The Boston Bruins have scored only one goal over their last two games -- both losses -- and it essentially was an own goal by the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night.
One of the reasons for Boston's lack of scoring this week has been a brutal power play.
The Bruins had 11:30 of power-play time in these last two losses combined, and during that stretch Boston generated 16 shot attempts and just six shots on net. They also created 12 scoring chances and six high-danger chances.
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Thursday night's 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes represented a new low point for the power play as the Bruins went 0-for-5 with only one shot. The Bruins had more than a minute of a 5-on-3 power play in the third period and still couldn't score.
Bruins fail first real test of new NHL season in loss to red-hot Panthers
What's the problem with the B's power play? Brad Marchand identified a few areas that need improvement after the loss to the Hurricanes.
“We’re just not in sync right now. We might be forcing it a little bit,” Marchand told reporters. “We’re kind of rushing to make a play rather than settling down and getting to our spots. We just have to calm down out there and win battles. It always starts from there.”
Boston Bruins
Marchand added: "We've always been a power play that we thrive when we win battles, get pucks back and to the net, win another battle…the PK gets tired and we capitalize. We've got to get back to doing that and realize what kind of power play unit we are and hopefully we'll start connecting."
The Bruins have scored just two power-play goals all season. Not only are they failing to score with the man advantage, they're not drawing many penalties, either. The B's have had 16 power-play opportunities through six games, which ranks 29th among the league's 32 teams.
There's more than enough talent on the Bruins' first power-play unit to score goals on a consistent basis. You won't find many, if any, more talented trios up front than Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy are two fantastic playmakers on the blue line. The B's also can take off a defenseman and put another forward, such as Taylor Hall, on the top unit.
The Bruins don't yet need to panic over their power-play woes, but it's definitely something that must be fixed soon. Luckily for the B's, they play several inferior opponents over the next month, giving them a solid opportunity to turn the tide and build confidence with the man advantage.