Marco Sturm says he isn't concerned about the Bruins' quiet blue line offense, and he said it this afternoon after two straight losses.
The question was fair. Boston has been outscored 11-4 over those two games, and the defense, with Charlie McAvoy at the center of the conversation, hasn't been producing at the rate fans expect.
The Bruins coach isn't worried about the lack of offense from his defensemen.
McAvoy has 1 goal and 8 assists in 14 games. Hampus Lindholm has 1 goal and 4 assists in 20 games, and Nikita Zadorov has 7 assists and no goals in 19.
The group has been a talking point for a few days. We looked at the Bruins blue line scoring problem before the Wild came to town, and Saturday's 6-2 loss did nothing to quiet it.
Is the Bruins defense really fine without the goals?
Sturm has a case. At 13-6-1 with a +20 goal differential, Boston isn't a team in trouble, and William Borgen's +18 rating shows the defense is doing its main job. Borgen has 2 goals and 3 assists in 20 games.
But the scoring has to come from somewhere, and the most offensive-minded defenseman on the roster sat out Saturday. Mason Lohrei leads the group with 3 goals, and Sturm made him a healthy scratch against the Wild.
We think that's the tension in this answer. A coach can say he isn't concerned, but benching the blue liner with the most goals sends a message that offense isn't the priority right now.
Frederic Brunet has 1 goal and 4 assists in 14 games, and his goal came on the power play. Another young defenseman getting a look would be one way to add some pop without touching the top pair.
The Bruins get a chance to settle things Tuesday against the Kings, who have lost 4 straight and sit 30th in the NHL. Whether Lohrei is back in the lineup will say plenty about how relaxed Sturm really is.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
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