Tumbling Bruins don’t make roster moves before daunting Florida road trip

"We know the mistakes right now are killing us, and I've made plenty of those."

Something seemingly had to give following Tuesday night’s uncompetitive showing at TD Garden.

As the Bruins skated towards a fifth straight loss at the hands of the Oilers, a chorus of boos and calls for the firing of Don Sweeney rained down onto a Boston roster reeling since the holiday break.

Postgame, Boston’s beleaguered skaters had few answers for the team’s plummeting play as of late.

And based on Wednesday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, that answer is going to have to come from within on an underachieving depth chart.

Despite yet another disheartening performance, Don Sweeney and Boston’s top brass made no tweaks to the roster ahead of a daunting road trip against the Lightning and Panthers later this week.

Boston’s lines in Brighton remained the same as Tuesday’s laugher against the Oilers, while no roster reshuffles were in the cards via a Providence call-up or waiver-wire move.

While interim head coach Joe Sacco noted that Thursday’s lineup against Tampa Bay is not set in stone, he added that Wednesday’s lines were not meant as any sort of message that the onus is on the players in the room to claw out of this extended malaise.

“I just think with the quick turnaround that we had from last night here, I just felt like keeping things the same right now — kind of stabilize our lineup,” Sacco said. “But there’s no message in that right now. … Obviously, we need to get back to playing the way that we’re capable of playing.”

There was a compelling case to be made for Boston to dig into their prospect pipeline in search of a mid-season spark.

With a dearth of skill and finishing ability plaguing the team all season long, youngsters like Matthew Poitras, Fabian Lysell, and Georgii Merkulov would seemingly be welcome additions at this stage of what has been a largely listless season.

With third-line center Trent Frederic (one goal, zero assists in his last 14 games) struggling to prove a spark beyond a few right hooks, a pivot like Poitras (18 points in 21 games with Providence) could offer a higher ceiling in a similar role.

Lysell showcased plenty of speed in his lone appearance with the Bruins on Dec. 28 before getting sent back down to the AHL ranks, while Merkulov has also yet to earn an extended look at the NHL ranks despite stuffing the stat sheet with the P-Bruins (27 points in 30 games).

There’s no guarantee that that trio would right the ship of a flawed Bruins roster.

But in a season where the Bruins are already clinging to a playoff spot, finding some clarity about their next crop of young talent should be an objective over rolling out short-term investments like Oliver Wahlstrom.

For now, the Bruins will look to find their footing in Florida with the same grouping that has left a lot to be desired this winter.

“We’ve got to compete,” Charlie McAvoy said. “We know the mistakes right now are killing us, and I’ve made plenty of those. We’ve all kind of taken responsibility for our part in this. We know we can be better.”

Tuesday’s 4-0 loss to the Oilers could have been even more lopsided had it not been for the play of Jeremy Swayman, who turned aside 35 Edmonton shots in a losing effort.

Swayman’s up-and-down performances in 2024-25 has factored heavily in Boston’s unsteady play, with the team’s anointed No. 1 netminder sporting an .893 save percentage. His -6.7 goals saved above expected ranks 80th out of 90 qualifying goalies, per MoneyPuck.

But Swayman has started to find his game as of late, posting a .918 save percentage over his six games.

“I thought last night was a really good step for him in the right direction,” Sacco said of Swayman. “I mean, he’s been trending up lately anyway, and he’s working really hard to obviously get his game to where he wants it to be. He gave us a chance to win last night.”

Swayman’s stronger play between the pipes has unfortunately coincided with the skaters in front of him letting go of the rope when it comes to protecting Grade-A ice. Boston has now coughed up 15 goals over its last three games — giving up 23 high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5 play over that stretch.

It won’t get any easier for Boston moving forward against two high-powered offenses in the Bolts and Panthers.

Still, Swayman feels as though he’s finally starting to settle into a groove amid this daunting stretch of Boston’s schedule.

“I think it’s been trending the right direction, and I think our group has done the same,” Swayman said of his game. “It’s just not getting results, and we can’t get discouraged. We’re in a position where we can have a lot of great things come out of it. … We had a great team talk after last night’s game and a little bit of a gut-check time. And, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do — come together and make this a year to remember in a good way.”

Added company

The Bruins will have plenty of support with them during these next two games down in the Sunshine State, with this trek standing as the team’s latest “Moms Trip.”

Each season, the Bruins designate a road trip as a family get-together, be it a “Dads Trip,” “Moms Trip,” or even a trek involving siblings — as was the case in 2023.

“It’s always nice,” McAvoy said of the added support. “I’m happy to have my mom here. Something about just having family close definitely helps you mentally. Couldn’t really come at a better time.”