Line Combos: Bruins PP - Does Chara still belong on it?
- Thread starter Greek_physique
- Start date
No. He should be resting as much as possible at 38. Lets keep him off the ice when he is the least effective.
bruins4life81
Registered User
VanIsle
Registered User
110% yes, hardest shot in the league from the point, huge body in front of the net, hard to move, who else are they going to play, Trotman
LSCII
Cup driven
DaStinger
Permanent Interim
110% yes, hardest shot in the league from the point, huge body in front of the net, hard to move, who else are they going to play, Trotman
Never uses that shot, stands in front of the net doing not a whole lot.
VanIsle
Registered User
This is a question, the guy did lead the team in pp goals last year with 10.
http://bruins.nhl.com/club/stats.htm?gameType=2&season=20132014&srt=ppg
Ok, if not Chara who do you replace him with???
Mainehockey33
Powerplay Specialist
Led the team in PP goals last year if I remember correctly. The whole power play sucks right now, not Chara's fault. I'm not opposed to resting him though.
DaStinger
Permanent Interim
I'd rather he on the point where that weapon is available. Lucic could fill the spot in front.
PatriceBergeronFan
Registered User
Yes, easily. On point for a 5-3, in front of the goalie 5-4 on one PP unit, Lucic/Eriksson should fill that role on the other unit.
Agreed. Not just Chara, that whole unit sucks. The Bergy unit has it whipping around, good chances. The minute the other unit is on, they just end up retrieving the puck in their own zone over and over the whole time.
CharasLazyWrister
Registered User
No. I've said it so many times. No.
It's become predictable to other teams. I don't see how "predictability" can be something we so often look to avoid in the NHL game, but Claude is so in favor of things like "Chara in front of the net" for at least a minute every single PP. I understand that the whole PP isn't performing well now, but sidestepping what very well could be part of the issue isn't going to help anything.
Putting Chara down low CAN be effective, but there are two big issues I see. It totally limits the B's ability to move the puck down low. If the puck goes around the net, it is an advantage for the D-man (usually) since Chara doesn't have great footspeed. Not his fault. He's 6'9". And relatively old. Chara is also...and people need to open their eyes if they can't see this...a horrible "tipper". He does exactly what you're not supposed to do: chop down on the puck. This is the same concept of never chopping down on the ball when learning to bunt in baseball. You will miss it nine times out of ten. Tipping is already hard enough, and for whatever reason, Z doesn't have the technique down at all. Looch is a far better guy to deflect pucks.
And yes, I understand a ton of the point of Z being in front of the net is simply his size. But a guy shouldn't act as a screen if he doesn't have the ability to tip a few home every now and then. No, I'm not saying he's NEVER done it, but I also don't think I've ever seen a screening player throw his head back more often in annoyance when once again missing a tippable puck.
Get him back on the point where he belongs with that shot!
It's just classic Claude to see it game after game. People on the board (including myself) clamored for Z in front of the net for years before Claude finally did it. It went from not being an option, to being the only option. That defines part of CJ's coaching style and the one I hate the most. Just incredibly stubborn no matter which way you turn, and no matter what the results.
I'm not even opposed to it being rolled out every now and again...like say, if the PP IS struggling and needs a kick. But, I can't help seeing that it's only effective when other teams don't have the chance to prepare for it. If I'm remembering correctly, it was by far the most effective when the team first started doing it. I became increasingly disappointed toward the end of last year, and obviously with a small sample size, it hasn't gotten any better this year.
edit: I also want to add: I want Chara at his best (rested) for what he's best at...shutdown situations. Tiring him out by making him battle in front of the net is not what I prefer...at least not nearly on a full-time basis as it has become.
It's become predictable to other teams. I don't see how "predictability" can be something we so often look to avoid in the NHL game, but Claude is so in favor of things like "Chara in front of the net" for at least a minute every single PP. I understand that the whole PP isn't performing well now, but sidestepping what very well could be part of the issue isn't going to help anything.
Putting Chara down low CAN be effective, but there are two big issues I see. It totally limits the B's ability to move the puck down low. If the puck goes around the net, it is an advantage for the D-man (usually) since Chara doesn't have great footspeed. Not his fault. He's 6'9". And relatively old. Chara is also...and people need to open their eyes if they can't see this...a horrible "tipper". He does exactly what you're not supposed to do: chop down on the puck. This is the same concept of never chopping down on the ball when learning to bunt in baseball. You will miss it nine times out of ten. Tipping is already hard enough, and for whatever reason, Z doesn't have the technique down at all. Looch is a far better guy to deflect pucks.
And yes, I understand a ton of the point of Z being in front of the net is simply his size. But a guy shouldn't act as a screen if he doesn't have the ability to tip a few home every now and then. No, I'm not saying he's NEVER done it, but I also don't think I've ever seen a screening player throw his head back more often in annoyance when once again missing a tippable puck.
Get him back on the point where he belongs with that shot!
It's just classic Claude to see it game after game. People on the board (including myself) clamored for Z in front of the net for years before Claude finally did it. It went from not being an option, to being the only option. That defines part of CJ's coaching style and the one I hate the most. Just incredibly stubborn no matter which way you turn, and no matter what the results.
I'm not even opposed to it being rolled out every now and again...like say, if the PP IS struggling and needs a kick. But, I can't help seeing that it's only effective when other teams don't have the chance to prepare for it. If I'm remembering correctly, it was by far the most effective when the team first started doing it. I became increasingly disappointed toward the end of last year, and obviously with a small sample size, it hasn't gotten any better this year.
edit: I also want to add: I want Chara at his best (rested) for what he's best at...shutdown situations. Tiring him out by making him battle in front of the net is not what I prefer...at least not nearly on a full-time basis as it has become.
Last edited:
Trap Jesus
Registered User
- Feb 13, 2012
- 28,686
- 13,456
The 2nd unit hasn't had a chance to get anything going due to untimely injuries to almost all of the players on it, and not having an Iginla replacement. Seriously, I don't know if there was a time this year when they had all of those players playing together, so it was bound not to work. Now that everyone is back, I'd run with:
Griffith-Chara-Lucic
Krejci-Krug
That set-up worked so well last year. Not that Griffith is the best trade-off for Iginla, but he's the best right-hand shot they have to work with.
Regardless of what Chara looks like sometimes in front of the net or down low, you can't argue with how well he produced in that spot last year.
Griffith-Chara-Lucic
Krejci-Krug
That set-up worked so well last year. Not that Griffith is the best trade-off for Iginla, but he's the best right-hand shot they have to work with.
Regardless of what Chara looks like sometimes in front of the net or down low, you can't argue with how well he produced in that spot last year.
- Sep 22, 2011
- 11,436
- 11,947
It was proven by the anemic power play for years that Chara's "weapon" is ineffective because it takes an hour and a half to get it off. It was too easily blocked/deflected because people had time to get in front of it because of the windup. Our PP is far more effective with him in front of the net.
CharasLazyWrister
Registered User
Okay...so overall, it looked good last year (though I strongly contend it started miles better than it finished).
Is there a timeframe where it can be ineffective this year where we put a stop to it? As I said in my post above, is there any stock put into the fact that teams can now prepare for it because it's become a full-time job for him?
Trap Jesus
Registered User
- Feb 13, 2012
- 28,686
- 13,456
Like I said before, I think they have to have a bit of time to integrate that right-hand shot in with all the other players, and this is the first chance they are getting to do that due to various injuries to Krug, Chara, Krejci and Griffith not playing the full slate of games either.
If Griffith can't get it done, they have Marchand to fall back on, or possibly Pastrnak if he gets another shot. Then I wouldn't be against going with an entirely different look at that point (which could include removing Chara from that spot). Either way though, I think it's important to give this unit a little bit of time to gel. Remember, it was the Bergeron unit that was the #2 unit last year, and 4 of 5 players are returning from last year on the other unit.
I don't have an exact time-frame though, to answer your question. It doesn't help that the Bruins don't get PP opportunities to test it out.
BoyntBergie
Registered User
- Mar 9, 2004
- 5,745
- 0
Yup. Doesn't have to be a fixture, and he's a short handed break away risk at the point, but if you have a 108 MPH slap shot on your team he should be getting some time at the point on the PP.
774EVER
& Now 374EVER
Rubber Biscuit
Registered User
I don't remember and it's starting to bother me.
Wonder if he's afraid of hurting people with it.
CharasLazyWrister
Registered User
See...I think that's where my opinion differs from a lot of folks'. To me, I think Chara should be used as a sort of "secret weapon" in front of the net on occasion. I just don't want to believe the fact that it's required to be half of every PP for it to ever be effective. Think of the adjustments the D would have to make if they weren't ready and all the sudden big Z is at the top of the crease. It just would be so much more effective to me and would keep the D on their toes. I just don't understand how we're sticking with this strategy (that took WAY TOO LONG in the first place to be implemented) no matter the result. I just don't like it as a full-time option.
CharasLazyWrister
Registered User
No. I never know what to think when people suggest this.
I think, at some point, he was encouraged to "just try to get the puck on the net" and this really cut back on how often he would try the slap shot.
Estlin
Registered User
Greek_physique
Caron - Legit SNIPER
He actually did it yesterday on the PP (when he was on the half boards), but the problem is he hasn't been scoring much this year so people (including myself) tend to think he's shooting less, but he still gets shots.
PatriceBergeronFan
Registered User
Only on a 5-3 with extra time, and that's a good thing. His shot is as hard as Weber but we move the puck to slowly, combined with his slow heavy release that it gets blocked and is a breakaway the other way.
The entire PP needs to be reinvented. We need 2 strategies. Krug, and no Krug.
It takes about as long to launch a trebuchet as it does for Chara to wind up and take a slap shot from the point. Plus I have seen Big Z caught flat footed at the blue line and give up a breakaway too many times.
Agree with others that Julien needs to become less stubborn and go for the jugular on the PP instead of playing passive. I'd rather see Dougie Hamilton in front, he's got the size and has some offensive skills.
PS
I'm a newbie and I love the site and the various forums.
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