The Bruins are 2 points away from the bottom of the Original 32. Are we having fun?

A shabby 8-2 defeat at Carolina on Thursday night. It was among the Bruins’ worst defeats since the 2019 Cup Final. Predictably, this led to cage rattlers demanding that Jim Montgomery be kicked off the bench.

Of course, Montgomery could be eliminated, and let’s not forget that the Bruins’ third-year coach carries a track record of two unsuccessful postseason runs. He needs to get better, he needs to find answers, and it’s clear he doesn’t have any right now.

If he can, Montgomery needs to create some excitement soon. However, a month into the season, it’s clear that the front office has given itself a roster filled with too much AHL talent, especially down-tempo, low-producing forwards.

Must be a priority right now Will remove Tyler Johnson from PTO. It’s not a cure-all for that forward group, but a simple Band-Aid might stop some of the bleeding.

It is also painfully obvious that the key/core players mentioned above, for whatever reason, have delivered performances worthy of being on that fantasy shuttle from Route 95 to AHL Providence. Those types of wake-up calls no longer exist in the NHL.

Because of cap restrictions and negotiated contract privileges, most veterans belong to a protected class that is protected from demotion and generally cannot be traded. Only pride and the coach’s willingness to limit ice time can truly motivate them.

As for those who failed in individual performance:

Swayman. The true definition of an elite #1 defender is… ? While the numbers are important, it all comes down to whether he makes big, timely saves. Four weeks into the Franchise Stopper tenure, we’re not seeing that from Swayman.

Swayman wasn’t the only problem for Carolina, but after a goal from Brad Marchand erased an early 1-0 lead, Andrei Svechnikov and Jackson Blake needed to make Full Hasek on at least one of the shots that led to three Carolina goals in 52 seconds. and Martin Necas.

It was the worst three-goal barrage the Bruins have faced since Jan. 4, 2007, when the Leafs scored three goals in 42 seconds.

That’s right, two of those Raleigh goals came on the power play. Equally true, the power play is not a prerequisite that prohibits big, timely saves. Give ’em hell In the words of Harry Sinden, you know the goalkeeper is there to make saves.

Swayman is currently 3-4-1/3.57/.884. He needs to start pulling a rabbit or two out of his top hat. after signing this giant contract.

McAvoy. The team’s defender opened the season with five shots and two goals in the first two games. It looked like a new, bolder CM73. But here we are again, and the No. 1 scoring option on the power play has just 16 shots on net in 11 games.

That shooting total ranked McAvoy T-48 among the NHL’s remaining players, including former Bruin Colin Miller, as of Friday morning. Miller normally skates on the third pairing for the Jets, averaging 13:57 of ice time compared to McAvoy’s 23:21. Miller also has a 2-3-5 line; not one of the points collected in the power play. Mercy.

The person who takes the pinpoint shot has to shoot. I repeat, your man HAS to shoot. Check out the current shooting totals of the top four men scoring: Roman Josi, 45; Dougie Hamilton, 44; Quinn Hughes, 34; Brandon Montour, 33.

Additionally, McAvoy, who was a lifetime plus-140 before this season, was minus-4 through 11 games. HE he needs to be busynow he’s like a real #1 D-man.

Coyle. He performed admirably last season and rose to the top-six center position. He won 51.6 percent of the matches, helping to advance the lines.

Missing in action so far. Coyle received a perfect score (42.3 percent) and his minus-9 tied Trent Frederic for worst on the Black-and-Gold show. The goal he scored in Colorado on October 16 was his only point of the season. Montgomery was trigger happy mixing and matching with centers and wingers; This didn’t help at all.

The place to start Coyle’s rebuild would be at No. 3 center, which is his comfort spot, and perhaps use sophomore Matty Poitras as the No. 2 center for 10-14 days if he can handle the physical load. For now, Coyle is lost in space.

Zadorov. 1.80 tall New Z Accumulated penalty minutes outside the door (at least 2 in each of the first seven games) and at least jumped off the express train into the sin bin. Super.

Russian giant signed for five years/$30 million in July hired to apply a crusty coating in a talented, often soft backline. He hasn’t shown enough sandpaper so far and his quick-decision game has been lacking as well.

He desperately needs to find a channel, fulfill his job description, and perhaps settle into place if he starts to achieve some overwhelming “expression” successes. These big outbursts would be the equivalent of, say, the #1 centre-back making a big timely save.

He has 32 hits, which is proof that he can take them down, but he needs to send a body or two to Palookaville to attract the attention of his opponents and, more importantly, gain the faith and trust of his teammates.

Because the most obvious thing right now is that everyone in the Black-Gold alliance needs a wake-up call.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at [email protected].