Boston Bruins 2020-2021 Roster Discussion VII - STAY ON TOPIC

[Mr. Make-Believe]

what has Seny done to deserve a promotion?

Well he did clear waivers like a Belgian Warmblood.

 

[The Laukomotive]

Did you look it up?

I looked it up before you even asked the question... Some random guy posted it on his twitter or something

 

[arider1990]

you have to play better to be promoted....if Cassidy doesn't feel you help the team, he has the right not to play you.... same for Providence coaches, since it's the same schematic

Sweeney's not a fan of you, then ZS knows what he has to do to make or earn a chance to stick, full-time, not as an injury replacement

Just so you know in the last 20 games Senyshyn played in he went 5-8-13 for a 0.65 PPG. I think the biggest issue is everyone looks at the whole season and says he sucks but he has shown he can produce down in Providence.

 

[Lobster57]

Just so you know in the last 20 games Senyshyn played in he went 5-8-13 for a 0.65 PPG. I think the biggest issue is everyone looks at the whole season and says he sucks but he has shown he can produce down in Providence.

what do guys who produce at a 0.65ppg pace in the AHL usually produce at in the NHL?

lots of guys can look good if you take their best 15-20 game stretch and toss the rest of the season

 

[Dr Hook]

what do guys who produce at a 0.65ppg pace in the AHL usually produce at in the NHL?

lots of guys can look good if you take their best 15-20 game stretch and toss the rest of the season

What they usually do is irrelevant though because every player is different. I'm okay with granting that Senyshyn is not likely to put up a 60 point season in the NHL, but there is no reason to think he can't put up 30 points on a third line in the NHL while playing a sound two way game. Maybe his ceiling is higher, maybe lower, but we'll never know unless he plays. We know that Par Lindholm, for all the bland safe hockey that he plays, is going to put up 10 points if he catches fire. Why not give Senyshyn a spot in place of that and see? I think that is all most of really are asking for here, not to stick him in the top 6 and hope.

 

[arider1990]

what do guys who produce at a 0.65ppg pace in the AHL usually produce at in the NHL?

lots of guys can look good if you take their best 15-20 game stretch and toss the rest of the season

I was responding to a guy who basically said he had to play well to be promoted which at the time he was. Now for the second part, Debrusk was 0.66 PPG player in the AHL and he is a 0.58 PPG player in the NHL.

 

[BlackFrancis]

I was responding to a guy who basically said he had to play well to be promoted which at the time he was. Now for the second part, Debrusk was 0.66 PPG player in the AHL and he is a 0.58 PPG player in the NHL.

Debrusk was 20.

Senyshyn was not.

 

[Lobster57]

Debrusk was 20.

Senyshyn was not.

Debrusk did it over 70+ games, Seny did it over 20. if you take out those epic 20 games he went 2-1-3 in 22gp, it's not hard to see why he didn't get a call.

 

[arider1990]

Debrusk was 20.

Senyshyn was not.

Debrusk did it over 70+ games, Seny did it over 20. if you take out those epic 20 games he went 2-1-3 in 22gp, it's not hard to see why he didn't get a call.

Let's keep moving the goalpost then. First it was he had play good to get the call up which he was. Then it was how does it translate to the NHL which I gave an example. Now its age and amount of games. We also forgot that he got injured twice last season and once he got over those injuries he started producing.

 

[Blowfish]

Would be nice to see a full healthy lineup!

Marchand Bergeron RastaPastaMan
Ritchie Krejci Kase/Debrusk
Fred Coyle Smith
Bjork Kuraly Wagner/Studnicka

I like playmaker's recommendation on D...

Gryz - McAvoy
Lauzon - Miller
Zboril - Carlo

 

[Over the volcano]

Would be nice to see a full healthy lineup!

Marchand Bergeron RastaPastaMan
Ritchie Krejci Kase/Debrusk
Fred Coyle Smith
Bjork Kuraly Wagner/Studnicka

I like playmaker's recommendation on D...

Gryz - McAvoy
Lauzon - Miller
Zboril - Carlo

If its fully heathy Debrusk's back on the left Ritichie and Frederic slot down and Kase steps back in on the second line

 

[DominicT]

Would be nice to see a full healthy lineup!

Marchand Bergeron RastaPastaMan
Ritchie Krejci Kase/Debrusk
Fred Coyle Smith
Bjork Kuraly Wagner/Studnicka

I like playmaker's recommendation on D...

Gryz - McAvoy
Lauzon - Miller
Zboril - Carlo

Hate those d-pairs.

You're putting your 2 best (and only) offensive d-men together and two guys the coaching staff so far, have not trusted in defensive zone starts on two different pairs?

 

[PlayMakers]

Hate those d-pairs.

You're putting your 2 best (and only) offensive d-men together and two guys the coaching staff so far, have not trusted in defensive zone starts on two different pairs?

I'd argue Zboril is their 3rd offensive dman. He certainly has the skillset, and they've used him a bit on the PP and 3on3. They haven't trusted him with a lot of defensive zone starts but that's why pairing with Carlo could make sense. The Carlo pair (whether he's with Krug or Gryz or whoever) seems to get most of their starts in the offensive zone. Last season, Gryz had the 3rd most defensive starts on the team, behind only Chara and Mac.

Fwiw, I'm not against keeping Gryz and Mac separate. Gryz and Carlo have also been very good together.

 

[DominicT]

I'd argue Zboril is their 3rd offensive dman. He certainly has the skillset, and they've used him a bit on the PP and 3on3. They haven't trusted him with a lot of defensive zone starts but that's why pairing with Carlo could make sense. The Carlo pair (whether he's with Krug or Gryz or whoever) seems to get most of their starts in the offensive zone. Last season, Gryz had the 3rd most defensive starts on the team, behind only Chara and Mac.

Fwiw, I'm not against keeping Gryz and Mac separate. Gryz and Carlo have also been very good together.

I'm not saying Zboril doesn't have the skills, but he's not producing right now. It'll take time.

For me, it's understanding how Cassidy wants his pairs to work, and what we have right now, is what he wants. And it could change going forward as players get more comfortable.

But Cassidy will make situational adjustments during the game. Like last night Lauzon/McAvoy had about a 10 second shift on the ice and then got an offensive zone faceoff. He pulled Lauzon in favor of Zboril in that situation because they were trailing.

But I would be willing to bet my last dollar that if Gryz was healthy and playing, Gryz would have taken Lauzon's spot on that draw and not Zboril.

Maybe it's just me. I think the defence is working just fine. I don't want to fix something that isn't broken until it is broken.

 

[False Start]

I'm not saying Zboril doesn't have the skills, but he's not producing right now. It'll take time.

For me, it's understanding how Cassidy wants his pairs to work, and what we have right now, is what he wants. And it could change going forward as players get more comfortable.

But Cassidy will make situational adjustments during the game. Like last night Lauzon/McAvoy had about a 10 second shift on the ice and then got an offensive zone faceoff. He pulled Lauzon in favor of Zboril in that situation because they were trailing.

But I would be willing to bet my last dollar that if Gryz was healthy and playing, Gryz would have taken Lauzon's spot on that draw and not Zboril.

Maybe it's just me. I think the defence is working just fine. I don't want to fix something that isn't broken until it is broken.

What are your thoughts on Clifton playing the left side?

 

[DominicT]

What are your thoughts on Clifton playing the left side?

I think he's looked fine. I had this conversation before the game yesterday with someone when we found out Gryz was out. I'd rather Clifton in there over Gryz against a team like the Caps. He had some trouble when he had to handle the puck on the weak side, but nothing glaring.

With Clifton, you know what your going to get. Lauzon leads the d-men with 19 hits in 8 games. Clifton has 11 in just 3 games. My issue with Clifton is as a d-man, you have to get time on the PP or the PK, otherwise your asking too much of the other 5 guys and so far, Clifton averages 19 seconds of ice time on the PK. With Gryz, he'll take some of Charlie's PP time away and that can free him up for more PK time.

 

[I Hate Philadelphia]

You know how nice it would be for us to grab a 50+ point dman to replace Krug? Ok so hear me out, there's this guy on waivers...

Kidding lol but that's seriously crazy how bad the issues must be for a team to waive a skillset that many teams would kill for.

 

[PlayMakers]

What are folks thoughts on the defense so far? It’s been 8 games which is a nice sample size for a short season, 8 games represents 1/7th of the season, and it's easy to pro-rate stats over an 82 game schedule, to see what kind of pace they were playing at during the set of games...

McAvoy has 1 goal, 7 points and is Even playing 25 minutes a night. The 7 points are especially impressive considering he hasn’t been getting consistent time with the top PP. I felt like we were maybe only getting 75% of the full Mac through the first 5-6 games, but he looked like he was on a mission against Washington. Thoughts?

Grzelcyk seems to be a polarizing guy. You either love him or hate him. Statistically he's the most effective D we have; he smothers the other teams offense and generates a ton of offensive possession for the Bruins. Look back over the years and it's the same story, even when he slid up to replace Chara or Krug. He and Carlo dominated the Crosby line the other night. He's +2, and has 3 points in 5 games, and probably should have been given an assist on the Wagner goal as well. Not sure if he's the best option on the #1 PP though, but time will tell.

Lauzon has been phenomenal on the PK. He leads the team in hits, PK TOI and Dzone starts (18), but is a team worst -5 at even strength. IMO, he's struggled a bit on breakouts and keeping pucks in the offensive zone and both have led directly to goals against. It's not like Chara was great at those things. That said, Chara is +8 right now and was +26 last year. I've also been wondering if maybe he's holding McAvoy back a bit, as in, the failed breakouts mean more time in the Dzone. The Bruins put Mac with Zboril for the 3rd period last night, presumably to get a little more 5on5 offense going, so maybe they're seeing something similar? Is Lauzon a bit overmatched in his role as a top pair guy? Does he just need more time to get acclimated? 8 games is a convenient sample size, but it will probably take half the season for us to really know if he's going to thrive or just survive.

Carlo has been trick or treat as well, IMO. When he's with Grzelcyk or Zboril he's been very good, but I think he's struggled with Clifton. He is dominating the PK, and is only 4 seconds behind Lauzon for PK TOI. He is also a team best +3.

Zboril has, IMO, been a bit inconsistent, I didn't think he played well against Pittsburgh, but then was outstanding against Washington. So, 6 of the 8 games he's been very strong IMO. He's averaging 19 minutes a night and has shown a good two-way skillset, making good breakout decision and jumping up in the offense, but also defending really well in 1on1's and 2on1's. He has the lowest Dzone starts on the team, as you'd probably expect from a rookie. Overall I'd say he's been very good.

Killer has also been a really pleasant surprise. Picked up right where he left off. He's physical, he's smart, he's skating as well as he ever has, he's simple but clean on breakouts, he's joined the rush a few times and hit the crossbar... He's played a lot on his left on the PK and in place of Gryz when he got hurt. Great leadership qualities and a calming influence on the D... Gotta give Sweeney some credit on this signing. If he can stay healthy he's a bargain at $2m.

Last point, if you look up that same chart for other teams in the league, you really appreciate the Bruins as a defensive team in general. Other teams, even elite teams, are all over the map, and their average is much closer to the red line and even below it (WAS). Boston in generate is getting plus defense no matter who plays or who has the odd off night. I don't know if that's the result of their system (Julien's Canadiens are the other team with a similar D chart and Cassidy kept that Dzone system) or if it's a function of having so many good two-way forwards and centers... regardless, it's impressive.

 

[DominicT]

What are folks thoughts on the defense so far? It’s been 8 games which is a nice sample size for a short season, 8 games represents 1/7th of the season, and it's easy to pro-rate stats over an 82 game schedule, to see what kind of pace they were playing at during the set of games...

McAvoy has 1 goal, 7 points and is Even playing 25 minutes a night. The 7 points are especially impressive considering he hasn’t been getting consistent time with the top PP. I felt like we were maybe only getting 75% of the full Mac through the first 5-6 games, but he looked like he was on a mission against Washington. Thoughts?

Grzelcyk seems to be a polarizing guy. You either love him or hate him. Statistically he's the most effective D we have; he smothers the other teams offense and generates a ton of offensive possession for the Bruins. Look back over the years and it's the same story, even when he slid up to replace Chara or Krug. He and Carlo dominated the Crosby line the other night. He's +2, and has 3 points in 5 games, and probably should have been given an assist on the Wagner goal as well. Not sure if he's the best option on the #1 PP though, but time will tell.

Lauzon has been phenomenal on the PK. He leads the team in hits, PK TOI and Dzone starts (18), but is a team worst -5 at even strength. IMO, he's struggled a bit on breakouts and keeping pucks in the offensive zone and both have led directly to goals against. It's not like Chara was great at those things. That said, Chara is +8 right now and was +26 last year. I've also been wondering if maybe he's holding McAvoy back a bit, as in, the failed breakouts mean more time in the Dzone. The Bruins put Mac with Zboril for the 3rd period last night, presumably to get a little more 5on5 offense going, so maybe they're seeing something similar? Is Lauzon a bit overmatched in his role as a top pair guy? Does he just need more time to get acclimated? 8 games is a convenient sample size, but it will probably take half the season for us to really know if he's going to thrive or just survive.

Carlo has been trick or treat as well, IMO. When he's with Grzelcyk or Zboril he's been very good, but I think he's struggled with Clifton. He is dominating the PK, and is only 4 seconds behind Lauzon for PK TOI. He is also a team best +3.

Zboril has, IMO, been a bit inconsistent, I didn't think he played well against Pittsburgh, but then was outstanding against Washington. So, 6 of the 8 games he's been very strong IMO. He's averaging 19 minutes a night and has shown a good two-way skillset, making good breakout decision and jumping up in the offense, but also defending really well in 1on1's and 2on1's. He has the lowest Dzone starts on the team, as you'd probably expect from a rookie. Overall I'd say he's been very good.

Killer has also been a really pleasant surprise. Picked up right where he left off. He's physical, he's smart, he's skating as well as he ever has, he's simple but clean on breakouts, he's joined the rush a few times and hit the crossbar... He's played a lot on his left on the PK and in place of Gryz when he got hurt. Great leadership qualities and a calming influence on the D... Gotta give Sweeney some credit on this signing. If he can stay healthy he's a bargain at $2m.

Last point, if you look up that same chart for other teams in the league, you really appreciate the Bruins as a defensive team in general. Other teams, even elite teams, are all over the map, and their average is much closer to the red line and even below it (WAS). Boston in generate is getting plus defense no matter who plays or who has the odd off night. I don't know if that's the result of their system (Julien's Canadiens are the other team with a similar D chart and Cassidy kept that Dzone system) or if it's a function of having so many good two-way forwards and centers... regardless, it's impressive.

I wouldn't use plus/minus as an example for Lauzon. Bergeron's give away last night was an unworthy minus. Last game, Charlie came over to Lauzon's side forcing Lauzon over to the right. Charlie got blown by and then a goal. 2 games ago, after Lauzon and Carlo spent the whole 2 minutes killing a penalty, they got scored on seconds after the pk ended. That's the one Rask got injured on and would have had were he not laboring. Probably should have been blown dead. Plus/minus is worthless without recalling every goal.

As for Zboril taking his spot in the third it was on a couple of o-zone faceoffs where they were trailing.

 

[PlayMakers]

I'm not saying Zboril doesn't have the skills, but he's not producing right now. It'll take time.

For me, it's understanding how Cassidy wants his pairs to work, and what we have right now, is what he wants. And it could change going forward as players get more comfortable.

But Cassidy will make situational adjustments during the game. Like last night Lauzon/McAvoy had about a 10 second shift on the ice and then got an offensive zone faceoff. He pulled Lauzon in favor of Zboril in that situation because they were trailing.

But I would be willing to bet my last dollar that if Gryz was healthy and playing, Gryz would have taken Lauzon's spot on that draw and not Zboril.

Maybe it's just me. I think the defence is working just fine. I don't want to fix something that isn't broken until it is broken.

I have always been really impressed with Cassidy's situational adjustments. I agree Gryz would have been out there over Zboril last night and maybe that's enough. Load up that pair when the situation warrants. I also wonder if Zboril would have slid into Grzelcyk's spot in that situation. Gryz-Mac, Zboril-Carlo. Zboril was having a really good game.

IMO, the 2nd and 3rd pairs are working but the top pair has been a little leaky. They definitely need to (and are going to) let things play out for more than 8 games, but I like to look ahead and consider options. Would they consider swapping Miller with Lauzon? It would mean both playing their off-side but they've both done a lot of that in the past. If they go for a D at the deadline, will they be looking for another offensive guy to , or a top pair shut down guy? Hopefully Lauzon grows into the role and makes it a moot point. They don't have a ton of trade capital to work with and may end up needing a forward.

 

[tremha]

Let's keep moving the goalpost then. First it was he had play good to get the call up which he was. Then it was how does it translate to the NHL which I gave an example. Now its age and amount of games. We also forgot that he got injured twice last season and once he got over those injuries he started producing.

how about we just forget about him? if he was taken in the 3'rd round where he belonged we wouldn't be talking about him. He is only getting airtime because of where he was drafted - not what he has done since he was drafted.

 

[BlackFrancis]

What are folks thoughts on the defense so far? It’s been 8 games which is a nice sample size for a short season, 8 games represents 1/7th of the season, and it's easy to pro-rate stats over an 82 game schedule, to see what kind of pace they were playing at during the set of games...

McAvoy has 1 goal, 7 points and is Even playing 25 minutes a night. The 7 points are especially impressive considering he hasn’t been getting consistent time with the top PP. I felt like we were maybe only getting 75% of the full Mac through the first 5-6 games, but he looked like he was on a mission against Washington. Thoughts?

Grzelcyk seems to be a polarizing guy. You either love him or hate him. Statistically he's the most effective D we have; he smothers the other teams offense and generates a ton of offensive possession for the Bruins. Look back over the years and it's the same story, even when he slid up to replace Chara or Krug. He and Carlo dominated the Crosby line the other night. He's +2, and has 3 points in 5 games, and probably should have been given an assist on the Wagner goal as well. Not sure if he's the best option on the #1 PP though, but time will tell.

Lauzon has been phenomenal on the PK. He leads the team in hits, PK TOI and Dzone starts (18), but is a team worst -5 at even strength. IMO, he's struggled a bit on breakouts and keeping pucks in the offensive zone and both have led directly to goals against. It's not like Chara was great at those things. That said, Chara is +8 right now and was +26 last year. I've also been wondering if maybe he's holding McAvoy back a bit, as in, the failed breakouts mean more time in the Dzone. The Bruins put Mac with Zboril for the 3rd period last night, presumably to get a little more 5on5 offense going, so maybe they're seeing something similar? Is Lauzon a bit overmatched in his role as a top pair guy? Does he just need more time to get acclimated? 8 games is a convenient sample size, but it will probably take half the season for us to really know if he's going to thrive or just survive.

Carlo has been trick or treat as well, IMO. When he's with Grzelcyk or Zboril he's been very good, but I think he's struggled with Clifton. He is dominating the PK, and is only 4 seconds behind Lauzon for PK TOI. He is also a team best +3.

Zboril has, IMO, been a bit inconsistent, I didn't think he played well against Pittsburgh, but then was outstanding against Washington. So, 6 of the 8 games he's been very strong IMO. He's averaging 19 minutes a night and has shown a good two-way skillset, making good breakout decision and jumping up in the offense, but also defending really well in 1on1's and 2on1's. He has the lowest Dzone starts on the team, as you'd probably expect from a rookie. Overall I'd say he's been very good.

Killer has also been a really pleasant surprise. Picked up right where he left off. He's physical, he's smart, he's skating as well as he ever has, he's simple but clean on breakouts, he's joined the rush a few times and hit the crossbar... He's played a lot on his left on the PK and in place of Gryz when he got hurt. Great leadership qualities and a calming influence on the D... Gotta give Sweeney some credit on this signing. If he can stay healthy he's a bargain at $2m.

Last point, if you look up that same chart for other teams in the league, you really appreciate the Bruins as a defensive team in general. Other teams, even elite teams, are all over the map, and their average is much closer to the red line and even below it (WAS). Boston in generate is getting plus defense no matter who plays or who has the odd off night. I don't know if that's the result of their system (Julien's Canadiens are the other team with a similar D chart and Cassidy kept that Dzone system) or if it's a function of having so many good two-way forwards and centers... regardless, it's impressive.

That's a great, detailed writeup.

Wandering in from a stats-blind perspective:

MacAvoy: He was trick or treat up until the last Penguins game. The past two, he's dominated all areas of the ice. The only thing missing has been the open ice hits.

Grzelcyk: Second best on the team at puck retrieval and distribution, but the last you'd want hemmed in the defensive zone. I think Cassidy is using him on PP1 to manage Charlie's minutes. Need to see him on PP1 with Pastrnak in there, as he's the primary option. One thing about Griz - can anyone remember him going below the dots in the offensive zone? Ever? Why is he always glued to the area between the tops of the circles and the blue line? It looks like the players' jerseys are chipped this season, so there may actually be data to prove/disprove this.

Carlo: He's where Charlie was to start the season - mostly very good, but one or two baffling brain farts per game. I think his coachability makes up for the obvious lack of hockey IQ.

Lauzon: He's doing better than you could rightfully expect of a third pairing defender press ganged into first pairing service. I have not enjoyed his mimicking of late-age Chara's abandoning the offensive blue line early, however. Lost count of how many pucks have leaked past the blue line while he's already in reverse. The hitting's good. The passing is mediocre, which might be an improvement over the past couple seasons. Like all young guys, he needs a lot more shifts before we can say what he really is.

Zboril: His pairing can get bogged down, but not often after he's gotten a stick on the puck. Makes a lot of smart, crafty plays to get the puck up and out. Again, need more time to know what we've got.

Miller: Still can't get the image of him staring at the play in front of him when Ceci scored out of my mind. Most displeasing. Other than that, he's been fine. Black hole offensively and a willing battler defensively. And as you said, his skating is way better than it should be for two years off skates. The best thing about Miller is he keeps Clifton off the lineup card.

 

[PlayMakers]

I wouldn't use plus/minus as an example for Lauzon. Bergeron's give away last night was an unworthy minus. Last game, Charlie came over to Lauzon's side forcing Lauzon over to the right. Charlie got blown by and then a goal. 2 games ago, after Lauzon and Carlo spent the whole 2 minutes killing a penalty, they got scored on seconds after the pk ended. That's the one Rask got injured on and would have had were he not laboring. Probably should have been blown dead. Plus/minus is worthless without recalling every goal.

As for Zboril taking his spot in the third it was on a couple of o-zone faceoffs where they were trailing.

Looking at the shift chart, Zboril played with Mac on all of his shifts in the second half of the 3rd period. It was about 4 minutes of ice time.

And I did recall some of the goals. Last night I thought Lauzon had trouble keeping the puck in, then got hit and he kind of pulled it away from Bergeron not knowing it was him and that led to the goal. Against Pittsburgh Lauzon threw the puck up the wall to Ceci rather than get it out and Ceci walked down the slot and scored... I think the odd minus can be a fluke, 5 in 8 games seems like more than a coincidence, especially when your partner is even. Not saying all goals are Lauzon's fault, like you said there was one where Mac changed sides and got beat, I'm just wondering (out loud) if the pairing isn't firing on all cylinders.

 

[PlayMakers]

That's a great, detailed writeup.

Wandering in from a stats-blind perspective:

MacAvoy: He was trick or treat up until the last Penguins game. The past two, he's dominated all areas of the ice. The only thing missing has been the open ice hits.

Grzelcyk: Second best on the team at puck retrieval and distribution, but the last you'd want hemmed in the defensive zone. I think Cassidy is using him on PP1 to manage Charlie's minutes. Need to see him on PP1 with Pastrnak in there, as he's the primary option. One thing about Griz - can anyone remember him going below the dots in the offensive zone? Ever? Why is he always glued to the area between the tops of the circles and the blue line? It looks like the players' jerseys are chipped this season, so there may actually be data to prove/disprove this.

Carlo: He's where Charlie was to start the season - mostly very good, but one or two baffling brain farts per game. I think his coachability makes up for the obvious lack of hockey IQ.

Lauzon: He's doing better than you could rightfully expect of a third pairing defender press ganged into first pairing service. I have not enjoyed his mimicking of late-age Chara's abandoning the offensive blue line early, however. Lost count of how many pucks have leaked past the blue line while he's already in reverse. The hitting's good. The passing is mediocre, which might be an improvement over the past couple seasons. Like all young guys, he needs a lot more shifts before we can say what he really is.

Zboril: His pairing can get bogged down, but not often after he's gotten a stick on the puck. Makes a lot of smart, crafty plays to get the puck up and out. Again, need more time to know what we've got.

Miller: Still can't get the image of him staring at the play in front of him when Ceci scored out of my mind. Most displeasing. Other than that, he's been fine. Black hole offensively and a willing battler defensively. And as you said, his skating is way better than it should be for two years off skates. The best thing about Miller is he keeps Clifton off the lineup card.

Good stuff and very similar to my impressions. Hoping Lauzon can continue to improve but just the step he’s taken from last year to where he is now has been significant.

 

[DominicT]

Looking at the shift chart, Zboril played with Mac on all of his shifts in the second half of the 3rd period. It was about 4 minutes of ice time.

And I did recall some of the goals. Last night I thought Lauzon had trouble keeping the puck in, then got hit and he kind of pulled it away from Bergeron not knowing it was him and that led to the goal. Against Pittsburgh Lauzon threw the puck up the wall to Ceci rather than get it out and Ceci walked down the slot and scored... I think the odd minus can be a fluke, 5 in 8 games seems like more than a coincidence, especially when your partner is even. Not saying all goals are Lauzon's fault, like you said there was one where Mac changed sides and got beat, I'm just wondering (out loud) if the pairing isn't firing on all cylinders.

We can go back and forth forever. So this is the last I will say because you want to change something that for now has the team at 5-1-2 and probably would be even better if they could have scored a 5 on 5 goal in NJ.

That play at the blue line was the right play and something the Bruins have done many times because he had a forward backing him up. Bergeron bungled the puck at his own blue line turning it over and was the only thing that caused the goal. He knew it was on him hence banging the glass with his stick.

The Ceci goal is something the Bruins do 9 times out of 10. The puck took a weird bounce and caught Marchand in the face taking him out of the play. That play is suppose to be on the winger to take the d-man Ceci out and the puck gets out of the zone.