Bruins Recap - Week Ending December 21st, 2025: Gut punch?

(Photo Credit: Edmonton Oilers via Instagram)

If the Boston Bruins season ends up going south heading into the Olympic break and beyond, remember this past week as to where it started.

After winning four of five games to start the month of December, the Bruins have now lost four of their last five with one game remaining before a brief Christmas break.

Following their 6-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild last Sunday, the Bruins made their way back to Causeway Street to begin a five game home stand.

After an encouraging 4-1 win over the Utah Mammoth to start the week, Boston found themselves alone in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division both in points (40) and points percentage (.588), and a record of 20-14-0.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to capitalize on any further home cooking in the ensuing three games going 0-2-1 to finish the week.

Let's start with 3-1 loss against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

Overall, it was a pretty well contested game at even strength.

The difference was that Quinn Hutson scored his 1st career NHL goal on a grinding 4th line shift in the 2nd period, and then Edmonton won the special teams battle scoring once on the power play and once shorthanded.

While losing is never the desired outcome, it's easier to stomach when the effort isn't the reason for the loss and it comes against a higher end team like the Oilers.

The following loss, however, was much tougher to stomach.

It started with an interesting coaching decision by head coach, Marco Sturm - the first of a few on the evening.

With the Ottawa Senators on the horizon the following night, Jeremy Swayman was a bit of a surprise start in his 4th consecutive game - and wasn't his sharpest.

More on how this ultimately played out the next game a bit later ...

Now yes, the Bruins heavily outshot (42-22) the Vancouver Canucks - who have recently been playing well despite trading away their captain, and best player in Quinn Hughes as well as being without their top skilled forward, Elias Petterson.

But Boston, in my opinion, played far too cute - especially in the high danger areas of the ice - and allowed the Canucks to hang around.

For example, the Bruins had a 3-2 lead, and a power play early on in the 3rd period with a chance to better their odds of coming away with two points.

Instead, they squandered the man advantage opportunity and next thing you know it's 4-3 Canucks just minutes later.

Now to Boston's credit they were able to force overtime on a fortuitous bounce from an Andrew Peeke point shot that hit the post and banked in off the back of goaltender, Kevin Lankinen.

Then in overtime - stop me if you've heard this before about this game - the Bruins heavily outshot the Canucks, but weren't able to get the job done.

It just felt like one of those games where Boston was going to find a way to lose.

And that's ultimately what happened in the shootout.

But not without a few more puzzling coaching decisions from Sturm - who for the most part this year has pushed a lot of the right buttons.

Swayman, while not great in regulation, stood tall in the shootout and gave his team numerous chances to end the game prior to Liam Ohgren's eventual game winner.

Here was the Bruins elected shootout lineup with an * signifying a chance to win the game for Boston:

1. Casey Mittelstadt

2. David Pastrnak

3. Marat Khusnutdinov *

4. Andrew Peeke *

5. Mikey Eyssimont *

6. Elias Lindholm *

7. Morgan Geekie (needed to score to keep the Bruins alive)

You read that right.

With a chance to win the game, Sturm called upon Andrew Peeke.

Perhaps the least offensive mind and skill set on the Bruins - despite his rather lucky 3rd period, game tying goal.

Peeke, of course, didn't come close to scoring.

Then in the next round after another Swayman save to give Boston a chance to win, Sturm doubled down and trotted out Mikey Eyssimont, who played the game in a 4th line role and was relatively invisible.

Eyssimont, of course once again, did not score - on what was a pretty lame attempt.

Rather than giving Geekie, Pavel Zacha, Charlie McAvoy, or Elias Lindholm - four of Boston's top five scorers - initial bids to end the game, Sturm went with to two players that most spectators would classify as last resort options.

Now Lindholm did get a chance to win the game * after Peeke, and Eyssimont - and didn't capitalize - but who knows maybe he scores if he gets the nod earlier.

And Geekie - the leading goal scorer in the NHL over the last calendar year - then went as Boston's 7th shooter.

However, Geekie shooting with a chance to win the game, versus having to score to keep the game alive are two very different scenarios, and energies - and perhaps Geekie would have scored had he went with a little less pressure and a chance to win the game rather than losing it if he failed.

Either way, it was a blown opportunity at earning two points in the first half of a back to back against an easier opponent than the one on the docket the next night - Brady Tkachuk, and the Ottawa Senators.

Surely having lost consecutive games on home ice and against a divisional opponent right behind them in the standings, the Bruins would start the game on time, right?

Wrong.

The Senators blitzed Boston and got out to a 3-0 lead by the mid point of the 1st period.

Simply put, the Bruins were awful start to finish - from the net on out - and in every metric and element of the game.

Joonas Korpisalo, while not having any help in front of him, was terrible and got pulled after Ottawa went up 5-1 in the 2nd period.

So much for that night off, Jeremy - back between the pipes you go.

Pretty easy to look back at the last two games and second guess the goaltending starts.

Seems like Korpisalo should have indeed started against an easier opponent in Vancouver - while giving Swayman a break and chance to gear up for Ottawa.

Three items jump out to me as to why Boston's game has slipped up recently.

1. Inconsistent goaltending - Swayman has been hot and cold while Korpisalo has been mainly cold

   
   

2. Poor penalty kill - Boston's PK unit had been top ten in the NHL throughout much of the first two months of the season and is now ranked 20th after giving up at least one power play goal in each of their last 7 games.

3. Boston's top players are being outperformed by opponents top players - Geekie after having a scorching hot hand has slowed down a bit as of late with 3 goals in his last 7 games. David Pastrnak has 3 goals in his last 13 games, and zero even strength goals in his last 14 games. Elias Lindholm doesn't produce, or generate much at even strength. Pavel Zacha, and Casey Mittelstadt are streaky scorers. Meanwhile, and more recently, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, Fabian Zetterland, Claude Giroux, David Perron, and Brady Tkachuk all out worked and outperformed Boston's top six counter parts.

The Bruins have been a streaky team this season, but their play needs to sharpen fast or else they may start to fall behind a tight Atlantic Division where everyone seems to be playing well outside of Toronto and Boston at the moment.

• Detroit, and Florida have won 7 of their last 10

• Buffalo has won 6 in a row

• Ottawa has won 4 in a row

• Montreal and Tampa Bay are ahead of Boston in both points and points percentage

While still 4th in the division in points (41), the Bruins are 6th out of 8 teams in points percentage (.554) - which carried out over the Eastern Conference has Boston 12th out of 16 teams in points percentage.

If the Bruins can string some wins together they'll be right back in the playoff picture - that's how tight the standings are.

But it doesn't get any easier for them as they close out the calendar year.

Montreal comes to town for a HUGE divisional showdown with the Canadiens - and then from there, Boston will board their charter at Hanscom Field for a cross continent, five game road trip stopping in Buffalo, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Seattle.

Hopefully the Bruins can right the ship and get back in the win column with some consistency - but my gut is telling me that there may be some turbulence ahead for Bear Force One.