Post-Game Talk: Game 20 - Shootouts **** - Caps 3 BRUINS 2 F/SO

[Dueling Banjos]

Exactly this!

Having a solid tandem is a luxury in this day and age.

Even a decent starter is a wet dream for large amount of teams.

We've been spoiled.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Come on, I like Halak but he is a good backup goalie. I would not bet on him during playoffs because he is very streaky. He can be godlike in one game and in another get five on five. You can ask Islanders fans whether they would rather go with Rask or Halak. Majority would say Rask. I would like him to stay on this team with some acceptable deal. 2-3 mill

Halak has been a #1 on 3 diiferent team over his career.I really dont get why this fanbase is so against Tuuka. He has been solid year after year and especially during playoffs, with good stats. There arent many goalies better than him.

Halak has been a #1 on three different teams over his career.

With the Islanders Halak's numbers in the payoffs were .926 SP and 2.30 GAA. Pretty good.

In the playoffs overall, Halak's numbers are .924 and 2.39. Rask are better, but not by a lot. .927 and 2.19. Of course, Tuukka has played on better teams.

 

[BRUINS since 1995]

Not on the strength of the team alone. If Tampa Bay or Washington hadn't lost earlier the Bruins would not have gotten past either of them to the Final.

Assumption... what if. ! Who would have thought those two teams would have lose last year! I am in admiration in front of people who have the confidence in themselves to the point that they simply know and confirms so with insurance.

 

[BMC]

Assumption... what if. ! Who would have thought those two teams would have lose last year! I am in admiration in front of people who have the confidence in themselves to the point that they simply know and confirms so with insurance.

I don't understand a word of this. But that's ok, it is the end of the day and I'm tired.

 

[Gordoff]

I don't understand a word of this. But that's ok, it is the end of the day and I'm tired.

Aaaaaaaaaand it made no sense.

 

[Chief Nine]

Aaaaaaaaaand it made no sense.

I don't understand a word of this. But that's ok, it is the end of the day and I'm tired.

English is not his first language. It happens. He’ll figure it out and post again

 

[BMC]

English is not his first language. It happens. He’ll figure it out and post again

I didn't know that. Now I feel bad.

 

[Chief Nine]

I didn't know that. Now I feel bad.

No worries! That’s why I posted it, I know you guys didn’t know. He’s trying his best

 

[BRUINS since 1995]

I didn't know that. Now I feel bad.

No problem, i might be the only one understanding what i meant.... lol. I will try again at one point ...

 

[Bruinfanatic]

Not on the strength of the team alone. If Tampa Bay or Washington hadn't lost earlier the Bruins would not have gotten past either of them to the Final.

Agree and that’s why I still haven’t really moved on from game seven, such a wasted opportunity for another cup, the path to the finals definitely won’t happen again without playing one or both this season

 

[Aussie Bruin]

This team played a great game against a full squad utilizing bully tactics when they couldn't beat the Bruins with true skill. The officiating was, as usual atrocious. The problem is that Sweeney and Co are going for speed and skill but teams like St. Louis and Washington are allowed to pull nonsense and get away with it. Yes it's the same thing that won us a cup against Vancouver. Wouldn't have happened otherwise. It was true before and it's true today, you can't have a team that's one dimensional and win it all if the officiating and league are going to constantly allow what they do on a nightly basis. Even the most talented teams in NHL history have always had tough guys, the Bruins really are outgunned when it comes to the hitting and grit game. Don't know if we'd have less injuries but there has to be an equalizer when the going gets nasty and the Bruins just don't have that kind of element to this team. They did a great job tonight (until the OT/SO) but they really did get slapped around too much for my liking.

One of the things I find interesting is that the Bruins’ coaching staff clearly have no desire for the team to seek to get rough or more physical, or to fight fire with fire when challenged. If a solid check is there to be made then the player is encouraged to make it, but targeted or egregious hits are out and so almost always are fighting and any roughing beyond the tamest scuffles. Granted the squad doesn’t have a lot of guys who could plant a really effective retaliatory hit or a few choice right hooks anyway, but even the ones who could like Chara and Wags generally do very little (haven’t seen enough yet of Ritchie to really evaluate what his role is to be in these scenarios, or a returning Miller). I said this in the GDT, that it looks like Clifton, who despite his size I suspect could more than hold his own in a scrap, has been sternly told ‘no fighting’. Probably the same goes for a lot of guys.

Clearly the coaches believe in their strategy, and that the Bs are better off just ignoring the heavy, provocative stuff and playing their game. It’s easy to think ‘it didn’t work’ against the Blues, but the margin of failure was very small so I don’t think it can just be dismissed out of hand. With particular regard to the Caps it’s worth noting that Carolina are not an overly big or physical team, to the point where when they did try and get physical and goon around a bit with the Bruins in the ECFs they were almost comically bad at it. But they beat Washington in 7 through sheer persistence and just persevering through the bumps.

So it can be done, although for sure if our current squad and methodology does eventually meet the Caps in the postseason then even at full strength I would rate our chances at less than 50%. But for better or worse the Bruins are set on the speed/skill/compete path, and that’s not going to significantly change before at least the end of this season. Hopefully it works out.

 

[BigBear83]

Ive been banging this drum for a week now.. but butch is going to burn this team out quick.. i miss the days of trusting all four lines.. he is basically rotating 9 guys and 4 d when the going gets tough .. the team looked exhausted.. and its only in the beginning of the season.. have some trust and coach these kids to at least give you a few shifts in the third period

 

[bruins4thecup65]

Ive been banging this drum for a week now.. but butch is going to burn this team out quick.. i miss the days of trusting all four lines.. he is basically rotating 9 guys and 4 d when the going gets tough .. the team looked exhausted.. and its only in the beginning of the season.. have some trust and coach these kids to at least give you a few shifts in the third period

Agree bigtime

 

[Seidenbergy]

4 games in 7 days
3 went to full OT + the shootout

That's a brutal stretch by any measure. I'd be shocked if the guys DIDN'T look tired.

 

[bwdrums1]

Still thinking of that shootout the other night....aaahhhhh ! Krejci had him beat ,just needed to drift a couple of feet to the right and roof it instead if trying to chip it over his pad. Wagner had him beat, also, opened up the 5 hole nice and had room and just missed finding it by literally 2 or 3 inches. Again.....aaaahhhh.....lol

 

[DarrenBanks56]

Still thinking of that shootout the other night....aaahhhhh ! Krejci had him beat ,just needed to drift a couple of feet to the right and roof it instead if trying to chip it over his pad. Wagner had him beat, also, opened up the 5 hole nice and had room and just missed finding it by literally 2 or 3 inches. Again.....aaaahhhh.....lol

its frustrating. We need someone to just come in a rip a wrister like Hoffman or backstrom did. Marchand beats goalies from above the faceoff circles with a snapper. He should just come in at an angle- move towards the center and rip it to a corner.
No more of this flying up the middle and getting in too close to pick a corner. Im sick of him trying to go 5hole. He needs to use his best asset