BRIGHTON, Mass. — By one measure, no coach is better this season than Joe Sacco. The Boston Bruins interim coach has a .778 points percentage since taking over for Jim Montgomery. It is the NHL’s highest mark.
Sacco’s 7-2-0 sprint since Nov. 19, however, comes with an asterisk. Only one of those nine games was against a team currently in playoff position. It was on Nov. 26 against the Vancouver Canucks, who are No. 3 in the Pacific Division.
The Bruins lost 2-0 that night. It might have been their best performance under Sacco. They outshot the Canucks 33-15. According to MoneyPuck, the Bruins were expected to score 3.37 all-situations goals. Kevin Lankinen had another outcome in mind.
It will not be this way for long. The Bruins will play three current playoff contenders on their coming five-game road trip, starting with the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. The trip, which also includes stops in Vancouver and Edmonton, will give Sacco and the Bruins a sharper snapshot of who they are.
“I’d like to see how we respond on the road,” Sacco said. “I think it tells a lot about your team when you get on the road, about the identity of your group and how you respond in those different environments. We’re going to face, obviously, one of the better teams in the league in our next game.”
The Jets have cooled. They are 4-6-0 in their past 10 games after ripping off an NHL-best 14-1-0 record in their first 15 games. But they have an ace in Connor Hellebuyck (.925 save percentage), a high-end finisher in Kyle Connor (33 points in 29 games) and a go-to No. 1 defenseman in Josh Morrissey (26 points, 24:42 average ice time per game).
Meanwhile, the Bruins could be without David Pastrnak against Winnipeg. Their No. 1 right wing did not practice on Monday because of an upper-body injury, though he did travel with the team on Monday.
The Bruins are unquestionably better under Sacco than they were for Montgomery (8-9-3). Since Nov. 19, they’ve allowed 2.0 goals per game, second-fewest in the league. Their penalty kill (90.9 percent) has been No. 2. They’ve given up a league-low 33 high-danger five-on-five shots, per Natural Stat Trick.
“Our biggest strength is always how we defend,” Brad Marchand said. “We got away from that a little bit. That’s where we’re starting to have success again. We’re defending better. Goals are coming, which usually comes with that. In the neutral zone, if you defend well, you create turnovers and opportunities. That’s where a lot of goals are scored.”
But this march has included tilts against the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings. Results come easier against cream puffs than they do versus the iron of the league.
“It’s always a measuring stick,” Marchand said of a western journey. “It’s always great to see the teams out west. You only get a couple opportunities to play them each year, especially with how good they’re playing right now. It’ll be a great opportunity for us to continue to build and get better.”
Sacco is pleased with the team’s defense. Limiting high-danger chances allowed signals how thorough they’ve been in net-front ice. It’s no coincidence Joonas Korpisalo (.930 save percentage) and Jeremy Swayman (.918) have seen their numbers rise following Sacco’s promotion.
But Sacco has identified room for improvement in the offensive zone. He wants his players in better positions to stretch out opposing coverage. For example, if one of his players controls the puck in the corner, the high forward should be available on the strong side. That way, the Bruins have better odds of completing the pass out to the high forward for a shot on net. If the high man is on the weak side, the puck has too far to travel.
“It starts with our spacing in the offensive zone right now,” Sacco said. “We need to do a better job as a staff getting our guys in the spots offensively so we have the proper spacing when we have possession of the puck.”
Sacco has uncovered lineup stability. Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha have settled in on the No. 1 line with Morgan Geekie riding shotgun. Sacco liked how Trent Frederic, who scored two goals in his last game, has complemented Charlie Coyle and Mark Kastelic on the third line. Sacco is not as quick to changes lines as Montgomery.
But stiffer tests are coming.
(Photo of Joe Sacco on the Bruins bench: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
