The Boston Bruins had an impressive weekend at TD Garden. First, they had an offensive explosion for 10 goals against the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon, and then showed their defensive chops by outlasting the Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0 on Sunday. The team showed they are able to win games in many different ways, but it was one other stat that stood out in their success.

Through 120 minutes of play, the Bruins took just four minor penalties that led to powerplays. Boston has been one of the most undisciplined teams in the league over the past two seasons, and this weekend was a massive step in the right direction. Clearly, the Bruins are built to succeed at even strength.

In the post-game media scrums, the players and head coach were on the same page when it came to their success when staying out of the box. It means that it’s something the coaching staff has been preaching to the group.

““For me, it’s the rhythm. Now, the David, the Lindholms, now they’re on the ice because we’re on the power play. They don’t have to sit again and wait and wait and wait. It takes a player totally out of their game sometimes.””

Marco Sturm

We’ll likely never see David Pastrnak killing penalties, so the head coach’s messaging makes sense. If the Bruins continue to be one of the most-penalized teams in the league, Pastrnak’s average time on ice drops. On Saturday, we saw what Pastrnak can do when he gets more ice time, as he tied a franchise single-game record with six assists.

““Guys just get into rhythms. Virtually half the team will end up stale on the bench when we’re taking all these penalties. Like, a guy like Pasta to be stuck on the bench for half a period because of our discipline, that’s not good. You want to have your best players on the ice.””

Charlie McAvoy

One thing the Bruins need to do when staying disciplined is to take advantage of the opportunities the other team gives them. They were just one for nine on the powerplay over the weekend, including going zero for six in Sunday’s win over the Penguins. In the 1-0 victory, a couple more powerplay goals would’ve made the win much more comfortable.