 minutes shorthanded last season, the most in the NHL, while surrendering 26 power-play goals.
For a Bruins team that finished fourth in the Atlantic Division and lost to Buffalo in the first round, those lost opportunities matter. Boston scored 268 goals during the regular season, 10th in the league, while allowing 247.
The Bruins don’t need to suddenly change their identity. The club just needs to envisage how needlessly costly spending too much time in the sin bin can be.
Bruins Need to Stay Out of the Box and Keep Their Best Players Fresh
Staying out of the penalty box isn’t simply about preventing power-play goals. It is also about maintaining momentum.
Every unnecessary penalty forces the Bruins to abandon whatever they were doing at 5-on-5 and spend two minutes defending. And when that happens repeatedly, it takes some of Boston’s best players away from the situations where they can actually create offense.
Charlie McAvoy is the poster child for this situation.
McAvoy played 24:23 per game last season, including 17:29 at 5-on-5, 2:53 on the power play and 2:40 shorthanded. He also produced a career-high 61 points in 69 games.
Boston could get even more from him by asking him to do a little less on the penalty kill.
That doesn’t mean removing McAvoy from the PK entirely. He’s too valuable and too experienced for that. But giving him more time at 5-on-5 and on the power play could help maximize his offensive impact while keeping him fresher for the moments that matter most.
The Bruins have enough defensive depth to distribute some of that workload.
If Boston can reduce the amount of time its best players spend killing penalties, it can spend more time dictating games instead.
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Boston Needs Discipline Without Losing Its Edge
Moving forward, the best approach will be for Boston to find the right balance between physical play and silly penalties.
Physical hockey is still part of what makes the Bruins effective. Finishing checks, winning battles along the boards and making opponents uncomfortable have all been staples of the team’s identity.
The problem comes when that aggression turns into needless penalties.
And at times, the club has gotten carried away.
The Bruins were good enough to win 45 games and finish with 100 points last season, but they also finished with the 14th-best goals-against total in the league. They don’t need to reinvent their defensive identity. They need to make it more efficient.
That becomes especially important in the Eastern Conference. The race is so tight, that any edge, even a seemingly small one, can make a massive difference in the standings.
If Boston can maintain its physical edge while cutting down on the needless trips to the penalty box, it could make a significant jump.
The Bruins don’t need to become less aggressive. They need to become smarter about when they choose to be aggressive.
Bruins Penalty Problem Cost Them More Than Any NHL Team