Post-Game Talk: GAME 36 - 2022 Adieu- Sabres 4 BRUINS 3 F/OT

[Alan Ryan]

Zacha so much better than thought

Swayman floor is good but I land at between very good

5x3 you bleepin attack - those PK will be exhausted after one save and puck battle -walk in from an angle shoot and flood with 3 forwards for rebound

Dicking around running down the clock is maddening

Zacha is a very good addition going forward.

 

[DarrenBanks56]

In the last several games teams have been clogging up the middle and tightly checking the B's, and they've been playing here and there a bit loosely. IMO Monty has some adjustments to make and he knows it but he's holding out as long as possible to not tip his hand too soon before the playoffs.

its true. theyve earned the right to basically cruise control into april.

 

[FONZIE]

It seemed Charlie Mac had a bad game. All offense seemed to die on his stick

 

[Aussie Bruin]

with all due respect I don't think Pasta is any different in this regard. It's just that you spend disproportionally more time watching him than other superstars around the league so you see more than just his highlights.

anyone who has spent any significant amount of time watching hockey should know that all superstar players are prone to turnovers, etc. It's the nature of being the most creative guy on the ice and needing to take risks to be effective. when people get way too hung up on it despite the player having a career year it just makes them look ignorant.

Eh, I call it as I see it. Only about 50% of the NHL games I watch involve the Bruins so I see plenty of other star players. My analysis, for better or worse, is what it is.

Most of what we're talking about here is not quantifiable statistically, but Pasta does turnover the puck a lot. Amongst forwards, he ranks 5th in the league for average number of giveaways per game since the start of the 2020-21 season. You're right, star players have a higher risk-reward threshold for their play, and that inevitably results in lots of giveaways - the players above Pasta in giveaways are Jack Hughes, Draisaitl, Malkin and Marner, and Matthew Tkachuk, Kucherov and McDavid aren't far behind. And all the best players still make their share of mistakes, even really silly ones. Pasta is not exceptional in either case.

But still, I see Pastrnak as unique in just how bad be can look out there sometimes. Part of it is largely appearance - he's not a strong skater by NHL standards, and he can sometimes tend to look sketchy, unbalanced and too easy to beat or knock off pucks as a result. But much of the time when he looks disjointed and lackadaisical it doesn't mean that he actually is, or that he's not being effective. It's kind of just his style. However beyond that there are genuinely are plays he makes that can only be described as brain-dead. Really baffling stuff that would embarrass a first-year rookie, and some things that simply look - and the key word again is look - lazy. I don't think he's actually lazy, it's just not in his nature. I think it's more a product of his hands working faster than his mind such that you get situations where better/smarter options are available but he hasn't had time to process them and pure instinct doesn't always fill the void.

He's a terrific player. He's going to get $10+ mil p.a. and he'll be worth it. I don't think his bad play is in reality any more damaging than anyone else - his mistakes don't hurt his team any more than any other top-tier forward. But my view of him remains that I'm not aware of another player who quite has the ability he does to look so good and so ordinary, sometimes in the space of the same shift. There's something about him, something almost mercurial I guess you'd call it, that's unmistakable for any other player. It's not really a criticism, more an observation or perception, and while some of his individual plays can frustrate me, I take the whole package for what it is and it's great. There are things he can work on and hopefully continue to improve, for sure, but if any of the fundamentals changed he would not be the unique athlete and person that he is.

 

[trenton1]

Meh. Bruins the better team but kudos to the Sabres for hanging in and snagging the extra point. Bruins were looking past this one, I think. If this results in more focus and a better result on Monday that will be fine with me.

 

[ProdigalFan]

Sabres giving their city something to cheer for after the horrendous weather they've been through the past couple of weeks.

 

[Ladyfan]

I went out to dinner after the game. Hard to see driving with the rain and fog...terrible driving night for us older people.

Buffalo has a great up and coming team.

Nice to see Brad get one. The boys were really happy for him. He had been snake bit and was playing well. Brad will be fine.

Happy New Year all!

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

I dont know what Grezlyck bring to a team...at least he skate well...

@burstnbloom

 

[GoBs]

Don't understand why Lauko hasn't been given a game or 2 lately. Looked pretty good early in the year.

Zobril needs a game, if someone gets hurt we are in trouble

 

[Ladyfan]

Hey @Sheppy ...from the GDT "I sometimes wonder about you…"

what do you wonder?

Have a safe New Years

 

[Aeroforce]

I watched later on DVR, but accidentally saw the outcome when checking a text toward the end of the second period. I watched the third period absolutely befuddled that they would ultimately lose, and that includes the OT.

Earlier in the season, the B's were praised for taking risks, activating their D. They gave up breakaways, but the goalies were stopping them. Now more of them are going in - DeBrincat, Tuch. So adjustments need to be made, as giving up the number of breakaways they have is not a recipe for success.

Arizona, Ottawa, Buffalo - all three opposing goalies played the games of their lives. If they played that way every night, they'd all be All-Stars.

Got a kick out of Krebs - Cliffy landed multiple shots, Krebs' blood was on the ice, and he skipped the penalty box because he needed repairs. Yet he celebrated like he just won the lottery.

 

[bruins19]

His braindead passes crush my spirits.

Especially failures to clear or weak backhand passes across traffic. He is a magician with the puck when shooting, but has to stay focused on the rest of his game.

 

[bruins19]

Smith and Greer each with 6 minutes TOI. I hope Sweeney clears cap sooner than later and replaces these guys. They’re not bringing anything to the table

If they are playing for jobs, they aren’t helping themselves. They should be skating like maniacs, hitting, throwing pucks on net, and crashing for rebounds. As someone noted the other day, I liked early season Greer. This version does nothing for me.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Eh, I call it as I see it. Only about 50% of the NHL games I watch involve the Bruins so I see plenty of other star players. My analysis, for better or worse, is what it is.

Most of what we're talking about here is not quantifiable statistically, but Pasta does turnover the puck a lot. Amongst forwards, he ranks 5th in the league for average number of giveaways per game since the start of the 2020-21 season. You're right, star players have a higher risk-reward threshold for their play, and that inevitably results in lots of giveaways - the players above Pasta in giveaways are Jack Hughes, Draisaitl, Malkin and Marner, and Matthew Tkachuk, Kucherov and McDavid aren't far behind. And all the best players still make their share of mistakes, even really silly ones. Pasta is not exceptional in either case.

But still, I see Pastrnak as unique in just how bad be can look out there sometimes. Part of it is largely appearance - he's not a strong skater by NHL standards, and he can sometimes tend to look sketchy, unbalanced and too easy to beat or knock off pucks as a result. But much of the time when he looks disjointed and lackadaisical it doesn't mean that he actually is, or that he's not being effective. It's kind of just his style. However beyond that there are genuinely are plays he makes that can only be described as brain-dead. Really baffling stuff that would embarrass a first-year rookie, and some things that simply look - and the key word again is look - lazy. I don't think he's actually lazy, it's just not in his nature. I think it's more a product of his hands working faster than his mind such that you get situations where better/smarter options are available but he hasn't had time to process them and pure instinct doesn't always fill the void.

He's a terrific player. He's going to get $10+ mil p.a. and he'll be worth it. I don't think his bad play is in reality any more damaging than anyone else - his mistakes don't hurt his team any more than any other top-tier forward. But my view of him remains that I'm not aware of another player who quite has the ability he does to look so good and so ordinary, sometimes in the space of the same shift. There's something about him, something almost mercurial I guess you'd call it, that's unmistakable for any other player. It's not really a criticism, more an observation or perception, and while some of his individual plays can frustrate me, I take the whole package for what it is and it's great. There are things he can work on and hopefully continue to improve, for sure, but if any of the fundamentals changed he would not be the unique athlete and person that he is.

i get what you mean, very well said. people have had similar criticisms of Krejci over the years. Pasta in some ways is like David Krejci turned up to 11 so I guess in that sense they "lazy" perception is also amplified

 

[hrdpuk]

Happy New Year peoples.

Maybe Sweeney will trade the whole team and we'll end up with a decent team for the new year

 

[rfournier103]

Would have been nice to win this game, but as long as they win on Monday, this one will quickly be forgotten

 

[Boston Bandit]

Happy New Year, Bruins fans!

Hope you all have your best year yet

Many blessings to you

 

[arider1990]

In his last 3 games Swayman gave up a total of 6 goals while having a 0.939 save percentage. I think he was showing improvement up to this game and will hopefully build off that.

 

[CDJ]

In his last 3 games Swayman gave up a total of 6 goals while having a 0.939 save percentage. I think he was showing improvement up to this game and will hopefully build off that.

Yeah I’m not worried about him. The people that want him out want Kinkaid up and I hate to break it to them but he’s been similar in providence to what Swayman has been in the Show. Would be a certifiable downgrade.


Play Linus 60-65% of the time and we’ll be golden

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

Yeah I’m not worried about him. The people that want him out want Kinkaid up and I hate to break it to them but he’s been similar in providence to what Swayman has been in the Show. Would be a certifiable downgrade.


Play Linus 60-65% of the time and we’ll be golden

I'm not anti Sway but what about Bussi*?

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

TheAHL.com | The American Hockey League

theahl.com

 

[The don godfather]

Happy new year my fellow bears!

 

[bruinshoper]

I know Swayman would like a redo on the overtime goal. But overall he played really well in my opinion. Made some major stops.

Yes, if Ullmark played, the Bruin’s would’ve probably won… but Ullmark is playing PHENOMENAL this season.

Swayman played fine…we should have put Buffalo away with glorious power play opportunities with 6 minutes left in the game, and a one goal lead.

 

[loosemoose]

Bruins were quite clearly the better team. Luukkonen made some crazy stops to keep them in it and Swayman needed to make that save at the end of regulation. Don't think there's much else to say.

 

[caz16]

I went out to dinner after the game. Hard to see driving with the rain and fog...terrible driving night for us older people.

Buffalo has a great up and coming team.

Nice to see Brad get one. The boys were really happy for him. He had been snake bit and was playing well. Brad will be fine.

Happy New Year all!

I was worried about you...lol Glad you are home safe, hope your dinner was nice.