Three Reasons for the Boston Bruins’ Recent Rebound

The Bruins have broken out of their slump and won three consecutive games thanks to lineup adjustments and strong leadership.

Since hitting their first slump of the season and losing three consecutive games in November, the Boston Bruins have found a way around adversity and put together a three-game win streak.

The weekend’s back-to-back victories against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets not only saw the B’s pick up the available four points, but get back to their in-game winning habits.

Three reasons for the Bruins’ recent rebound, below:

Bruins coach Jim Montgomery knew his team needed a new look and feel to shake off the schneid. Going into Thursday’s matchup against the San Jose Sharks – in which Boston earned a 3-0 win – Montgomery shook up every forward and defense combination other than the third line of James van Riemsdyk, Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic.

For Saturday and Sunday – where the Bruins won 4-3 over Toronto and 3-1 over Columbus – Montgomery moved Coyle up to the second line with Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen, and Matthew Poitras slotted in at third line pivot. The D-core also went back to its usual pairings.

Johnny Beecher was held out of his first game of the season Saturday against the Maple Leafs and replaced with Oskar Steen. Montgomery gave Beecher a chance to respond Sunday as the fourth-line center returned between Jakub Lauko and Morgan Geekie.

“Sometimes you need to take a breath and also it’s a little bit of a jolt of how good he was playing, to come back and give us that energy as the fourth line center with valuable minutes. He’s a good hockey player for us,” Montgomery said Sunday.

All this to say that Montgomery has the pulse of his team. He expects the very best out of his players and shows it – whether through a healthy scratch, shortened minutes or lineup promotion. He gave the Bruins the jolt they needed; Heinen has two points in three games, Marchand has four goals in two games, and Jeremy Swayman responded to being pulled with a shutout.

Nonetheless, the 17-4-3 Bruins aren’t satisfied yet.

“Overall, we’re doing a better job,” Montgomery said. “We’re not where we need to be yet. The league only continues to get harder and better every 20 games, especially after the All-Star break.”

Brad Marchand exploded for four goals in two games – including an overtime game-winner and third period natural hat trick – after going scoreless in the previous eight matchups. The Bruins’ slump wasn’t directly tied to Marchand’s point drought, but his recent production has added a spark..

“He means the world to this group. When he’s in that zone, we’ve just got to follow along,” Charlie McAvoy said Sunday of Marchand. “He’s just a special player and it’s what he’s done his whole career.”

Marchand said he wasn’t worried about his lack of scoring because the chances were there – he’s also an obvious impact player for the Bruins night in and night out. What was more important than lighting the lamp was getting his team to buy back into the small details of its game that promise success: forechecking, winning puck battles, speed on the transition, supporting the goaltender.

“It’s very easy to get down when you look at losing a couple games, but for us, it’s so much bigger than that. It’s about the way that we play, our process,” Marchand said Sunday.

“You can never get too high, never get too low in this game and that’s the biggest thing. You can’t change the past – you have to be ready to come in and work and try to be better every single day.”

Despite the three-game skid, there was never a sense of panic in the Bruins’ room, just an acknowledgment that things had to change – a message spearheaded by the captain and demonstrated in the way he plays.

“I think his leadership stood out more while we were going through our adversity, losing, and how well he led us in his practice habits,” Montgomery said. “Helping the team dig in on the checking part of our game.”

Following a four-game suspension in early November and the call from Montgomery to lean into his offensive game, McAvoy has been playing some of his best hockey of the season. The defenseman had two assists Sunday night against Columbus and has posted four points in the last four games.

What’s more – and you see it up and down the lineup – the commitment to winning, to doing anything it takes, has been abundantly apparent. Up 3-1 with less than a minute remaining in the third period Sunday, McAvoy blocked a rocket Columbus shot from the point, was slow to get up, but finished the shift.

“It’s just one of those where you get it off the kneecap. Kind of just a stinger and you can’t feel it for a second and then you’re good to go,” McAvoy said.

McAvoy was also skating in his 400th career game Sunday. Six years after joining the Bruins as a promising rookie, McAvoy is now a cornerstone of the leadership group and has quickly grown into his alternate captain position.

“He’s played really well, been a dominant player for us. He’s been very vocal back there – I don’t think people realize on the backend, defensemen are kind of quiet, not as emotional as forwards…he’s provided a lot of energy back there,” Montgomery said.

The Bruins will be back in action Thursday night at TD Garden when they host the Buffalo Sabres for a 7 p.m. puck drop.