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Bruins center Fraser Minten (left) ranks third on the team in time on ice shorthanded.Jeff Chiu\/Associated Press<\/p>\nELMONT, N.Y. \u2014 Bruins coach Marco Sturm and his staff had their work cut out for them this fall in revitalizing the team\u2019s stagnant special-teams units.<\/p>\n
Plenty of emphasis was placed on sparking a power play that ranked 29th in the NHL last season. But the Bruins\u2019 penalty killing wasn\u2019t much better. Not only was the unit coming off a season in which it ranked 24th in the NHL (76.3 percent), but roster turnover had sapped the Bruins of some of their most trusted killers.<\/p>\n
Gone are reliable options such as Brandon Carlo (2:49 of shorthanded ice time per game), Charlie Coyle (2:07), Johnny Beecher (1:31), and Brad Marchand (1:22). Even with the presence of Nikita Zadorov (3:29), Sean Kuraly (3:15), and Mark Kastelic (2:23), Sturm needed to find more foot soldiers for the kill. <\/p>\n
It was easier said than done.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be smart,\u201d Sturm said at UBS Arena ahead of Wednesday night\u2019s game against the Islanders. \u201cKilling is not just going out and blocking shots. Power plays are so good these days. There\u2019s a lot of rotation going on, and movement going on. You\u2019ve got to actually adapt. You\u2019ve got to read a lot, and that\u2019s why not everyone can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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But on a Bruins penalty kill ranked 10th (83.0 percent), several new faces have emerged. <\/p>\n
Bruins center Fraser Minten (left) ranks third on the team in time on ice shorthanded.Jeff Chiu\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
Fraser Minten ranks third among Bruins forwards behind Kuraly and Kastelic in shorthanded ice time per game (1:58), with free agent pickup Tanner Jeannot not far behind him at 1:53.<\/p>\n
While Minten\u2019s elevated role as a trusted penalty killer falls in line with his profile as a sound, two-way center, Jeannot logged just 52 seconds on the PK all season with the Kings in 2024-25. <\/p>\n
But the 28-year-old winger\u2019s heft and ability to win puck battles down low has helped curb extended offensive-zone shifts for the opposition. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always been part of the identity that I want to bring as a player, being good defensively and hard to play against,\u201d Jeannot said. \u201cEvery team has a different system, and you have to learn that. But once you get in the rhythm, it\u2019s just building chemistry with the guys that you\u2019re working with.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the Bruins\u2019 top priorities is easing the burden on the penalty-killing unit \u2014 given they were shorthanded five or more times in 11 of their 24 games entering Wednesday. <\/p>\n
But Sturm has had no qualms over the fortitude of his killers in preventing games from getting out of hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually, you turn one, if that,\u201d Sturm said of adding new players to the PK rotation. \u201cI think we\u2019ve already turned three players. It\u2019s hard to do, so I give [assistant coach Jay Leach] and the players credit for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who was in net for the Bruins Sunday against the Sharks, drew the start for Wednesday night’s road game against the Islanders, the finale of a four-game trip.Jeff Chiu\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
Swayman gets nod again<\/p>\n
With the Bruins in search of a bounce-back win to close out their four-game trip, Sturm turned to Jeremy Swayman in net for his third consecutive start. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been so good, so it\u2019s hard for me to get him out of the net,\u201d Sturm said. \u201cHe\u2019s been rock solid. Mentally, you can see it. He is just very into every game, and he gives us the best chance to win a hockey game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swayman had posted a .928 save percentage over his last eight outings entering Wednesday. <\/p>\n
Blumel back in <\/p>\n
After scoring just six goals in their previous three games (five from Morgan Geekie<\/a>), the Bruins gave Matej Blumel another look in the top six on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Blumel \u2014 who led the AHL in goals last season with 39 in 67 games with the Texas Stars \u2014 was slated to alongside fellow Czechs David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha.<\/p>\n