NHL analyst makes damning prediction on Jim Montgomery's future with Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are facing a tough start this NHL season, which has raised questions about coach Jim Montgomery’s future. NHL analyst Bill Lindsay suggested that Montgomery may not last past Thanksgiving. Lindsay said per a tweet shared by NHL Network:
"Jim Montgomery is not gonna be the coach of the Boston Bruins by Thanksgiving. I’ve just got a feeling it’s trending that way."
The Boston Bruins’ poor start has led many to question if Montgomery’s job is at risk. Montgomery is aware of the pressure.
"Right now, we're not happy," Montgomery said per CBS. "Nobody's happy with what's going on. But we will get out of it. We will be better. Hopefully it creates a better result come playoff time."
This situation has arisen because the Bruins struggled to find their footing. Montgomery shuffled the lines on Thursday to spark change, but the Bruins continued to struggle and quickly fell behind against the Hurricanes.
One of the main issues is that Boston’s top players are not producing. Brad Marchand scored his second goal on Thursday, but his impact has been limited. David Pastrnak, though leading the team with 10 points, has been inconsistent.
The Bruins' power play has also been weak, ranking 25th in the league with just a 14.9% success rate. The team’s inability to capitalize on power plays has only added to its scoring struggles.
Boston Bruins' recent loss to the Hurricanes and Jim Montgomery’s comments
The Boston Bruins' recent performances have been disappointing. After being shut out by the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, they suffered an even worse loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, with a final score of 8–2.
Carolina scored first when Jack Roslovic hit a wrist shot at 6:28, assisted by Sebastian Aho. The Bruins answered when Brad Marchand scored on a 5-on-3 power play at 13:11.
Carolina quickly responded with three goals in under a minute. Andrei Svechnikov scored a power-play goal at 17:14, followed by Jackson Blake (17:52). Martin Necas scored another power-play goal at 18:06, giving Hurricanes a 4–1 lead.
Hampus Lindholm scored early in the second period, making it 4-2, but Carolina answered with another power-play goal from Svechnikov at 8:51. Roslovic scored again at 9:32 after a forced turnover, pushing Carolina’s lead to 6–2.
In the third period, Sean Walker and Jesperi Kotkaniemi each scored, ending the game at 8–2. Afterward, Boston coach Jim Montgomery said:
“Their puck pressure gave us a lot of problems. The bottom line is, it doesn’t matter what facet of our game it was, it wasn’t good enough. Right now, nobody is happy with what’s going on. It starts by sticking together and working. There’s no substitute for second and third effort.”
Montgomery talked about the need for teamwork and effort to improve.