Bruins' offense goes extra cold at the wrong time for Julien
The Boston Bruins haven't been scoring all season. But they've been even more inept of late, and that has to be driving head coach Claude Julien crazy, as rumors of the precarious state of his employment swirl.
Boston dropped its fourth game in a row Sunday, a 5-1 decision in which the Bruins out shot the Pittsburgh Penguins 45-36.
Matt Murray shut the door.
The Bruins have a 75 to 58 advantage on the shot clock over their past two games, and have only one goal to show for it in back-to-back losses. Boston was shut out 1-0 by Chicago on Friday.
Julien's squad went into Sunday's game averaging 2.4 goals per game, ranking 24th in the league, but save for a couple of outbursts over their past six contests, five of which the Bruins have lost, they're having even more trouble than usual scoring.
| Date | Result | Shots For | SH% | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 12 | L 2-1 | 36 | 2.77% | Predators |
| Jan. 14 | W 6-3 | 39 | 15.4% | Flyers |
| Jan. 16 | L 4-0 | 32 | 0% | Islanders |
| Jan. 18 | L 6-5 (SO) | 33 | 15.1% | Red Wings |
| Jan. 20 | L 1-0 | 30 | 0% | Blackhawks |
| Jan. 22 | L 5-1 | 45 | 2.22% | Penguins |
Math is hard, but that's only 13 goals in six games, 11 in two of them, the games in which the Bruins got at least a point. Boston has two goals in its last four regulation losses.
It's bad.
But you can't say Julien's guys aren't trying. The Bruins have out shot their opponents in each of their last six games, averaging 35.8 shots per game; the puck simply isn't going in the net.
Boston's played the most games of any team in the league so far, 50, and sit 23-21-6. The club's in playoff position as the third seed in the Atlantic Division, but the Toronto Maple Leafs - one point back - have a whopping six games in hand.
Detroit, four points behind, has three games in hand, and the Red Wings will be in Boston to face the Bruins on Tuesday, in yet another big game for the black and gold.