The Boston Bruins’ offense needs to wake up after being shutout by Flyers

BOSTON — The offensive struggles of the Boston Bruins continued on Tuesday night, as the B’s were shut out by the lowly Philadelphia Flyers. The Bruins were booed off the ice when the clock hit zero on a frustrating 2-0 loss at TD Garden.

It was the first shutout for the Flyers all season, and marked the second time that the Bruins have been held scoreless this season. Boston has been shut out twice in the last four games and has scored just seven goals over its last five games. 

The Bruins now sit at 4-5-1 on the season following Tuesday’s loss.

Bruins lose despite out-shooting Flyers

The Bruins out-shot the Flyers 23-19, but Boston had many more opportunities. They just weren’t good opportunities, because Philadelphia threw a lot of bodies in front of those B’s attempts.

The Flyers blocked 28 shots throughout Tuesday night’s game, and the Bruins had just 12 high-danger chances in the contest. David Pastrnak had five of his shot attempts blocked, while Brad Marchand saw four of his bids sent back. That wore out the Boston attack as the contest went on, and the Bruins had just three shots on goal in the third period. It made for a frustrating final 20 minutes as Boston needed just a single goal to pull even with Philadelphia for the majority of the frame.

The Bruins also came up empty on four power-play chances, including a 5-on-3 opportunity in the first period. 

“It’s not good enough,” head coach Jim Montgomery said of the team’s offense. “We’re not making plays, we’re not doing enough to generate high-danger scoring chances. Whether that’s a will to go to those areas or not the right game plan, we’re all culpable for not coming out with a victory tonight.”

Bruins’ offensive struggles

The Bruins have scored 27 goals over their first 10 games, which ranks 22nd in the NHL. With 15 full-strength goals, Boston ranks 24th in the NHL. 

Pastrnak leads the Bruins with six goals and eight points, but he hasn’t been spectacular and he hasn’t received much help. Cole Koepke is Boston’s second-leading scorer with three goals and seven points, while Marchand is tied for third-most with six points.

However, Boston’s captain has just one goal on the season and is a minus-6. Marchand has gone without a point in five of his 10 games this season.

After Tuesday’s loss, Montgomery said it’s time for the stars of his team to start playing like stars. 

“I think on every team, your best players, your star players have to carry the weight, the load offensively,” he said. “Those are the players that are out on the power play. Right now, the offense isn’t materializing for us.”

Bruins’ Power Play woes

The Boston power play unit has been one of the worst in the league, with just six goals on 42 opportunities. Boston’s 14.3 percent success rate on the man-advantage ranks 25th.

The Bruins had just two shots on goal over their four power plays against the Flyers, and both came during a failed 5-on-3 in the first period. The Bruins were up two skaters for 1:37 in the opening frame, but didn’t get any high-danger chances on Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson. 

The boo birds were out at TD Garden when the Bruins failed to get a shot on goal during a power play in the third period with the team trailing 1-0. The Bruins were a mess after the Flyers gave them a golden opportunity with a too-many-men penalty, as Boston to connect on easy passes (Pastrnak and Matt Poitras both had giveaways) and looked disjointed over the two minutes. 

With nine points over their first 10 games, the Bruins are at the bottom of the Atlantic Division but just one point out of a Wild Card spot. Their minus-seven goal differential, however, is the fourth-worst in the Eastern Conference.

The Bruins will look to get their offense on track Thursday night when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh.