Sturm explains his unorthodox choice for Bruins’ shootout order

The Bruins did skate off the ice with at the least one level secured within the standings on Saturday night time.

Sadly, that “loser level” was the byproduct of a painful 5-4 defeat by the hands of the Canucks, with Boston developing quick in a seven-round shootout after failing to land a knockout punch towards Vancouver. 

Past the ache of letting a third-period slip away towards a staff that traded away its franchise star in Quinn Hughes per week in the past, the Bruins and head coach Marco Sturm had a number of second-guesses that loomed massive in Saturday’s defeat.

Specifically, Sturm’s selection of contributors for the Bruins’ prolonged shootout raised loads of eyebrows following the loss.

In Boston’s first three rounds, Sturm opted for a number of acquainted faces in Casey Mittelstadt, David Pastrnak, and Marat Khusnutdinov — a trio of expert forwards with gentle arms and the power to get Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen to chew with an array of dekes and dangles.

However after these three couldn’t beat Lankinen — and Jeremy Swayman turned apart all three of the Canucks’ makes an attempt — Sturm chosen Andrew Peeke for the fourth spherical. 

It was a curious selection, contemplating that Peeke is a stay-at-home defenseman who’s normally far down the checklist of viable shootout choices on this roster.

Peeke did rating the game-tying purpose at 16:16 within the third interval, however lighting the lamp isn’t essentially Peeke’s forte out on the ice. Following his third tally of the season on Saturday, Peeke has simply 14 targets throughout 345 profession video games within the NHL.

Peeke was unable to money in that chance, with the Canucks ultimately changing off a Liam Ohren tally within the seventh spherical. 

Sturm opted for each Mikey Eyssimont and Elias Lindholm within the fifth and sixth rounds earlier than turning to the NHL’s second-leading purpose scorer, Morgan Geekie, within the seventh spherical in hopes of extending the additional body even additional.

However Lankinen turned apart Geekie’s try to shut out Boston’s second-straight loss — each approaching residence ice.

Postgame, Sturm was requested about why he opted for Peeke within the fourth spherical of the shootout. 

“We apply on a regular basis,” Sturm stated. “He does one transfer and he did it very well. Not simply as soon as, a number of instances. I assumed he was going to do it once more, and he didn’t. In order that’s why I picked him. In order that’s on me.”

The Bruins have largely benefitted from a few of Sturm’s “intestine” choices together with his lineup, be it placing kids like Fraser Minten and Khusnutdinov on the ice ahead of time beyond regulation tallies — or reshuffling the forward corps en path to balancing scoring outputs. 

 However on Saturday, Sturm’s unorthodox method to the shootout wasn’t in a position to push Boston over the sting in a irritating loss to a staff nicely exterior of the playoff image within the Western Convention. 

 

Conor Ryan is a workers author overlaying the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Purple Sox for Boston.com, a task he has held since 2023.