Nathan Horton Has Been A Disappointment For Boston Bruins This Month

The Boston Bruins have cooled off a bit in the past two weeks, as injuries and an inconsistent offense have had a big impact. One of their biggest problems has been that two of their top six forwards – Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic – have been pretty disappointing in the last month. With the trade deadline looming, the Bruins are rumored to be looking to add some scoring depth up front as well as some defense. With the Pittsburgh Penguins making a lot of recent moves, the need for the Bruins to strengthen their lineup was increased.

Horton has only scored one goal in 14 March games after scoring seven in the season’s first six weeks. While he is still a strong player even when he isn’t scoring, the Bruins are a better team when he is scoring. In limited action last season, Horton scored 17 goals and had 32 points. While playing on the top line with David Krejci and Brad Marchand, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be producing more.

Lucic also has just one goal in March, and just five for the season. For a player who scored 26 goals last season and 30 the season before, that’s quite a disappointing start.   He’s been dropped down to the third line with Rich Peverley and Jordan Caron for the time being, and maybe that change will get things moving for him.

Chris Kelly, Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk are among the injured Bruins, as the depth that makes this team so dangerous has taken a serious hit. The Bruins face a critical game against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night, as they try and hold on to the Northeast Division lead.

Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JKatje or add him to you network on Google.