Boston Herald Buckley: Bruins should not focus on Presidents’ Trophy

[Fenway]

I couldn't agree more


Buckley: Bruins should not focus on Presidents’ Trophy

If Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy can get the boys to reach a little higher, dig a little deeper, stay within themselves, go for the gusto, etc., maybe they can bring home the vaunted Presidents’ Trophy, and everyone in town can chest-bump and high-five right into the opening round of the playoffs.

Or, the Bruins can settle for getting everyone healthy and then go on a nice, long Cup run.

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[Bruin1970]

I disagree 100%.

Home ice is everything.

 

[Rubber Biscuit]

I disagree 100%.

Home ice is everything.

Disagree. The Bruins are almost just as good at home as they are on the road. As is Tampa. The teams that are drastically better at home (the teams that home ice is important against) are all comfortably behind the Bruins.

It's more important for them to get healthy than it is for them to go all out for home ice against Tampa

 

[talkinaway]

Home ice isn’t everything, and even if it were, you can still get home ice without winning the Presidents Trophy...it’s just not guaranteed.

The Bruins are doing well right now, even with players banged and/or sliced up. I have no problem with them giving a little effort over the next month, if it’s to prepare them for Playoff Hockey (TM, patent pending).

But if they’re risking injury and playing through some of those nagging injuries just so Boston fans can buy a stupid hat...nope. Not into it. And if the Providence Bruins aren’t playing in TD Garden on the last Sunday of the extended season, I’ll be a little mad....especially if our first playoff game is Thursday.

 

[EverettMike]

I disagree 100%.

Home ice is everything.

Counterpoint:



More enjoyable counterpoint:

 

[jgatie]

Typical non-hockey guy nonsense, especially when he states Bergeron's broken foot is an "ankle injury". Just slightly better than the annual Shank Shaunessey hockey article.

 

[3rdLiner]

I mean if they win it while missing Bergeron, Chara, McAvoy, Debrusk, Backes, Nash etc... then all the more power to em I guess.

I'd rather not rush guys back if there is no need, would be sweet to lock down the division though. Idk if I can handle a first rd series vs the leafs. I'm in to deep with that fanbase on the main boards haha.

 

[Alberta_OReilly_Fan]

Nashville wont be caught so arguing president trophy now is moot

But catching tampa and drawing devils in first round instead of toronto might be a prize worth fighting for

It probably comes down to the head to head games with tampa... win those in regulation we will have first place with 2 games in hand

Its just 2 games we need to gear up for... the rest of the schedule isnt likely to tilt the table

I say ride the studs hard in those 2 games and try for 1st

 

[GloryDaze4877]

I mean if they win it while missing Bergeron, Chara, McAvoy, Debrusk, Backes, Nash etc... then all the more power to em I guess.

I'd rather not rush guys back if there is no need, would be sweet to lock down the division though. Idk if I can handle a first rd series vs the leafs. I'm in to deep with that fanbase on the main boards haha.

Agreed.

Don’t rush guys back for the Prez Trophy, but it would be nice to have home ice in the East and avoid TOR in the first round.

I can’t stand Buckley writing about hockey.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Home advantage is overrated in the NHL

 

[Bruinaura]

Typical non-hockey guy nonsense, especially when he states Bergeron's broken foot is an "ankle injury". Just slightly better than the annual Shank Shaunessey hockey article.

As bad as the guys who say he broke his foot "blocking a shot." It was a clearing attempt and he never saw it coming.

 

[Bruinaura]

I'll just enjoy not waiting until the last day of the season to know if they will be in the playoffs.

 

[DKH]

I think many of these guys don't even know their overall record

They just go out and play

They have that Thursday night Beer League like joy about them

They are so likeable from style to composition I really hope they win a Cup or two in the next three or so years before Bergeron starts appearing on Just For Men TV spots

 

[TCL40]

I want home ice against the Leafs. Beyond that I don’t care. Catching Tampa would be nice, but not worth burning anyone out.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

f*** off what a stupid article we'd finish 2nd overall top seed in the East but no cursed President's trophy is ideal.

With all our injuries it looks like we will have a much better roster 2nd round than first.

I want the Leafs to earn a matchup vs us by beating Tampa. They should have won in 2013.

The only way this would have any merit is if Pittsburgh was projected to be WC2 like they were a couple months ago but since thats not the deal we clearly want top seed.

We don't beat Tampa in 2011 without home ice.

 

[22Brad Park]

Home ice is important vs Leafs .Vs Tampa I would love it as well but I do not view it as important.

 

[GordonHowe]

Disagree. The Bruins are almost just as good at home as they are on the road. As is Tampa. The teams that are drastically better at home (the teams that home ice is important against) are all comfortably behind the Bruins.

It's more important for them to get healthy than it is for them to go all out for home ice against Tampa

Agree. Wasted effort at the end of a long, arduous season. Rest and coaching decisions as to who works best, and with whom, are the way to go. Just hope multiple injuries are magically "healed" when the second season roles around.

 

[AM Bruin]

These guys just might earn top spot in the east without actually having it as an overarching goal.
The makeup of this team has shown that poor effort is unacceptable and to play hard for 60 minutes regardless.
They've developed a winners character this year.

 

[McGarnagle]

I want the 1 seed so we don't have to go through both Toronto and Tampa (not that we can't do it, it's just an easier road and will take less out of us). Playing the Devils or Panthers in round 1 is much more preferable to Toronto.

Chasing Nashville for the President's Trophy is irrelevant to me.

 

[bob27]

Bruins won't have to focus on Presiden't Trophy since Nashville is unstoppable right now. Guaranteed home ice in the next three playoff rounds would be a nice bonus though.

 

[Caper Bruins fan]

I want the 1 seed so we don't have to go through both Toronto and Tampa (not that we can't do it, it's just an easier road and will take less out of us). Playing the Devils or Panthers in round 1 is much more preferable to Toronto.

Chasing Nashville for the President's Trophy is irrelevant to me.

Yeah , I would like to avoid the Leafs also but it’s not looking good . Heal the injuries , rest some bodies and hang onto home ice advantage against the Leafs is looking more and more like what is happening.

 

[talkinaway]

The more I look at it, especially after tonight, even first in the Atlantic division seems....well, maybe not impossible, but certainly improbable. We've got 5 points to make up, and only 2 games in hand. That means we have to steal an extra win, AND play better than Tampa despite a compressed schedule. And, not only is our schedule more compressed, it's also harder. We're on a 4 game road trip with teams 2-5 in the Central, and the bottom two teams will be fighting for a chance to get in. TBL has ARI, BUF, CAR, who are either eliminated or will be eliminated by the time they play.

I still 100% don't are about the President's Trophy. It actually doesn't guarantee you 4 rounds of home ice in the playoffs, because you still have to ADVANCE in each round. Would I like to beat Tampa for a better matchup? Absolutely...I don't have a good feeling about either TBL or TOR. Certainly any one of the 4 teams (CBJ, PHI, NJD, FLA) in WC2 would be a more favorable match up for us.

As far as looking town, I don't really care if we get home ice versus Toronto....but I think we'll get it, and there's no point in throwing it away. I'd work a tiny bit to maintain it, but I'd prioritize resting players and experimenting with new line combos over getting game 7. Most of the home ice stuff is voodoo, wizardry, and bullshit. Get that and the idea of the other team having "momentum" out of the players' heads, and it'll help. And even if you can't, home ice advantage should theoretically only matter in a 7 game series. If you lose a series 4-1, you were probably going to lose it anyway, home ice or not....maybe in 6 games, but it's still a lost series.

 

[bruins repeat time]

I don't really care about home ice at all , but even though there is no easy opponent in the nhl playoffs I look at tbay and toronto as two of the toughest in the east . We have a far better chance of losing to Toronto than a Columbus or New jersey . Beating both toronto and either tbay or boston is going to be no easy task for the 2nd place team .

The whole thing is silly anyways as Boston isn't going to push the injured players as say a team fighting for a playoff spot would . A lot of key players are getting rest through injury . We aren' t going to over play Rask so just lol at what is going to actually happen .

You play and the chips fall where they do . I also have to agree with
Talkinaway looking at the schedules it will be pretty tough I think we have to go 6 to 0 point wise head to head and last night sure didn't help.

 

[Rubber Biscuit]

The more I look at it, especially after tonight, even first in the Atlantic division seems....well, maybe not impossible, but certainly improbable. We've got 5 points to make up, and only 2 games in hand. That means we have to steal an extra win, AND play better than Tampa despite a compressed schedule. And, not only is our schedule more compressed, it's also harder. We're on a 4 game road trip with teams 2-5 in the Central, and the bottom two teams will be fighting for a chance to get in. TBL has ARI, BUF, CAR, who are either eliminated or will be eliminated by the time they play.

I still 100% don't are about the President's Trophy. It actually doesn't guarantee you 4 rounds of home ice in the playoffs, because you still have to ADVANCE in each round. Would I like to beat Tampa for a better matchup? Absolutely...I don't have a good feeling about either TBL or TOR. Certainly any one of the 4 teams (CBJ, PHI, NJD, FLA) in WC2 would be a more favorable match up for us.

As far as looking town, I don't really care if we get home ice versus Toronto....but I think we'll get it, and there's no point in throwing it away. I'd work a tiny bit to maintain it, but I'd prioritize resting players and experimenting with new line combos over getting game 7. Most of the home ice stuff is voodoo, wizardry, and bull****. Get that and the idea of the other team having "momentum" out of the players' heads, and it'll help. And even if you can't, home ice advantage should theoretically only matter in a 7 game series. If you lose a series 4-1, you were probably going to lose it anyway, home ice or not....maybe in 6 games, but it's still a lost series.

The thing that helps in terms of catching Tampa is that we still play them twice. That will make or break our chances. Win them both and suddenly we've picked up 4 points without even considering the games in hand. Could be 1 point back with 2 games in hand

 

[Bmessy]

If it happens it happens. However it doesn't seem like TB or NSH will ever have a losing streak!

We need to figure out how to beat Toronto. They are very good and match up well against us. There's been plenty of teams better than us who havent made it past the 1st round. Focus should be on doing whatever we can to win that first round and not the President's trophy