The Boston Bruins are making decisions easy for the team’s brass. They have been on the bubble for a wild card spot all season, and those who follow the team have gone back and forth throughout the year on the matter of if they should be buyers or sellers at the rapidly approaching trade deadline. The 2-1 regulation loss on Thursday night was their fifth in a row by exactly one goal, making that decision a clear one for general manager Don Sweeney: sell.
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It felt like the Bruins played the better hockey game out of the two teams. Over this skid that they are on, it has felt that way on more than one occasion, that they were close to pulling out a win but came up just short. This time, they ran into the hot hand of Ilya Sorokin, who carried the Islanders to a victory. Here are two takeaways from the contest.
Swayman’s Struggles
The play of Jeremy Swayman in year one of his eight-year deal has been a massive cause for concern. He did not have a terrible game on paper, allowing two goals on 20 shots, however, the eye test told a different story. The Islanders were able to score on their second and sixth shots of the game. Their first goal came on an Alexander Romanov wrister in transition, beating the Bruins’ netminder short side. It would have been a tough save to make, but one you would hope your superstar netminder could come up with. The second goal was the worst of the two. Brock Nelson threw a lazy shot on net, which hit the Bruins’ goalie directly in the glove for what should have been a routine stop. Swayman was unable to corral the puck, leaving an easy rebound for Kyle Palmieri to clean up.
Thursday night’s matchup was the 11th time Swayman started a third consecutive game for the black and gold in 2024-25, and the team has won just three of those games. While Joonas Korpisalo has not been amazing throughout the season, he has a better record and goals-against average than his counterpart, and Swayman’s struggles on little rest certainly beg the question of whether Korpisalo should be getting more ice time.
Pastrnak Stays Hot
David Pastrnak’s spectacular run continued against the Islanders. His point streak reached 16 games with another highlight-reel goal in the third period, bringing him to 31 points over that stretch. His goal also marked his 800th career point; at just 28 years of age, Pastrnak has already cemented himself as a legend, and the No. 88 is well on its way to being hung in the rafters of the TD Garden, given that he plays out the remainder of his eight-year deal in Boston. The Bruins’ inability to win games during this hot streak has been as disappointing as the streak has been exhilarating: during this 16-game stretch, the Bruins have been able to notch just five wins. If it were not for Pastrnak willing pucks into the net night in and night out, it is likely that the Bruins would not even be in the wild card conversation this season.
Looking Ahead
The Bruins will take the ice just four more times ahead of the March 7 trade deadline. Sitting four points back and being slewed with injuries, it seems like the choice is clear: they should be sellers. It remains to be seen who exactly they will take calls on and eventually deal. Trent Frederic and Brandon Carlo have been two names that have come up as potential players to trade (though Frederic’s recent injury may change that). Captain Brad Marchand is another name that has been floated: if the Bruins were to trade him, it would mark an emotional day for many Bruins fans as well as the end of an era, as he is the last remaining player from the team’s 2010-11 Stanley Cup run. The Bruins are short on draft capital and prospects, and the right move seems to be to stock up for the future over this next week. However, it does not make these decisions easy, particularly when dealing with players like these three who have spent their entire careers in Boston.
