News Article: Fluto: With Hamilton out, Senators have upper hand

[Fenway]

In playoff chase, Bruins are grinding to a halt

The Bruins are not strangers to being outside of the playoff picture. On Jan. 6, the day CEO Charlie Jacobs launched a salvo at his employees, the Bruins were in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, 1 point behind Toronto. In the following nine-game span, the Bruins won seven times to reenter the playoff chase.

So on Tuesday, the Bruins were in a familiar position as they practiced at Ristuccia Arena: in ninth place once more, trailing Ottawa by 1 point.

But this is a different position.

The Bruins are chasing a legitimate team instead of the Maple Leafs, who are a leaguewide punch line. The Senators vaulted over the Bruins with a 5-2 win over San Jose Monday. They are 15-1-1 in their last 17 games.

While the Senators have ripped off points, the Bruins have been grinding their gears. They are 8-5-4 in their last 17 games and 0-3-2 in their last five. This is a team leaking in critical areas: at the blue line and in front of the net.

Now they’ll have to enter a nine-game end-of-year segment without their best three-zone defenseman.

Season’s homestretch won’t be easy for Bruins

The Bruins need to make up ground on the teams ahead of them in the standings. According to hockey-reference.com, they have a 40.3 percent chance of making the playoffs. The Senators lead the Bruins by one point, but also have a game in hand and have a 70.3 percent chance of reaching the postseason.

The games against Detroit and Washington are crucial. The Red Wings appear to be in good shape as they are five points ahead of the Bruins and have played two fewer games. They have a 97.9 percent chance to reach the playoffs. Like the Bruins, the Capitals also have just nine games remaining, but they are four points ahead in the standings and have an 88.6 percent chance to qualify for the playoffs.

Click to read more...

 

[LouJersey]

'Least all the pom pom wavers have their rallying cry and excuses for the summer.

So irritating that this team has slumbered itself into this spot.

 

[EverettMike]

'Least all the pom pom wavers have their rallying cry and excuses for the summer.

So irritating that this team has slumbered itself into this spot.

Lou, try not to punch anything when you read this, but soon enough someone is going to blame the Connolly injury for us missing the playoffs.

It is going to happen. Maybe even in response to this post.

 

[Fenway]

In the last 17 games, Ottawa has picked up 14 points on us. That is unheard of in today's NHL.

The killer is the only team Ottawa lost to in regulation in the past 17 games was us and we did not take advantage of that.

 

[Fenway]

Lou, try not to punch anything when you read this, but soon enough someone is going to blame the Connolly injury for us missing the playoffs.

It is going to happen. Maybe even in response to this post.

To have your major deadline deal wiped out on his first shift in practice certainly didn't help. Would he have made a difference the past 3 weeks? We will never know.

The Boychuk trade destroyed the chemistry of this team. Outside of people who follow the Islanders show me one 'hockey expert' you thought the Bruins made a good decision in doing the trade. Chia had other options to become cap compliant,

Iggy they were screwed and my sense is Claude wanted Thornton gone with the water bottle being the last straw.

If they don't make it I have no clue what Charlie will do. Chiarelli will never fire Claude which means they both could go. Is Neely safe?

In this disappointing year 2 games stand out. There was the game in Columbus where they were embarrassed an the game in Carolina where they didn't have a shot on goal for the first 19 minutes of the game. That is the game that set Charlie off.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

Another Fluto article brought to you by the Bruins PR department.

 

[neelynugs]

bruins would've made the playoffs if connolly didn't get hurt.

 

[mikelvl]

To have your major deadline deal wiped out on his first shift in practice certainly didn't help. Would he have made a difference the past 3 weeks? We will never know.

The Boychuk trade destroyed the chemistry of this team. Outside of people who follow the Islanders show me one 'hockey expert' you thought the Bruins made a good decision in doing the trade. Chia had other options to become cap compliant,

Iggy they were screwed and my sense is Claude wanted Thornton gone with the water bottle being the last straw.

If they don't make it I have no clue what Charlie will do. Chiarelli will never fire Claude which means they both could go. Is Neely safe? :duuno

In this disappointing year 2 games stand out. There was the game in Columbus where they were embarrassed an the game in Carolina where they didn't have a shot on goal for the first 19 minutes of the game. That is the game that set Charlie off.

There was a hell of a lot more than two games that stand out this year. How about a shootout loss in Edmonton that went something like 13 rounds. How about last weeks shootout loss to Buffalo. How about all four losses to Montreal where they were beaten psychologically before the puck even dropped. There are countless games this year.

Cam is and has always been aligned with Charlie. He is not going anywhere. As a matter of fact, I think he is the one who is going to give Chia the news of his turfing. I would like to see Claude get more time with a better built roster. Not sure if that is going to happen though. I'm also not sure, that ,despite all of Chia's errors in recent years, that an inexperienced GM like Sweeney is the answer either.

 

[mikelvl]

bruins would've made the playoffs if connolly didn't get hurt.

Connolly would have been the Bruins leading goal scorer if he didn't get hurt

 

[Roll 4 Lines]

'Least all the pom pom wavers have their rallying cry and excuses for the summer.

So irritating that this team has slumbered itself into this spot.

Nah. We pom-pom waivers are still calling for the Bruins to make the SCF.

However, should they miss the playoffs, we have a ready-made excuse for the onset of acute alcoholism.

 

[Jean_Jacket41]

Besides the Bruins, which team still has a chance to make the playoffs or will make the playoffs even if they played like garbage for most of the year?

 

[Fenway]

Besides the Bruins, which team still has a chance to make the playoffs or will make the playoffs even if they played like garbage for most of the year?

Your defending Stanley Cup Champion

 

[Shaun]

'Least all the pom pom wavers have their rallying cry and excuses for the summer.

So irritating that this team has slumbered itself into this spot.

most of them have disappeared since the team sucks

 

[LSCII]

most of them have disappeared since the team sucks

This is easily the silver lining of this year. All the insufferable rah rah crowd having no leg to stand on when their A Plus rated GM spits the bit hard, so there's no attempt to stop actual discussion from happening here.

 

[TP]

Even with Dougie in the line up, the Sens have the upper hand.

 

[Boston BROin]

It's absolutely unacceptable that this team is on the verge of missing the playoffs. Honestly, making the playoffs in the NHL has always been considered 'easy'. Just be halfway decent and you're in. Half the damn league makes it in. With the talent and goaltending this team has, they should be a lock. There is no excuse for where they are now, and heads should roll if they don't make it. The Bruins shouldn't be rebuilding.

 

[OutspokenMinority*]

Chara's injury cost them, what, 10 wins? 5? 2?

Miller's cost them, what, 4 wins? 2?

Krejci's cost them, what, 6 wins?

Connolly's cost them, what, 1?

I don't fire my GM when that team misses the playoffs by a couple of points. I tell him that I expect a turnaround the next year. Does anyone think this core group would get worse?

 

[bp13]

I get the frustration that this team is about to miss the playoffs, but I don't get this sentiment that THIS team has no business being in this position. "This team" meaning the roster that won the President's Trophy just a year ago, or "this team" that lost it's leading goal scorer, top 3 d-man, suffered significant injuries to two top dmen, and witnessed the official career turning point of 2 of their 3 4th line stalwarts?

Any suggestion that this is somehow a massive underachievement is a joke, IMO. When you look at the health and depth of this defense, you see mediocrity. When you consider our 1st line RW to start the year was a guy who now can't get out of the AHL, our entire 4th line is all but retired, and our 1st line center has been hurt or playing hurt all year, what is so special about this roster? Where is all this underperforming talent? I see a decent but banged up roster with no finish with below average speed and skill.

I see a fringe playoff team when I consider the quality in the division with them. A fringe playoff team. We shouldn't be all that surprised.

 

[BB88]

Chara's injury cost them, what, 10 wins? 5? 2?

Miller's cost them, what, 4 wins? 2?

Krejci's cost them, what, 6 wins?

Connolly's cost them, what, 1?

I don't fire my GM when that team misses the playoffs by a couple of points. I tell him that I expect a turnaround the next year. Does anyone think this core group would get worse?

With the same lineup we are even worse next year, and florida will only gets stronger.
I don't see us being a playoff team anymore.
Especially if chara needs a surgery. Seids was losing his step before the injury already.

Seids past his prime, chara after knee injury both still in the top4 doesn't look too good to me.
+Thin rw line.

 

[amazingcrwns]

Does anyone think this core group would get worse?

The defense worries me. Chara is going to get worse. Seidenberg probably isn't getting any better. McQuaid and Bartkowski are UFA's...

So for the D to get better you need Morrow, Hamilton, Krug, Miller and Trotman to improve from this season and make up for whatever decline you're going to get from Chara and Seids.

You can't pick up a UFA because the cap isn't going up and you still have Kelly and Smith making 3M + to play in the bottom 6.

So unless you're planning on a trade at even dollars to bring in a top 4 defenseman, I'm worried that the defense is going to get worse as Chara ages.

 

[Roll 4 Lines]

I get the frustration that this team is about to miss the playoffs, but I don't get this sentiment that THIS team has no business being in this position. "This team" meaning the roster that won the President's Trophy just a year ago, or "this team" that lost it's leading goal scorer, top 3 d-man, suffered significant injuries to two top dmen, and witnessed the official career turning point of 2 of their 3 4th line stalwarts?

Any suggestion that this is somehow a massive underachievement is a joke, IMO. When you look at the health and depth of this defense, you see mediocrity. When you consider our 1st line RW to start the year was a guy who now can't get out of the AHL, our entire 4th line is all but retired, and our 1st line center has been hurt or playing hurt all year, what is so special about this roster? Where is all this underperforming talent? I see a decent but banged up roster with no finish with below average speed and skill.

I see a fringe playoff team when I consider the quality in the division with them. A fringe playoff team. We shouldn't be all that surprised.

But I think a lot of the players do have better speed, skill and finishing skills than they've shown this year.

With 2 or 3 exceptions, I've got gripes with this entire organization, from top to bottom.

 

[BB88]

I get the frustration that this team is about to miss the playoffs, but I don't get this sentiment that THIS team has no business being in this position. "This team" meaning the roster that won the President's Trophy just a year ago, or "this team" that lost it's leading goal scorer, top 3 d-man, suffered significant injuries to two top dmen, and witnessed the official career turning point of 2 of their 3 4th line stalwarts?

Any suggestion that this is somehow a massive underachievement is a joke, IMO. When you look at the health and depth of this defense, you see mediocrity. When you consider our 1st line RW to start the year was a guy who now can't get out of the AHL, our entire 4th line is all but retired, and our 1st line center has been hurt or playing hurt all year, what is so special about this roster? Where is all this underperforming talent? I see a decent but banged up roster with no finish with below average speed and skill.

I see a fringe playoff team when I consider the quality in the division with them. A fringe playoff team. We shouldn't be all that surprised.

chara+seids injuries, and then you lose iginla+JB, that really isn't the same team as it was last year is it?
Those injuries sadly will hurt them badly, now and in the future at their age, hate that but that's how it goes.

It was embarrasing that our 1st line rw was ahl player on the 1st half.

All this and still chia said he wants the cup, you can't just say that and do nothing.

 

[LouJersey]

Chara's injury cost them, what, 10 wins? 5? 2?

Miller's cost them, what, 4 wins? 2?

Krejci's cost them, what, 6 wins?

Connolly's cost them, what, 1?

I don't fire my GM when that team misses the playoffs by a couple of points. I tell him that I expect a turnaround the next year. Does anyone think this core group would get worse?

Have you seen these guys when they did play this year?

 

[EverettMike]

Our injuries haven't been anything abnormal. Horrible excuse. Every team deals with them, every team has to overcome them. That's why team depth is so important.

Meanwhile every line we have is flawed even when healthy, and our defense is still shallow when healthy.

Just hate that the injury thing is slowly being treated like it's worse than it's been.

 

[LouJersey]

I get the frustration that this team is about to miss the playoffs, but I don't get this sentiment that THIS team has no business being in this position. "This team" meaning the roster that won the President's Trophy just a year ago, or "this team" that lost it's leading goal scorer, top 3 d-man, suffered significant injuries to two top dmen, and witnessed the official career turning point of 2 of their 3 4th line stalwarts?

Any suggestion that this is somehow a massive underachievement is a joke, IMO. When you look at the health and depth of this defense, you see mediocrity. When you consider our 1st line RW to start the year was a guy who now can't get out of the AHL, our entire 4th line is all but retired, and our 1st line center has been hurt or playing hurt all year, what is so special about this roster? Where is all this underperforming talent? I see a decent but banged up roster with no finish with below average speed and skill.

I see a fringe playoff team when I consider the quality in the division with them. A fringe playoff team. We shouldn't be all that surprised.

This team AS IS should have another 10 points or so if they just put some effort it. They haven't given a consistent effort in 3 out of every 4 games it seems... they have had peaks and valleys .. they also have guys that should be playing way better. It's disgusting to me.