Of the many things that have gone right for Boston this season, the Bruins’ power play stands out as one of the biggest changes compared to last year.
Before Jim Montgomery was fired on November 19, 2024, the Bruins’ power play ranked at the bottom of the league. They connected on nine of their 77 opportunities, and through 20 games, carried just an 11.7% conversion rate.
Then, after the in-season coaching change, the Bruins’ power play connected at a 17% rate. However, it was not enough to carry them all the way out of the basement – Boston ultimately finished 29th last year with a 15.2% rate. They also allowed 13 shorthanded goals, which tied the league’s high in the 2024-25 season.
It was the lowest Bruins’ power play ranking since 2012-13 (14.8%), and the hope was that a permanent coaching change would fix one of Boston’s biggest issues from last season. Over the summer, the Bruins added two coaches to their bench.
Sturm does not need an introduction 51 games into the season. However, it is worth noting that his playing career was filled with power play time and points. Sturm totaled 487 points in 938 NHL games, 137 of which came on the power play.
Marco Sturm was hired on June 4, 2025, and at the introductory press conference, Don Sweeney said that they wanted to round out the bench with a coach with “some power play experience.”
Spott came to Boston with 12 years of experience as an NHL assistant coach; he spent the 10 previous seasons working as Pete DeBoer’s right-hand man. With stops in San Jose, Vegas, and Dallas, Spott’s resume is littered with successful power plays and deep playoff runs.
Over the course of his three seasons with Dallas, Spott’s power play produced at a rate of 23.7%.
Ahead of this season, Steve Spott joined NESN’s Sophia Jurksztowicz and Kasey Hudson on “The Hockey Hub” podcast.
“Obviously, coming through Vegas, San Jose, and Dallas, I’ve had the opportunity to work with world-class players,” Spott said. “To work with Pastrnak, to work with Charlie (McAvoy) now, I’m excited about that new challenge. I think they’re excited about some new messaging as well.”
“We have to get back to where we feel we can be. Our goal is to try to be another top-10 power play team in the National Hockey League. With that comes new messaging, new ways of doing things, and fresh ideas.”
Spott took the Bruins’ power play and flipped it. New messaging and fresh ideas turned into immediate results. 20 games into Sturm and Spott’s first season behind the bench, the Bruins’ power play ranked fifth and was hitting at a 25.4% rate.
The Bruins’ power play, as of January 23, still ranks fifth and has improved on their 20-game number, upping it to 26.4% (39-for-148).
When at five-on-four, the power play has created 208 scoring chances and 61 high-danger shots. 15 of those 61 have found the back of the net, per NaturalStatTrick.
“He’s been excellent,” Sturm said about Spott ahead of the Bruins’ game in Dallas. “For me, the coaching staff, and most importantly, for the team. I think he does a tremendous job with the power plays, with the guys we have – both units.”
“I think they understand the way he wants to run things, and we [are] having pretty good success. Most importantly, he stays on them. So he’s not going to let them loose, and I think that’s been the key.”
On his philosophy, Spott said that his plan is to “spend a lot of time on individual skill development on the power play.”
David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, the two players that Spott was eager to work with over the summer, have blossomed on the power play. Pastrnak has nine goals and 24 power play points, and McAvoy has a power play goal coupled with 13 assists.
Morgan Geekie (8-8–16), Elias Lindholm (6-11–17), and Pavel Zacha (5-9–14) round out the Bruins’ top-five in power play points.
“Power plays are very fragile; it’s amazing,” Spott said on “The Hockey Hub.” There’s times when the five guys will jump over the bench knowing they’re going to score. There’s times when the five guys will jump over the bench thinking, ‘Good Lord, we’re struggling right now.’ It really becomes a mental test for the players.”
The Bruins’ power play has helped launch them to recent victories. Since the New Year, the Bruins have scored on 33.3% of their power plays (9-for-27). Take Thursday night against Vegas, or the first game of the month in Vancouver, where the Bruins scored two power-play goals en route to a victory.
We are only 51 games into this season. At the 51-game mark last year, the Bruins’ power play ranked second-to-last (13.4%).
Steve Spott’s power play expertise has aided the Bruins; they sit in a wild-card spot as the weekend approaches. If the power play can continue to contribute, the Bruins will have fixed one of their glaring issues from the 2024-25 season, and so far, the difference has been night and day.