The Boston Bruins made a change at the top of the pyramid as they relieved head coach Jim Montgomery of his duties and replaced him with Joe Sacco, who will run things on an interim basis. The Bruins are 8-9-3, and are in the midst of a three-game losing streak that includes a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackers.
After two impressive seasons behind the bench, despite the steady loss of hall-of-fame talent, the Bruins’ slow start (and unimpressive playoff performances) led to Montgomery’s sudden increase of free time despite a 120-41-23 record and a Jack Adams trophy in 2022-23. He’s replaced, at least for now, by Sacco, who coached the Avalanche for 294 games from 2009-2013 and produced a 130-134-30 record with one playoff appearance during their rebuilding phase.
The Bruins have struggled to score goals this season, ranking 31st in the league at 2.40 GF/G, while connecting on just 11.7% of their power play opportunities. Injuries have played their part, as was the decision to split up the best goaltending duo in the league this summer when they shipped Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators. Jeremy Swayman held out for most of training camp and has yet to find his groove, posting a 3.47 GAA and .884 SV%, numbers that are well below his career average.
Despite their struggles, Boston is still in the playoff race. They are holding down a wild-card spot and are tied with the Lightning at 19 points (albeit in four more games played). With the Eastern Conference as tight as it is, Bruins’ management must feel that a change now might prevent them from slipping further out of the playoff race.
Hockey News
Lightning beat Penguins in overtime [Raw Charge]
Brayden Point was back in the line-up and made a difference as he scored twice, including the game-winning goal in overtime. He’s so much fun to watch play. There was some not-so-great news as Nick Paul left the game early.
Just watched Paul's last shift in the second period. It looked like he might have pulled or twisted something in his left leg. It was a non-contact injury and he was definitely favoring it as he left the ice. Cooper didn't have any information after the game, but hoped it would be short term.
— Raw Charge (@rawcharge.com) November 19, 2024 at 10:15 PM
Alex Ovechkin out “week-to-week” with leg injury [RMNB]
Whelp, it seems the Russian Machine does occasionally break. After scoring twice against Utah, the 39-year-old forward left the game limping. On Tuesday, the Washington Capitals announced that he would be out “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury, but will continue to evaluate the injury once they return to Washington. DC. The injury could affect his chances of catching Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record this season, which he was on track to do after scoring 15 goals in his first 18 games.
Auston Matthews in Germany having injury examined [Toronto Sun]
Sticking to the topic of injured superstars, Auston Matthews has been out of the line-up since November 3rd with an upper-body injury. With a small break in the schedule, he (along with the team’s trainer) flew out to Munich to visit a doctor Matthews trusts.
J.T. Miller takes indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons [The Athletic]
Vancouver’s leading scorer (and former Bolt) will be off the ice for an indeterminate amount of time, the team revealed on Tuesday. The team issued a statement supporting him, and informing the media that there would be no further comment at this time. Hopefully, whatever it is, is resolved in a positive manner for Miller.
NHL Salary Cap could increase dramatically next season [SportsNet]
On Saturday, Elliotte Friedman mentioned that the salary cap for the 2025-26 season could rise between $7 million and $9 million, a possible 10.2% increase over this year’s upper limit. Both the league and the NHLPA would have to agree to the increased amount as the current CBA only allows for a maximum increase of 5% from year-to-year. After several seasons of minimal cap increases due to the lost revenue during the COVID years, both parties might be interested in accelerating salaries as revenues have rebounded strongly over the past few seasons.
One song to sum up every NHL team’s 2024-25 season so far [Bleacher Report]
Mariah Carey? And not even the Christmas Mariah Carey. Much like Carey, the Lightning just kind of keep hanging around the playoffs, so maybe it does fit.
2025 NHL Draft Rankings [Daily FaceOff]
The draft is a ways off, and the Lightning don’t have a first-round pick, but here are some names to keep an eye on for next summer. James Hagens was the consensus first-overall pick at the beginning of the season and remains the player to beat, but Porter Malone and Michael Misa are closing the gap.
PWHL announces neutral-site games [PWHL]
The PWHL announced its “PWHL Takeover Tour,” which will feature games in nine cities without a team. Unfortunately, Tampa isn’t on the list, but they are going as far south as Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s also somewhat surprising that Pittsburgh isn’t on the list, as many insiders consider that a prime location for an expansion team.
