Milan Lucic and the Bruins offense have had issues putting the puck in the net so far in 2014-15. Credit: Getty Images
A common worry about the Bruins in this most recent, championship-level era has been that they often peak too early. The B’s went 8-4-0 in the first month of the 2013-14 season and 5-1-1 in the first month of their shortened 2012-13 campaign. A quick start has not transpired in 2014-15 as the Bruins dropped their third straight game Monday, a 2-1 last-second loss to the Avalanche at TD Garden, and are now 1-3 not even a week into the season. The Bruins did not lose three games in a row all last season as their last three-game loss streak came after they were up, 2-1, to the Blackhawks in the 2012-13 Stanley Cup Final.
Through four games, Carl Soderberg leads the team in points with three. Patrice Bergeron and Reilly Smith both have two points on the year. Needless to say, putting the puck in the net has been an issue for Boston in the first week of play. The B’s are averaging exactly one goal per game so far as they scored twice at home against Philly, once against Detroit, zero times against the Capitals and just once again on Monday. As of Monday afternoon, the only teams in the Eastern Conference that have scored less than four goals total so far this season have been the Panthers and Sabres, though both of those teams have only played two games apiece.
If the B’s are to cure their scoring woes this week, they’ll have to do it on the road as they are at Detroit again on Wednesday (8 p.m., NBCSN), at Montreal on Thursday (7:30 p.m., NESN) and at Buffalo on Saturday (7 p.m., NESN).
Tuukka Rask is expected to be back in net for the B’s against the Red Wings as Niklas Svedberg got the start in net Monday. Svedberg performed relatively well, turning away 28 Colorado shots. Rask was stellar in the B’s first two games, allowing three goals combined in the win over the Flyers and the narrow 2-1 loss to Detroit, but he couldn’t find the puck against the Caps, allowing four goals.
Follow Metro Boston sports editor Matt Burke on Twitter: @BurkeMetroBOS
