Post-Game Talk: Game 8 - BRUINS play 60 Minutes and are rewarded - BRUINS 2 Sharks 1 - FINAL

[Tazz]

Great to get the W but work to be done. KURALY certainly had a rough night. It will be interesting to see how the forward line up evolves as everyone gets healthy. Who will KREJCI, SPOONER and ACCAIRI push out? I suspect KURALY, AGOSTINO and probably VATRANO will be sent down barring a trade from the heavens that sends SPOONER (probably +) packing for a D-man. I like BACKES at C so IMHO SPOONER his one dimensional skill set (PP specialist) is expendable. Looks like BELESKEY is going to be the odd man out/13th forward no matter what.

SPOONER for Brayden MCNABB

MARCHAND-BERGERON-BJORK
HEINEN-KREJCI-PASTRNAK
DEBRUSK-BACKES-VATRANO
SCHALLER/BELESKEY-NASH-ACCAIRI

CHARA-MCAVOY
KRUG-CARLO
MCNABB-MILLER
POSTMA (until MCQUAID is back)

RASK
DOBBY

 

[ODAAT]

I want to see them play LA and see how they handle their Muscle

Not sure the Kings play much heavier than the Sharks do TBH. This team dressed what? 5-6 rookies last night and played fairly even vs a veteran team.

Even if/when the B`s get healthy, they aren`t a lineup who I think will be physically dominant, I don`t think they have to be but how they react vs more physical opponents will be the key and I didn`t check the stats but I would argue the boys had close to as many hits and I didn`t feel they were manhandled when they had the puck

 

[lopey]

No one shot me but Dooby reminds me a little of Tim Thomas. Battles hard

 

[whitetape]

At this point I would take Agostino over Spooner. He is not as fast, but he's not slow, either, and he is a three-zone player who can handle the sidewall on the PP about as well as Spooner. I say shop Spooner for as high a draft pick as you can get.

 

[Jean_Jacket41]

Great win. Lots of skills on that team.

A 08-14 stretch is upon us. Enjoy Bruins fans!

 

[ODAAT]

At this point I would take Agostino over Spooner. He is not as fast, but he's not slow, either, and he is a three-zone player who can handle the sidewall on the PP about as well as Spooner. I say shop Spooner for as high a draft pick as you can get.

Obviously now isn`t the time to move Spooner with the injury but I have wondered often what his value is around the league. Obviously a teams need might increase the value if they desperately need an offensively minded C-man but surely Scouts/GM`s around the league see what he brings or doesn`t in all 3 zones and I`ve not been as convinced as some here that his value is anywhere as high as they feel it has been at various times

 

[Dueling Banjos]

Watching Dobby play gives me a heart attack he looks like a fish out of water. But he managed to stop the puck pretty much every time so I'll take it.

MavAvoy was such a stud. Wow. Carlo had a great game too.

It's a wild ride once you start to trust such goalie style, not saying we are there yet but still, entertaining and enjoyable performance by Dobby.

Great win, amazed by McAvoy, can't believe we landed him. Young guns making impact and it seems that most of them at the same time, unbelievable renovation.

 

[bruinmann77]

Yes it was nice to see Heinen light the lamp hopefully he stay around now.

 

[NCBruinsfan]

At this point I would take Agostino over Spooner. He is not as fast, but he's not slow, either, and he is a three-zone player who can handle the sidewall on the PP about as well as Spooner. I say shop Spooner for as high a draft pick as you can get.

I don't think Spooner is going anywhere this year.

 

[JP Nolan]

Pretty solid game. Vatrano did some good things away from the puck. Backes looked motivated as did his line. Bjork is smooth. DeBrusk is grimy. He will be a nice player. Lunch pail guy.

McAvoy is special. Like him with Chara as now Chara can just worry about his ice. Krug was good offensively but still 2-3 positional gaffs that could have cost us. If Chara is used correctly he is still a defensive force. I think he played too many minutes last night for the long term betterment of the team. We had a long layoff so perhaps that why...But i like him around 18-20 tops...

Carlo for me is steady but still makes a bone head play here and there. I would like to see him be more physical at the blue line entrance and also....I think he has offensive potential and i would like to see him use it.

Khudobin has a little TT in his game. Not quite as good but his scrambling does remind me of Thomas a bit. He is not as good at it though.

I am liking Kevin Miller more and more.
Nice game from 43 as he was heads up.....Now the key is to show up next game. I would like to see the kids be consistent once they find a groove...

Kuraly needs to keep playing. The hand on the puck penalty was garbage...I only saw it once but it looked to me he was just trying to slide it......regardless, i know he had two penalties but i think this kid is a keeper and he needs to keep playing i think....Schaller is a smart player. I like them together.

I think we are as good as anyone in the East. Tampa included. Especially by seasons end. We have a deep team and the pipeline has some exciting kids in it. But we need to go for the Cup. This team is good enough.

 

[Otherworld]

You could tell Khudobin was exhausted by the end of the game. And good on him. He gave everything he had in the game today. He battled like Thomas always did !

Good on him!

So happy to see him come away with the win!

That game was huge for him. It will help both him and the team going forward this year as a lack of confidence in our back up has plagued this team for some time.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

Pretty solid game. Vatrano did some good things away from the puck. Backes looked motivated as did his line. Bjork is smooth. DeBrusk is grimy. He will be a nice player. Lunch pail guy.

McAvoy is special. Like him with Chara as now Chara can just worry about his ice. Krug was good offensively but still 2-3 positional gaffs that could have cost us. If Chara is used correctly he is still a defensive force. I think he played too many minutes last night for the long term betterment of the team. We had a long layoff so perhaps that why...But i like him around 18-20 tops...

Carlo for me is steady but still makes a bone head play here and there. I would like to see him be more physical at the blue line entrance and also....I think he has offensive potential and i would like to see him use it.

Khudobin has a little TT in his game. Not quite as good but his scrambling does remind me of Thomas a bit. He is not as good at it though.

I am liking Kevin Miller more and more.
Nice game from 43 as he was heads up.....Now the key is to show up next game. I would like to see the kids be consistent once they find a groove...

Kuraly needs to keep playing. The hand on the puck penalty was garbage...I only saw it once but it looked to me he was just trying to slide it......regardless, i know he had two penalties but i think this kid is a keeper and he needs to keep playing i think....Schaller is a smart player. I like them together.

I think we are as good as anyone in the East. Tampa included. Especially by seasons end. We have a deep team and the pipeline has some exciting kids in it. But we need to go for the Cup. This team is good enough.

Good synopsis, although I disagree with your characterization of DeBrusk. He’s more than a lunch pail guy.

I do think it’s just a little odd that you did such a detailed break down, but left Heinen out (who scored both goals). I was surprised that you couldn’t find more time for your buddy Krug’s breakdown, other than a veiled cheap shot.

 

[DKH]

Pretty solid game. Vatrano did some good things away from the puck. Backes looked motivated as did his line. Bjork is smooth. DeBrusk is grimy. He will be a nice player. Lunch pail guy.

McAvoy is special. Like him with Chara as now Chara can just worry about his ice. Krug was good offensively but still 2-3 positional gaffs that could have cost us. If Chara is used correctly he is still a defensive force. I think he played too many minutes last night for the long term betterment of the team. We had a long layoff so perhaps that why...But i like him around 18-20 tops...

Carlo for me is steady but still makes a bone head play here and there. I would like to see him be more physical at the blue line entrance and also....I think he has offensive potential and i would like to see him use it.

Khudobin has a little TT in his game. Not quite as good but his scrambling does remind me of Thomas a bit. He is not as good at it though.

I am liking Kevin Miller more and more.
Nice game from 43 as he was heads up.....Now the key is to show up next game. I would like to see the kids be consistent once they find a groove...

Kuraly needs to keep playing. The hand on the puck penalty was garbage...I only saw it once but it looked to me he was just trying to slide it......regardless, i know he had two penalties but i think this kid is a keeper and he needs to keep playing i think....Schaller is a smart player. I like them together.

I think we are as good as anyone in the East. Tampa included. Especially by seasons end. We have a deep team and the pipeline has some exciting kids in it. But we need to go for the Cup. This team is good enough.

They have to have Bergeron and Krejci though reasonably healthy

All these yutes on the wing is fantastic but teams have to be strong down the middle.

I like JFK a lot more then some but I would hope they won't need him any time soon I don't think he's ready

No Bergeron or Krejci playing near skill level they will be up and down all year

 

[PB37]

They have to have Bergeron and Krejci though reasonably healthy

All these yutes on the wing is fantastic but teams have to be strong down the middle.

I like JFK a lot more then some but I would hope they won't need him any time soon I don't think he's ready

No Bergeron or Krejci playing near skill level they will be up and down all year

With the old guard down the middle in their 30's, the Bruins have set themselves up to have possible replacements ready in the next 3 years. While I'm not calling them injury prone 30 something year olds just yet, Bergeron, Krejci, and Backes have had to deal with injuries of varying degree last season and now this year.

Our prospect center depth is arguably our strongest position now with some of the wingers graduating to full time NHL status.

JFK
T-Freddy
Donato
Stud

They sound like the hockey version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

 

[NDiesel]

Can't really say too much negative about that effort. I guess Kuraly was the one blip, but otherwise was a good overall game for just about everyone.

 

[JP Nolan]

Good synopsis, although I disagree with your characterization of DeBrusk. He’s more than a lunch pail guy.

I do think it’s just a little odd that you did such a detailed break down, but left Heinen out (who scored both goals). I was surprised that you couldn’t find more time for your buddy Krug’s breakdown, other than a veiled cheap shot.

On DeBrusk i meant more of his mentality...I do believe he will score 20-30 goals........I dont think you read the post properly as i did mention HEINEN IE 43 and said now i want consistency from the kids....And Krug was better offensively but their were 2-3 hairy moments where he looked overwhelmed. I guess you like him so much you can over look or not see the gaffs...Its ok. Fans do that all the time.

 

[s3antana5757]

Really liked this game. Save for Kuraly taking almost a handful of penalties, they were really good against a solid team.

The top line just keeps dominating other teams top lines defensively.

Thought the D collectively was really good.

Looking forward to Saturday's game.

 

[Gee Wally]

Something I really loved in the 3rd last night was Bs physical play.
In one sequence Carpenter nails Debrusk. Debrusk comes right back at him with a hard check planting Carpenter. Dillon gets in the rooks face and Big Z comes flying in like a friggen battleship. Dillon says not interested to the big man.

Its 20 second sequences like that that can make a team.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Three Stars:

Khudobin - Channels TT
Heinen - 2 goals in a 2-1 win, a star even though he only played 8 minutes
Chara - He's not quite dead yet

Kevin Miller gets an assist but not a plus (on the bench when goal scored)
Need to get Rask (1-3-0) in Saturday. Don't want to overwork Dobby (3-0-1)

 

[GloryDaze4877]

On DeBrusk i meant more of his mentality...I do believe he will score 20-30 goals........I dont think you read the post properly as i did mention HEINEN IE 43 and said now i want consistency from the kids....And Krug was better offensively but their were 2-3 hairy moments where he looked overwhelmed. I guess you like him so much you can over look or not see the gaffs...Its ok. Fans do that all the time.

I guess I was expecting a little more detail on Heinen beyond “nice game by 43...he was heads up”? (Is that coach speak for something?) Especially after you have made sure to say how mediocre you thought he was previously.

It’s not that I like Krug so much that I overlook or don’t see his gaffes (spelled with an e BTW). It’s that I’m a realist when I critique my D, and I don’t have an agenda against a certain defenseman. I could take any D in that game and pick out (at the very least) five mistakes that could have resulted in goals for SJ.

You seemed to really like Kevin Miller’s game? I thought he played well also, but in the first two minutes of the 2nd period alone, he made two mistakes that could have resulted in goals. On the first play he had Couture coming down on him, with Krug AND a forward to his left and as he was backing in he inexplicably took a step to the left towards the SJ forward there. The correct play was obviously to take the puck carrier because he had support. Because he stepped the wrong way he had to lunge at the last minute and got a stick on Couture’s shot. The second mistake was on the PK a minute later. He had the puck in the B’s zone with plenty of time and he whiffed on the clear allowing a Shark forward to keep the puck in and prolong the play. Two mistakes that could have led to goals in roughly two minutes time.

I don’t dislike Kevan Miller, it’s just that players (particularly D) make mistakes all game and if I were so inclined, I could do with any player what you like to do with Krug.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

defense is a game of mistakes. I get so annoyed when people point to a single mistake by a d-man and say they had a terrible game. If a defenseman makes one mistake per game then they're elite.

People have really unrealistic expectations of NHL defensemen. They should be judged more like golf scores. They start at zero mistakes and the goal is to finish with as few mistakes as possible, but nobody should expect zero mistakes when the game is over.

 

[Alan Ryan]

At this point I would take Agostino over Spooner. He is not as fast, but he's not slow, either, and he is a three-zone player who can handle the sidewall on the PP about as well as Spooner. I say shop Spooner for as high a draft pick as you can get.

I'm with you. Keep Agostino and move on from Spooner.

 

[BruinDust]

I'm with you. Keep Agostino and move on from Spooner.

I'm hoping they ditch both.

Do the Bruins really need to dress a left-shot PP specialist forward, considering the left-shot talent they are already dressing?

Both Agostino and Spooner have the same problem, both are ineffective 5 on 5.

 

[Gee Wally]

Dupes:
Thoughts and observations following the Bruins’ latest outing

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/b...right-where/kG06K4cOh1AKJuSAFGqL7J/story.html

 

[JP Nolan]

I guess I was expecting a little more detail on Heinen beyond “nice game by 43...he was heads up”? (Is that coach speak for something?) Especially after you have made sure to say how mediocre you thought he was previously.

It’s not that I like Krug so much that I overlook or don’t see his gaffes (spelled with an e BTW). It’s that I’m a realist when I critique my D, and I don’t have an agenda against a certain defenseman. I could take any D in that game and pick out (at the very least) five mistakes that could have resulted in goals for SJ.

You seemed to really like Kevin Miller’s game? I thought he played well also, but in the first two minutes of the 2nd period alone, he made two mistakes that could have resulted in goals. On the first play he had Couture coming down on him, with Krug AND a forward to his left and as he was backing in he inexplicably took a step to the left towards the SJ forward there. The correct play was obviously to take the puck carrier because he had support. Because he stepped the wrong way he had to lunge at the last minute and got a stick on Couture’s shot. The second mistake was on the PK a minute later. He had the puck in the B’s zone with plenty of time and he whiffed on the clear allowing a Shark forward to keep the puck in and prolong the play. Two mistakes that could have led to goals in roughly two minutes time.

I don’t dislike Kevan Miller, it’s just that players (particularly D) make mistakes all game and if I were so inclined, I could do with any player what you like to do with Krug.

You were saying ???