Post-Game Talk: Bruins Win Season Opener 3-1

[Pie O My]

I watched the whole game very intently so I hope I am allowed to make some bold statements.

-It wasn't until the end of the 2nd period that the whole team matched the intensity of the 3rd line.

-Lindback is not a very good goalie**

-For those of you saying Dougie looked lost out there probably weren't watching the game. He looked fast, comfortable and had some key pinches when the team seemed to drag.

-Bergy's goal doesn't happen without Krug Driving the net. Krug had a really impressive performance. I really enjoy seeing him all over the Ice. I think both Hamilton and Krug are going to make it very difficult for Bart to get into the lineup.

-Lucic looked really determined. He flubbed a couple of PP zone entries, but his forecheck and effort definitely seemed like a man with some unfinished business. His goal was really pretty as well. Definitely looked a lot like the 2nd goal he had in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals last year.

-Pie had a rough night, I expect that to change as the season wears on.

-The entire 3rd line seemed to be a force all night. Chris Kelly looked awesome (triple deek!). Caron was impressive, but to me it's too little too late. I've been waiting to see a fully seasoned Soderberg and am not about to give up on him because Jordan Caron had one good game. I hope the Yeti can get into the game on Saturday, and score some not-so-mythical goals.

-Loui was quietly awesome. Bergy should have popped that pass in the net, but he will get use to those hard passes sooner or later.

There is so much more but this is what really jumped out to me.

you can say that again! good thing I was a healthy scratch.

Welcome aboard!

(you have 2 asterisks by the Lindback comment and then....nothing)

 

[Kate08]

I hate that they painted the back wall black. Makes it look darker and cave-like. And WTF is up with the unfinished renovations? The back end of the Hub bar on the loge level was tarped off, and the clocks/scoreboards that are around the middle of the rink are gone, but it looks like something else is going there.

So weird.

 

[Pie O My]

Folks leaving early in a (semi) close game - check!
2 (count em!) two 5 on 3's for almost a full 2 mins with barely a peep out of the fans to urge them on - check!

Good to see our crowd is in midseason form.

 

[Kate08]

Folks leaving early in a (semi) close game - check!
2 (count em!) two 5 on 3's for almost a full 2 mins with barely a peep out of the fans to urge them on - check!

Good to see our crowd is in midseason form.

It'll be a better crowd on Saturday. The home opener is always one of the lamest crowds of the year.

 

[Pie O My]

It'll be a better crowd on Saturday. The home opener is always one of the lamest crowds of the year.

why? . More suits than usual for the opener?

 

[pgm16]

Best thing I saw in last night's game was the d having the ability to skate it out of trouble instead of constantly reversing the puck. That's the big difference when you have mobile guys on the back end. Overall, I thought it was a sloppy game though. Team started slow, the refs looked like they were in preseason mode, and the game didn't feel like a regular season game.

That is what impressed me last night also, getting the puck out, a few times Krug & Hamilton just did a reverse pivot & they were on their way

 

[Kate08]

why? . More suits than usual for the opener?

Yea. It's one of the games that is an "event" more than a game. Lots of pomp and circumstance.

 

[PlayMakers]

I thought it was a sloppy game by the B's...

-Defensemen pinched at inopportune times (like when their partner had already pinched) and I don't just mean the kids, I saw McQuaid and Boychuk do it.

-Forwards didn't always recognize the D pinching and didn't fall back to cover. All of which resulted in lots of odd man rushes against.

-I'm still not sold on 63-37-21 working as a line. How many times did they go offsides last night? 4? I keep waiting to see things click but it was the same in preseason.

-The PP struggled with their zone entries.


The positiives...

-Rask was outstanding.

-Kelly continues to look even better than he did during his career year.

-The PK.

-Caron was excellent and deserved that goal.

-What a great fight by Iginla! I loved how, when they separated, he just raised his fists again and reloaded for more.

The in-between...

-You can see how skilled Eriksson is, but it doesn't seem like he's getting the puck enough.

-I thought Hamilton and Krug had some good moments (offensively and defensively) mixed in with some positioning/pinching miscues.

-I thought the Krejci line would be better. They scored and had some good chances but had trouble sustaining pressure. Could just be a function of Krejci's injury, because they had no problem doing that in the preseason.

 

[Fair Warning]

As to be expected, there's quite a bit of rust to shake off. We're lucky that the B's were facing pretty much last year's Syracuse Crunch team plus Stamkos and St. Louis. So it was a tune-up; Detroit will be much more of a challenge.

However, plenty of positives to take away. After a shaky first few minutes, Rask looked calm, collected, poised, and outstanding overall. Jordan Caron was everywhere -- poor kid just couldn't buy a goal. And Jarome Iginla looked like a perfect fit.

 

[don]

If I am sitting anyone to get Bart in, it's Quaider or whoever needs a maintenance day

You're kidding, right?

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

I thought it was a sloppy game by the B's...

-Defensemen pinched at inopportune times (like when their partner had already pinched) and I don't just mean the kids, I saw McQuaid and Boychuk do it.

-Forwards didn't always recognize the D pinching and didn't fall back to cover. All of which resulted in lots of odd man rushes against.

-I'm still not sold on 63-37-21 working as a line. How many times did they go offsides last night? 4? I keep waiting to see things click but it was the same in preseason.

-The PP struggled with their zone entries.


The positiives...

-Rask was outstanding.

-Kelly continues to look even better than he did during his career year.

-The PK.

-Caron was excellent and deserved that goal.

-What a great fight by Iginla! I loved how, when they separated, he just raised his fists again and reloaded for more.

The in-between...

-You can see how skilled Eriksson is, but it doesn't seem like he's getting the puck enough.

-I thought Hamilton and Krug had some good moments (offensively and defensively) mixed in with some positioning/pinching miscues.

-I thought the Krejci line would be better. They scored and had some good chances but had trouble sustaining pressure. Could just be a function of Krejci's injury, because they had no problem doing that in the preseason.

You're one of the few people here whose opinion I value, but I really disagree here. I thought that line looked very good. I had the same concerns in the pre-season but last night they started to find a rhythm. Their shift in the 2nd is what started the momentum in the Bruins' direction and all 3 guys had a part in it. We all know what we get from Bergy and Marchand. Loui's individual effort last night was tremendous so I have no worries. Their timing was off a bit but that will come with time.

 

[LSCII]

That is what impressed me last night also, getting the puck out, a few times Krug & Hamilton just did a reverse pivot & they were on their way

Yep, I thought they looked pretty good for the most part. I was not overly impressed by the effort of the top 6 in general though. Thought they looked very passive, out of synch, and were more reactionary in their play. I want to see them be far more aggressive next game and really carry the play into the offensive zone.

 

[BMC]

Always good to start the season with a win.

Nothing I didn't expect- first night jitters, timing off on passes & shots, guys not always sure of where their teammates were or were going to be.

Was surprised by the penalty shot- both that it was called [I can't remember them being called so often, I think this was 3rd-4th one already in 2013-14] and that Kelly made it- good for him after the tough season he had last year.

 

[11MilesPerJohan]

Overall, I thought it was a pretty ho-hum game by the Bs. They really came out with no intensity, and it stayed that way until the third period. They seemed to have that, "we'll turn it on when we need to" attitude, but ultimately it worked.

That being said, they got the two points, and there were some things that I liked out of the game:

One, I thought the third line made an impact on the game, something you could not say for most nights last year. Kelly has much more jump than he did last year, I thought Smith was pretty consistent all night, and Caron finally showed the urgency of someone trying to make an NHL roster. In part, I think the level of competition for those spots is going to push some guys this year, whereas last year there wasn't much pressure from scratched players or players in the AHL.

I thought Iggy had a lot of jump early. I loved the fight. Was it the smartest thing? Who knows. But I saw it as him trying to establish himself to his teammates, to the fans, and also establish himself in the division, basically saying, "hey, I might be 36, but I'm far from washed up, and if you screw with me, I'll screw with you." I thought it was great.

I thought Dougie had a strong game, and he made some real heady decisions with the puck. He showed the same poise that he seemed to have early last year. Krug also was impressive. His ability to skate out of trouble is not something we have on this team. I think Bart gets in before long, but that's going to be an interesting battle all year.

I still want to see more chemistry built, especially with the second line. It seems like they still haven't quite figured out where Eriksson will be and what he can do, but it will get there.

Tuukka also had a real good game, and that probably gets lost.

Good first win to build on.

 

[Buckets and Gloves]

You're kidding, right?

Nope.

Who would you take off??... certainly not Chara/Boychuck/Seids... not Krug/Hamilton either in my opinion. Quaider was worst defender last night imo.

 

[Sevren]

3) Thought the Iggy-Looch-Krejc line wasn't as tough cycling and dominating in the offensive end as this line was with Horton. I blame this on Iggy floating a bit more than Horton and Krejc not playing as physical as usual probably due to injury.

We absolutely did not watch the same game

 

[Trap Jesus]

-I'm still not sold on 63-37-21 working as a line. How many times did they go offsides last night? 4? I keep waiting to see things click but it was the same in preseason.

Marchand has always seemed to jump the gun and go offsides a lot, and he was the main culprit again last night. I don't know if it has much to do with timing with a new linemate. Eriksson isn't clicking with them yet, but we have to remember that it's very early and Bergeron/Marchand have the most chemistry on the team.

 

[KrejciMVP]

Nope.

Who would you take off??... certainly not Chara/Boychuck/Seids... not Krug/Hamilton either in my opinion. Quaider was worst defender last night imo.

It seems that many fans hate offense, so are in no rush to get Bart in there.

 

[Kate08]

It seems that many fans hate offense, so are in no rush to get Bart in there.

Totally. Offense is the worst.

 

[BruinsBtn]

You're one of the few people here whose opinion I value, but I really disagree here. I thought that line looked very good. I had the same concerns in the pre-season but last night they started to find a rhythm. Their shift in the 2nd is what started the momentum in the Bruins' direction and all 3 guys had a part in it. We all know what we get from Bergy and Marchand. Loui's individual effort last night was tremendous so I have no worries. Their timing was off a bit but that will come with time.

They were matched up against the highest scoring duo in the league and shut them down. That was job #1.

 

[ODAAT]

I'm surprised by how quickly I accepted hybrid icing. I feel silly for having been against it in the past. The best thing about it is that it speeds up the process.

Oh, and Iginla and Erikkson should switch lines for more natural pairings.

Nothing unnatural looking at all about Iggy on the Krejci line and Loui on the Bergy line.

One bloody game and fans ready to shift bodies up and down the lineup...cue the "well they have a few pre-season games" to create chemistry.

We`ll see the lines click, and one ho-hum game which was sloppy from the opening puck drop doesn`t change my mind

OT: was the ice as poor as it appeared on TV??

 

[WestCoastBruinsFan]

Still angry at the ref calling back the Caron goal. I know they need to get back into the swing of things but Caron doesn't need anti-breaks.

All that really needs to be said about last night is the B's had two 5 on 3's against and two SH goals for. With Stamkos and Martin St Louis on the PP. Scary times but satisfaction.

 

[ODAAT]

Still angry at the ref calling back the Caron goal. I know they need to get back into the swing of things but Caron doesn't need anti-breaks.

All that really needs to be said about last night is the B's had two 5 on 3's against and two SH goals for. With Stamkos and Martin St Louis on the PP. Scary times but satisfaction.

Another issue is that with those 5 on 3`s, too many players forced to sit and wait for their next shift. Can`t blame all the execution issues on it but can`t be ignored.

I`ve now watched about a dozen teams play their first game, have yet to see a team look sharp..typical early season game IMO

 

[11MilesPerJohan]

Still angry at the ref calling back the Caron goal. I know they need to get back into the swing of things but Caron doesn't need anti-breaks.

All that really needs to be said about last night is the B's had two 5 on 3's against and two SH goals for. With Stamkos and Martin St Louis on the PP. Scary times but satisfaction.

I was a little perplexed with TB's strategy during their first 5-on-3 advantage, when they seemed to be running the puck through Purcell at the point. Meanwhile, one of the best assist men in the game, St. Louis, barely touched the puck for at least the first half of that PP. They remedied the problem later in that PP and in the second 5-on-3, but I thought Tampa missed about a minute or more opportunity to have the puck on the stick of their best passer with a lot of open ice.

 

[ReggieMoto]

It seems that many fans hate offense, so are in no rush to get Bart in there.

Totally. Offense is the worst.

Yeah, let me jump in and second that. Offense is just soooo overrated. Why can't we ice 5 defensemen and just play like that? </sarcasm>

Exactly what is that comment based on, KrejciMVP? Is it you are so intent on finding something -- anything -- to point to for Bart not being in the lineup that you are going to make stuff up, throw it against the wall, and see whether it sticks or not?

Bart's in a tough spot, no doubt, but we will get his ice. There are three rookie defensemen looking to play yet there are only two open slots, assuming for good and valid reasons the vets stay. There is a lot of offense coming out of the defense, nevermind out of the forward lines. Bill Ladd provided a handful of good indications that the defense is jumping into the rush, so much so that they may be over-pinching in their zeal to provide offensive spark.

If your statement is not intended to be pure sarcasm, and there's no reason to believe that it is, then I think your love for Bart is blinding you to the larger picture, what's going on on the ice during the game, and the results.