The Athletic - Boston Buckley: The undisciplined penalty that may mark the end of the Bruins’ season

[Fenway]

Buckley: The undisciplined penalty that may mark the end of the Bruins' season
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It’s important to note that Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy’s job is to keep his players motivated for Monday night’s Game 5, and it was in that spirit that he looked for ways to defend Ritchie for the call on Gourde. And when he sat down for the postgame video session, the well-prepared coach banked on two pieces of evidence to make his case:

Exhibit A: Initially, no call was made.

Exhibit B: Earlier in the game, Boston’s Karson Kuhlman was crunched into the boards by Cedric Paquette and no call was made — except on Ritchie, who rushed to Kuhlman’s defense and was whistled off for roughing.

Asked about the boarding call on Ritchie, Cassidy produced Exhibit A.

“The discipline was nothing originally, there was no call, and then it turned into a five-minute major,” said the coach. “I’m not sure, I guess we’ll get an explanation or we won’t, I don’t know. I didn’t get one on why that changed. Clearly Gourde was down on the play. He’s a good player, a real good player for them, clever obviously, got them on the power play for five minutes. He finished the game, had no problems in the third period. I didn’t agree with the call.”

(“Clever” = “embellished.”)

And then there was Exhibit B.

“In the first period, our guy Kuhlman gets drilled from behind, and we’re going to confront the situation. We’re on the short end of the stick,” Cassidy said.

“Kuhlman got hit by Paquette late in the first period, like I said, a very, very, very, very, very very similar hit, no call. But I guess we’ll ask that question, find out what the thinking was.”

(Here’s hoping the NHL invites a pool reporter to see if Cassidy uses six “verys” when he asks that question.)

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[TheReal13Linseman]

Buckley: The undisciplined penalty that may mark the end of the Bruins' season
​

It’s important to note that Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy’s job is to keep his players motivated for Monday night’s Game 5, and it was in that spirit that he looked for ways to defend Ritchie for the call on Gourde. And when he sat down for the postgame video session, the well-prepared coach banked on two pieces of evidence to make his case:

Exhibit A: Initially, no call was made.

Exhibit B: Earlier in the game, Boston’s Karson Kuhlman was crunched into the boards by Cedric Paquette and no call was made — except on Ritchie, who rushed to Kuhlman’s defense and was whistled off for roughing.

Asked about the boarding call on Ritchie, Cassidy produced Exhibit A.

“The discipline was nothing originally, there was no call, and then it turned into a five-minute major,” said the coach. “I’m not sure, I guess we’ll get an explanation or we won’t, I don’t know. I didn’t get one on why that changed. Clearly Gourde was down on the play. He’s a good player, a real good player for them, clever obviously, got them on the power play for five minutes. He finished the game, had no problems in the third period. I didn’t agree with the call.”

(“Clever” = “embellished.”)

And then there was Exhibit B.

“In the first period, our guy Kuhlman gets drilled from behind, and we’re going to confront the situation. We’re on the short end of the stick,” Cassidy said.

“Kuhlman got hit by Paquette late in the first period, like I said, a very, very, very, very, very very similar hit, no call. But I guess we’ll ask that question, find out what the thinking was.”

(Here’s hoping the NHL invites a pool reporter to see if Cassidy uses six “verys” when he asks that question.)

Even if no call was made on the Kuhlman hit (which I thought was clean, btw), I still think Ritchie’s hit was dumb. No reason to have thrown it, particularly at that stage for us, in a playoff game. Zero situational awareness there.

His signing was another desperate whiff by Donnie.

 

[N o o d l e s]

It was a really stupid hit but they can’t score goals so...

 

[Mick Riddleton]

Late hit, guy is too slow to keep up to the game. If he was a second or 2 faster than its a good hit. Time to give Frederic the ball. Ritchie has the same footspeed as Backes without the smarts

 

[Colt.45Orr]

Stupid, garbage headline. Bruins lose, then lose again (7-1!!) then are losing again 2-0 when this penalty is "called" .... but, yeah, this is what turned the tide of the series.

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

Series will be lost because the Bruins thought they could carry their lackadaisical effort from the round robin into the playoffs against a hungry team in Tampa and win.

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

Anyone else love when a non-hockey guy chimes in?

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

Series will be lost because the Bruins thought they could carry their lackadaisical effort from the round robin into the playoffs against a hungry team in Tampa and win.

Their effort was fine against Carolina, and isn't really the issue against Tampa either. They just aren't as good as the team they're playing against right now.

 

[Dr Hook]

Their effort was fine against Carolina, and isn't really the issue against Tampa either. They just aren't as good as the team they're playing against right now.

The effort against Carolina was not really fine. It was underwhelming and there were several players whose games looked like baked ass. Against Carolina, which is a decent but not great team, it works out. Against a team that is tier up like TB it isn't. The Bruins are just as good as TB, better on a given night. Right now TB is missing their top goal scorer and the D corps they are are rolling out is nothing special. Take away Hedman and it's aboslutely Leafs-level garbage. Bruins are not bringing it, simple as.

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

The effort against Carolina was not really fine. It was underwhelming and there were several players whose games looked like baked ass. Against Carolina, which is a decent but not great team, it works out. Against a team that is tier up like TB it isn't. The Bruins are just as good as TB, better on a given night. Right now TB is missing their top goal scorer and the D corps they are are rolling out is nothing special. Take away Hedman and it's aboslutely Leafs-level garbage. Bruins are not bringing it, simple as.

Agreed.

They were able to get by on the talent level of the team alone. But I never really felt satisfied with a consistent effort. They showed it in spurts for sure but that isn't going to cut it against TB.

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

The effort against Carolina was not really fine. It was underwhelming and there were several players whose games looked like baked ass. Against Carolina, which is a decent but not great team, it works out. Against a team that is tier up like TB it isn't. The Bruins are just as good as TB, better on a given night. Right now TB is missing their top goal scorer and the D corps they are are rolling out is nothing special. Take away Hedman and it's aboslutely Leafs-level garbage. Bruins are not bringing it, simple as.

I'm just not seeing the team out there losing because their effort sucks. Bruins are a talented team but Tampa is more so and they're a better match in they can expose the Bruins' weakness like few teams have. It's been like this for 3 years against them now.

 

[Dr Hook]

I'm just not seeing the team out there losing because their effort sucks. Bruins are a talented team but Tampa is more so and they're a better match in they can expose the Bruins' weakness like few teams have. It's been like this for 3 years against them now.

I can say for sure if it is effort, but several players, some key guys are not having a good post-season at all. This is not the team we saw before the season shut down. Carlo, Krug, Kuraly, Wagner, Chara, DeBrusk, Halak to name the most obvious examples are not playing well, or if they are it is very spotty. There is no paper reason why the Bruins shouldnt be able to exploit the bottom 4 of TB defense- it is slow and not very skilled, but they haven't done it. Maybe they are trying and maybe they are doing the best they can with what they have in them, but to me this is not the Bruins as they have been for the past couple of seasons.

 

[Therick67]

They can’t score and they aren’t playing well defensively. Buckley should stick to baseball...

 

[TheReal13Linseman]

Honestly, without Rask in there, I can’t even call this a legitimate Bruins team playoff effort. He really farked us.

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

Honestly, without Rask in there, I can’t even call this a legitimate Bruins team playoff effort. He really farked us.

I know. God damn him choosing family. Farked us real good. Bastard.

 

[Troublesome 85]

Or just maybe theyre losing because they cant score any goals?

 

[easton117]

not sure about this one.

I would've thought the constant turnovers at both blue lines, the inability to sustain a forecheck, the inability to exit their own zone, lousy in zone coverage, defense sending had grenades up ice to the forwards, forwards playing horse off the glass with their shots all night, backup goaltender with a hole in his glove, coach unable to make any effective roster changes and a gm that can't build a 2nd line if his life depended on it....i thought maybe those might be the reasons they're on the ropes.

But ya. was probably that one hit that was, by the leagues rulebook .1 seconds late that did them in.

 

[Therick67]

I read they only had 4 rebound chances yesterday, doesn’t seem like enough to me...

 

[Number8]

Love my subscription to The Athletic, but if they make a habit of producing lame articles like these from a guy who writes about baseball that will have to come to an end.

There are a few non hockey writers in Boston love it when it goes bad for the Bruins so they can jump in with their “expertise”. Ritchie is Ritchie but to suggest that hit was what marked the end of this season is too foolish to bother rebutting. There are many posters on here that, given an Editor like Bucky has, could tell the real story of what ails this team right now.

Junior level journalism. Wish I had the few minutes I spent reading that drama show back.

 

[UConn126]

Or just maybe theyre losing because they cant score any goals?

This. This team has no offensive punch right now, and Tampa is a lock for at least 3 goals.

 

[LouJersey]

Was a two minute penalty tops. He got screwed

 

[Therick67]

Was a two minute penalty tops. He got screwed

wasn’t even late, despite all the know it alls saying it was. Tampa makes those hits on a regular basis..

 

[LouJersey]

wasn’t even late, despite all the know it alls saying it was. Tampa makes those hits on a regular basis..

The exact same thing happened earlier to the Bruins but our guy didn’t milk it

 

[Colt.45Orr]

 

[GloryDaze4877]

Good on Frank for getting after Paquette there (who I have never liked).

That said, the three hits we are discussing are different. The Paquette hit above was from behind, but not as late as Ritchie’s. The Paquette hit on Kuhlman was not late and not nearly as forceful as Ritchie’s or the one on Krug. I think that one could have been called, but they must have felt that Paquette got enough of Kuhlman’s shoulder (and of course KK didn’t stay down).

Ritchie’s hit got called because it was a combination of a borderline hit from the back/side (like Paquette’s), a bad distance from the boards, much more forceful than the hit on Kuhlman, late, AND on top of all of that, it appears Gourde stayed down to milk it.

The refs might have ignored the play if it didn’t have all of those qualities.

Buckley’s headline is ridiculous. There are far more factors that go into Boston losing this series so far than one hit, mostly that the Bruins aren’t playing well. Ritchie’s play has certainly not helped the cause though.