When the Bruins were flying high under Jim Montgomery, the number of shots at the end of the game mattered little. The emphasis was on quantity over quality. In 2022-23 when the B’s had their record-breaking 65-win season and were clearly the best team in the regular season, they ranked just ninth in shots on net with 33 per game.

But that was when they had Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in the middle and a one-time Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall playing on a third line. They had more skill than they do now, plain and simple.

GM Don Sweeney acknowledged as much in his Wednesday press conference and interim coach Joe Sacco said, in fact, the team had already been trying transition to a different approach. Quantity could be back in voogue.

“It’s something that we talked about even a couple of weeks ago as a staff. With the team that we have, we have some big forwards up front that like to get inside and play on the inside,” said Sacco on Thursday. “We want our D to be more focused to be shot-ready from the top, get pucks to the net and use the two inside to layer traffic to make it harder on the goaltenders. We’re definitely trying have more of a focus on getting pucks to the net. It doesn’t mean we just want to shoot recklessly from areas of the ice that have no chance of going in. But I think our D need to be more shot-ready and we’re going to create more chances off of rebounds.”

Sacco doesn’t believe it should be a major transition.

“I believe we have D that want to shoot. It’s just a matter of getting them shot-ready, be prepared to know that you’re going to have two on the inside, you’re going to be able to take away the goaltender’s eyes so it’s not a big switch,” said Sacco.

Brandon Carlo, for one, is all on board.

“We’ve seen it in years past…right when the puck comes to the point just funneling it towards the net. I think at times we’re looking to make sure bodies are there at the net and that’s obviously when it’s going to be most useful,” said Carlo. “If our guys are getting to that interior ice and we’re firing it right away…I’ve had a lot of opportunities in the past with (Trent Frederic), he’s tipped a lot of those pucks. You see good teams do that a lot and those pucks end up in the back of the net quite a bit when you get a good tip on it. That’s definitely a part of our game that we can increase for sure.”

While Carlo believes the transition should not be a big one, he said the team is still feeling some things out.

“We’re still trying to find our identity here,” said Carlo. “With that high end skill end in the past, we could get away with scoring a couple mfo goals. But right now we really need to start working toward the interior of the ice and get some grittier ones.”….

Not much has gone right for the B’s this year, but special teams has been particularly rough. They went into Thursday’s game against Utah, the first night of the Sacco Era, with a power play that was ranked dead last in the league (11.7% success rate).

One of the tweaks, which they’ve made off an on this year, is to utilize Brad Marchand at the goal line.

“We have to do a better job of not being so predictable on our power play,” said Sacco. “And I think if we can create some more traffic down low, some more opportunities to make some low plays around the goaltender, not be perimeter I think that should help our power play.”

Marchand, who had been seeing work on the right elbow, has always been good around closer to the action.

“He’s always been a guy who can take it to the net pretty well,” said Sacco. “I know he’s a smaller guy as far as being in front of the goalie but being at the goal line, getting it to the net, he’s quick off the goal line and he’s able to strike right away to attack it. We’re hoping when he does that it will create some 2-for-1 rebound opportunities, guys that are converging on the elbows. But he seems to be pretty comfortable.”

The penalty kill, traditionally strong, has been porous. They were ranked 25th (75.6%) going into Thursday.

“With a lot of the kills and the goals that we’ve given up, it’s just been assignments that haven’t been taken over. I’ve missed a couple of assignments,” said Carlo. “We’ve let some shots come through the point, so I think it’s just simplifying, making sure we get our 200-foot clears first and foremost, doing a good job on the entries where we’re not allowing them to set up as much as possible. And then it’s just getting our assertiveness back. At times we’re trying to read the play, letting them set up. It’s hard to guess where passes are going to go. I’d rather just go at a guy when you can see numbers and try and eliminate time and space. I think that will help us.”….

According to morning line rushes, Tyler Johnson and Jordan Oesterle were set to be the scratches while Parker Wotherspoon was getting bumped up to the second pair with Carlo.