Empty-Net Lab · Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins Goalie Pull Tracker
When the Bruins pull the goalie down one and down two, how that compares with the rest of the league and with past coaches, what happens while the net is empty at both ends, and who is on the ice for it.
When the Bruins pull the goalie, 2025-26
Share of late deficits with the goalie pulled, by time left in the 3rd period
When the Bruins pull the goalie, 2025-26. BOS down 1: half pulled by 1:55 remaining, 31% pulled with 2:00 left (24 trailing spells); BOS down 2: half pulled by 2:53 remaining, 93% pulled with 2:00 left (21 trailing spells); NHL down 1: half pulled by 2:00 remaining, 51% pulled with 2:00 left (831 trailing spells).
Bruins goalie pulls by coach
| Coach | Seasons | Median pull, down 1 | Pulled by 2:00 | Median pull, down 2 | Tied it, down 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marco Sturm | 2025-26 to 2026-27 | 1:57 (25) | 36% | 3:08 (22) | 3 / 17 |
| Jim Montgomery | 2022-23 to 2024-25 | 1:59 (41) | 48% | 3:56 (25) | 3 / 21 |
| Joe Sacco | 2024-25 | 1:58 (20) | 31% | 3:21 (15) | 1 / 16 |
| Bruce Cassidy | 2017-18 to 2021-22 | 1:37 (95) | 23% | 2:37 (87) | 8 / 54 |
Regular season since 2017-18, every club of the franchise. In brackets: late deficits behind the median; coaches with fewer than 10 are a small sample.
Bruins season by season
| Season | Median pull, down 1 | Median pull, down 2 | 6v5 time | GF pulled | ENG against | ENG for | GA vs extra attacker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 2:34 (1) | 3:08 (1) | 3:03 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025-26 | 1:55 (24) | 2:53 (21) | 30:29 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 4 |
| 2024-25 | 1:59 (22) | 3:21 (20) | 46:30 | 2 | 21 | 17 | 6 |
| 2023-24 | 2:10 (22) | 4:29 (12) | 27:42 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 10 |
| 2022-23 | 1:53 (17) | 4:55 (8) | 16:30 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 4 |
| 2021-22 | 1:28 (15) | 2:37 (19) | 35:05 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 4 |
| 2020-21 | 1:35 (20) | 2:45 (12) | 19:17 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2019-20 | 1:50 (17) | 2:31 (14) | 19:41 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 4 |
| 2018-19 | 1:45 (25) | 2:45 (21) | 36:48 | 6 | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 1:30 (18) | 1:33 (21) | 22:22 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 5 |
Who is on the ice for the Bruins, 2025-26
Extra attacker (6-on-5)
- David Pastrnak25:02 · 95%
- Pavel Zacha24:46 · 83%
- Morgan Geekie24:26 · 80%
- Elias Lindholm21:44 · 80%
- Charlie McAvoy21:24 · 86%
- Viktor Arvidsson14:02 · 52%
- Casey Mittelstadt12:43 · 49%
- Marat Khusnutdinov8:31 · 30%
Empty-net defense
- Nikita Zadorov32:51 · 65%
- Charlie McAvoy24:33 · 63%
- David Pastrnak24:07 · 49%
- Elias Lindholm23:43 · 56%
- Hampus Lindholm22:29 · 55%
- Morgan Geekie18:42 · 38%
- Pavel Zacha16:10 · 33%
- Viktor Arvidsson15:26 · 35%
Empty-net goals
- Viktor Arvidsson3 G, 0 A
- Elias Lindholm2 G, 5 A
- David Pastrnak2 G, 4 A
- Marat Khusnutdinov2 G, 0 A
- Morgan Geekie1 G, 2 A
- Mark Kastelic1 G, 1 A
- Sean Kuraly1 G, 1 A
- Andrew Peeke1 G, 0 A
% = share of the team's time in that situation in the games the player dressed. Empty-net defense time is where empty-net goals come from.
Recent Bruins goalie pulls
| Date | Opponent | Down | Pulled with | Time pulled | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 3 | MIN | 2 | 3:08 | 2:07 | Empty-net goal against |
| Oct 2 | WPG | 1 | 2:34 | 0:56 | Scored |
| Apr 11 | TBL | 1 | 1:26 | 1:26 | No goal |
| Apr 4 | TBL | 1 | 2:17 | 0:44 | Empty-net goal against |
| Apr 2 | FLA | 1 | 1:36 | 1:36 | No goal |
| Mar 29 | CBJ | 1 | 1:57 | 1:46 | Scored |
| Mar 24 | TOR | 1 | 1:36 | 0:58 | Empty-net goal against |
| Mar 12 | SJS | 3+ | 3:37 | 2:44 | Scored |
| Mar 12 | SJS | 2 | 0:40 | 0:30 | No goal |
| Mar 5 | NSH | 2 | 2:45 | 0:18 | Empty-net goal against |
| Feb 28 | PHI | 1 | 1:59 | 1:01 | Empty-net goal against |
| Jan 6 | SEA | 2 | 2:09 | 1:57 | Empty-net goal against |
FAQ
When do the Bruins pull their goalie?
In 2025-26 under Marco Sturm, the Boston Bruins had pulled their goalie in half of their late one-goal deficits with 1:55 left in the 3rd period, and in 31% with 2:00 or more left (24 games trailing by one in the last 10 minutes).
How many empty-net goals have the Bruins allowed?
With their goalie pulled in 2025-26, the Boston Bruins scored 4 and allowed 11 empty-net goals in 30:29 of 6-on-5 time. Defending an empty net, they scored 15 empty-net goals and allowed 4 goals to the extra attacker.
How is goalie pull time measured?
From the NHL shift charts: the first moment in a deficit when the team had no goalie on the ice, excluding delayed penalties. The curve counts every late deficit, including ones erased before a pull, so it is not biased toward long deficits.