Boston Bruins Struggling in Wake of Brad Marchand’s Departure: A 10-Game Losing Streak

The Boston Bruins are in the midst of a free fall, struggling to find any consistency since Brad Marchand’s departure to the Florida Panthers. On the heels of yet another defeat, a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, the Bruins now find themselves on a 10-game losing streak—currently the longest in the NHL for the 2024-25 season.

The loss to Montreal highlighted the Bruins’ ongoing issues, as they failed to generate much offense or defensive stability. After going down 2-0 with goals from Christian Dvorak and Cole Caufield in the second period, the Canadiens extended their lead with additional tallies from Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki. The Bruins managed to get on the scoreboard with a third-period goal from Elias Lindholm, but it was too little, too late.

In the aftermath of the defeat, Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov did not hold back in expressing his frustration with the team’s performance. His words seemed to resonate with the deeper issues plaguing the team. “The other teams are just hungrier than ours. They want to win more, that’s the bottom line. We’re just not hard on the puck. We’re easy to play against,” Zadorov said, according to NHL.com. His comments underscored the sense of resignation that has taken hold of the team as they continue to struggle in the wake of Marchand’s departure.

Interim head coach Joe Sacco also addressed the team’s shortcomings, calling for greater consistency from his players. “It’s going to take 60 minutes of consistent hockey right now. And I think we have moments where we play well, but not long enough, during the course of a game. We have to be able to sustain more of a 60-minute effort and I think that’s what it’s going to take,” Sacco said after the loss.

The defeat to Montreal has tied the Bruins’ losing streak to the eighth-worst in franchise history, with the longest recent skid coming in 2010. The current situation has raised concerns not only about the team’s ability to perform on the ice but also about the morale within the locker room. Marchand’s move to Florida, where he joins a direct Stanley Cup contender, has clearly dealt a blow to the Bruins’ confidence and sense of direction.

With no end in sight to the losing streak, it’s clear that the Bruins are in the midst of a tough period. As the team struggles to find its footing, the future of the franchise remains uncertain, with many eyes on how the squad will respond in the coming weeks. The road to recovery may be long, and the absence of Marchand has left an undeniable void in both leadership and performance.