The Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Chicago Blackhawks have more in common than their lackluster seasons.

All three teams fired their coach during the season and named an interim bench boss.

Of the trio, only the Flyers’ Brad Shaw managed a (mini) revival of sorts, but that was in a small sample size: nine games.

That at least gives Shaw an outside chance at landing a spot as the team’s permanent coach.

The other two replacements coaches, Chicago’s Anders Sorensen and Boston’s Joe Sacco, are also hopeful. And one of them appears to have a better chance than Shaw to remain as the No. 1 guy.

Here’s a look at the three interim coaches and their pluses and minuses:

Brad Shaw, Philadelphia Flyers

Pluses

·      Shaw, who turns 61 later this month, directed the team to a 5-3-1 record, and young players like Tyson Foerster (nine goals in nine games), Matvei Michkov (six goals, 12 points in nine games) and Bobby Brink (eight points in nine games) excelled under him.

·      The players sang Shaw’s praises and played much looser – and scored more – under Shaw than they did for his predecessor, John Tortorella.

·      He is familiar with the organization, having coached with the Flyers for three seasons.

Minuses

·      Fair or not, he’s associated with the fired Tortorella.

·      The Flyers will probably go with a younger coach who has experience developing up-and-coming players. That said, the performances of Michkov, Foerster and Brink may give the Flyers’ brass reason to pause.

·      Philadelphia has missed the playoffs in all three years Shaw has been on the staff. This season, they had just 76 points – 11 fewer than last year.

Joe Sacco, Boston Bruins

Pluses

·      Bruins GM Don Sweeney praised Sacco, saying he did well, even though he had to coach “completely different teams” because of several in-season moves that were made.

·      Sacco is extremely familiar with the organization (including some very productive years), having been on the staff for 11 years.

·      Cam Neely, the team’s president, said Sacco would be considered for the full-time position. Lip service or an indication he liked Sacco’s work?

Minuses

·      He failed to lead the Bruins, which dealt away key players at the trade deadline, into the playoffs.

·      Boston went just 25-30-7 since Sacco replaced Jim Montgomery in mid-November.

·      As mentioned, the Massachusetts native was a longtime Boston assistant before getting the “interim” tag, and the Bruins seem to be leaning toward someone outside the organization.

Anders Sorensen, Chicago Blackhawks

Pluses

·      Though he inherited a weak roster, Sorensen’s team was competitive, and it’s noteworthy that the struggling Connor Bedard got untracked under him.

·      Sorensen, 49, is respected for his teaching ability – a mandatory trait for someone coaching a young team. In addition, his engaging personality seemed to click with his players.

·      His last three AHL teams made the playoffs.

Minuses

·      Chicago went 17-30-9 after Sorensen replaced the fired Luke Richardson in December, finishing with the NHL’s second-worst record. Sorensen called it a “rollercoaster,” but he feels the team will be better for it in the long run.

·      The Blackhawks finished 31st in goals allowed (3.56 per game) and 26th in scoring (2.73 per game), though that can be seen as more of an indictment on the roster than Sorensen’s coaching ability.

·      Shortly after Sorensen took over, the Blackhawks lost five straight and were a defensive disaster, cementing their hold on last place in the Central.

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