Bruins fans make Don Sweeney's seat even hotter during frustrating loss

The Boston Bruins followed up a fairly surprising 2023-24 season by signing big-name veterans like Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov on large contracts hoping that they'd help them make a jump toward being legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. It's safe to say that the 2024-25 season hasn't gone to plan thus far.

The Bruins got off to such a slow start to the point where they fired head coach Jim Montgomery, who was scooped up by the St. Louis Blues just days after being let go. The Bruins had played better under interim head coach Joe Sacco, but had been struggling lately, losing four straight and five of their last six ahead of Tuesday's matchup against the Edmonton Oilers.

Not only did that losing streak reach five games, but the Bruins were embarrassed on home ice, falling to the reigning Western Conference Champions 4-0. There's no shame in losing a game that features Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as the opposition, but this one wasn't particularly close.

Over midway through the contest, Edmonton had more than double Boston's shots on goal. The Oilers ended up outshooting Boston 38-26. In other words, the 4-0 final spoke for itself.

It got so bad to the point where a frustrated TD Garden crowd chanted, "Fire Sweeney." It wasn't just one or two fans, it was most of the fans who were there. They wanted the Bruins' general manager to know exactly how they felt about their performance on Tuesday and their play this season as a whole.

Don Sweeney's seat only got hotter thanks to frustrated Bruins fans

With this loss, the Bruins are now 20-18-5 on the season. Their 45 points are enough for the Bruins to have sole possession of third place in the Atlantic Division, but that says more about the quality of that division than it does about Boston's level of play. They might make it to the playoffs even with their recent skid, but does anyone really think this Bruins team is capable of doing much if it gets there?

Believe it or not, Boston's -24 goal differential is the worst mark in the Atlantic Division. It's the second-worst mark in the Eastern Conference as a whole. It's the fifth-worst differential in the NHL. An argument can (and probably should) be made that they're lucky to even be where they are record-wise right now.

An issue that has plagued Boston all season long and did once again on Tuesday is that they just do not score enough. Boston ranks 27th in the NHL, averaging just 2.64 goals per game. David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand are the only skaters on their team with more than 10 goals. On most nights, if they don't score, the team doesn't score. They rank 27th in goals per game despite ranking in the middle of the pack in shots on goal. They lack enough finishers.

Perhaps more bafflingly, Jeremy Swayman has struggled in his first year as Boston's undisputed No. 1 goaltender. He's played a bit better under Sacco, but still has a sub-.900 save percentage. That's quite the drop-off for a player who had never posted a sub-.914 save percentage in a single season.

Sweeney has been Boston's GM for 10 seasons now. He was able to make a Stanley Cup Final back in the 2018-19 season, and has consistently had the Bruins in the playoffs, but Boston's only Eastern Conference Finals appearance in Sweeney's tenure came in their Stanley Cup year. For a team that almost always expects to be competing for Stanley Cups, his tenure has been fairly disappointing.

The Bruins are in a tough spot. They're too good to earn a high pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and aren't good enough to be a serious playoff threat. Sweeney turned the focus onto himself by scapegoating Montgomery. If the team doesn't rebound, he might be next to lose his job.