GDT: Game 46 | Bruins v Blue Jackets 7PM, NESN, 98.5

[ChargersRookie]

seems every team in the league has done this so far this year, has good stretches then crash...a real dud

Far too many here immediately back to the old "trade em all now" attitude

and the rest kissing s's.

 

[BNHL]

The system has almost nothing to do with a player in possession of the puck. The system is designed to prevent goals and gain possession. Once the Bruins have the puck, its on the player with the puck to make the best decision based on what he's seeing on the ice.

Chara, Seids, McQuaid, Miller all pinch deep into the offensive zone (because the 3rd forward high can cover). They don't swagger around with the puck because they are not capable of it, not because they don't have permission. When Chara does try to do too much with the puck he usually ends up looking the fool.

Its all about execution & effort. Clearly when the effort is high the execution is much better.

I agree but Julien will frown on turnovers.

 

[Yeti34]

I don't buy the too cute line. I don't recall that at all. They didn't burry their chances.

 

[ChargersRookie]

Our forwards are good but we lack significant playmaking abilities from our D. Krug is the only one who consistently produces. Hamilton hasn't impressed me on a while. Get Yandle now! Watching our D bring up the puck is cringe worthy. Its destroying everything.

Hamilton is a good kid and he still plays like one. He sees Chara in front and lets him take the lead. Hamilton follows behind but he also falls behind.

Less is more, I am going to explain that part where I involve Chara there again.

 

[Hali33]

I just have a hard time saying "ehh, whatever" when the team sits in the 8 spot and blows a game where everything was set up to get a nice win here. It's not the end of the world and not panic hour but it's yet another game that goes into the "should have had this one" pile and I think that pile is substantially larger this year.

I look at how the lines struggled without Marchand last night. I think anyone you were gonna put in his spot was going to be very inadequate and lead to a dud line. What are the odds this roster stays healthy for the rest of the season and what happens to this team if we face another injury, how do we cope.

I look at our nasty March schedule with every weekend full of back to backs, most with travel on one or both nights and say wow, I bet we are really gonna wish we didn't blow these games and had more of a cushion here for losses.

 

[SlimBrady]

Any team in the NHL can beat any other team on any given night...Its just the way she f**kin goes!!! Forget this game and move on and hopefully beat Dallas and Colorado

 

[DarrenBanks56]

bruins are a totally different team with a top 9 forward out of the lineup.
its amazing how much one playerbmakes a diffetence on this team.

4th line sucked last nite.
power play brutal entrys.

hoefully its a one game losing streak

 

[C77]

The system has almost nothing to do with a player in possession of the puck. The system is designed to prevent goals and gain possession. Once the Bruins have the puck, its on the player with the puck to make the best decision based on what he's seeing on the ice.

Chara, Seids, McQuaid, Miller all pinch deep into the offensive zone (because the 3rd forward high can cover). They don't swagger around with the puck because they are not capable of it, not because they don't have permission. When Chara does try to do too much with the puck he usually ends up looking the fool.

Its all about execution & effort. Clearly when the effort is high the execution is much better.

I don't believe it. There are offensive and defensive tactics with and without the puck. The Bruins coaching staff emphasize battles on the boards which is fine when you have the personnel to do it. Why do you think so much is being made of Pastrnak's willingness to battle on the boards and how it makes the coach happy? I know it's hard to get past defensemen with the gap control but this team seems to dump the puck in a lot. it's like a forecheck team without the forecheckers. I think guys like Smith, Eriksson, Marchand as a group are good at carrying in with possession and they could do it more if the team generated more speed from the back end. But the coach's first priority is to keep goals against down so he dresses a heavy defense and the transition is limited and the team looks slower than it actually is. It has worked lately, the goals against are down, but you end up with games like the one against Columbus where you can't score, and if that happens against a poor/average defensive team like Columbus, what chance do the Bruins have of scoring against Montreal? Where are the adjustments to beat that team?

So they get the turnovers in the neutral zone from the forecheck but they don't attack with speed. Then in the offensive zone the team is rather stationary. The defensemen pinch in to keep the puck in but there is a certain point that they don't go past. Other teams when they possession sometimes you see a defenseman take the puck down the ice and circle the net or take it in the corner and hold it up for possession and then circle to the net. I have seen a difference in Boychuk since he left in the way he moves with the puck...much more confident...looking to make plays that I didn't see in Boston. I think our guys are coached to almost always make the safe play with the puck which is like nothing risked nothing gained. They throw it back into the corner because they don't want it getting blocked...but no offense comes from that.

 

[BNHL]

bruins are a totally different team with a top 9 forward out of the lineup.
its amazing how much one playerbmakes a diffetence on this team.

4th line sucked last nite.
power play brutal entrys.

hoefully its a one game losing streak

It definitely shows but the team was at about 80% effort also.

 

[BostonPC]

I don't buy the "too cute" line.

The Bruins stuck to the system for the first two periods....they expended a lot of energy forechecking and did a good job of causing turnovers in the neutral zone, but it is too easy to defend against them because they don't attack with speed, how can you attack with speed when you are only using part of the ice? and part of the reason for that is that Julien dresses his 4 stay at home defensemen.

The system allows almost no individual initiative with the puck. If you watch other teams, the players (even defensemen) are given more latitude to make plays. For example in the Rangers game Klein, who is by no means an offensive defenseman, was swaggering around with the puck because he has confidence/permission to make plays. On the Bruins defense Krug has been given the green light...that seems clear...but the other guys (due to lineup choice and system by Julien) aren't contributing to the offense...they generally don't transition well...again that's part personnel and part lineup choice by Julien.

So of course the meat and potatoes...win the puck on the forecheck...move it back to the point....win the battle for position in front of the net. You should be doing that with a bunch of heavy/physical guys that this team doesn't have.

And then the coach says they are too cute. Well you don't want skilled players like Krejci, Pastrnak, Smith, Soderberg, Eriksson, Marchand actually trying to make plays with the puck? Look at the ice time for the forwards last night, you want these guys (sans Marchand) battling on the boards the whole night with big strong men like Johansen, Hartnell, Foligno, Dubinsky? I give the Bruins forwards credit over the last several games since the Jacobs statement, they are back competing hard especially Lucic, but I don't believe this kind of play suits them.

Not in the coaches head but I assume he meant that they didn't take the puck to the net as often as they should. I like some creativity but there are times when it is better to shoot the puck on net rather than taking that extra pass.

 

[C77]

Not in the coaches head but I assume he meant that they didn't take the puck to the net as often as they should. I like some creativity but there are times when it is better to shoot the puck on net rather than taking that extra pass.

In the end, I don't want to see this team lose to teams they could potentially beat because they can't generate offense when we have a group of forwards that should be able to do that, although admittedly a sniper is lacking.

If the Bruins dress the same six defensemen that they did last night in a playoff series against a fast team it's likely going to be a nightmare.

Let's say for example we get a series against Montreal.

Objectively the Bruins are not as good as last year and Montreal is better this season.

It will be difficult to forecheck against them because they transition well and Price plays the puck well.

Their forwards are fast and will pressure the Bruins' defense so we will have trouble exiting the zone and generating speed through the neutral zone which will make it easy for Plekanec to neutralize Krejci.

When the Bruins are set up in zone against Montreal, the Canadiens' stick position and quickness prevent the Bruins from getting to the dangerous areas of the ice with the puck on their stick. I'm not necessarily saying Bartkowski is the answer, but the Bruins did score a lot of goals 5 on 5 this year with him in the lineup. And I think if you have a skater like him in the lineup you at least give yourself a fighting chance to have a pushback/transition.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I agree but Julien will frown on turnovers.

All coaches do.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

In the end, I don't want to see this team lose to teams they could potentially beat because they can't generate offense when we have a group of forwards that should be able to do that, although admittedly a sniper is lacking.

If the Bruins dress the same six defensemen that they did last night in a playoff series against a fast team it's likely going to be a nightmare.

Let's say for example we get a series against Montreal.

Objectively the Bruins are not as good as last year and Montreal is better this season.

It will be difficult to forecheck against them because they transition well and Price plays the puck well.

Their forwards are fast and will pressure the Bruins' defense so we will have trouble exiting the zone and generating speed through the neutral zone which will make it easy for Plekanec to neutralize Krejci.

When the Bruins are set up in zone against Montreal, the Canadiens' stick position and quickness prevent the Bruins from getting to the dangerous areas of the ice with the puck on their stick. I'm not necessarily saying Bartkowski is the answer, but the Bruins did score a lot of goals 5 on 5 this year with him in the lineup. And I think if you have a skater like him in the lineup you at least give yourself a fighting chance to have a pushback/transition.

The +/- stat is based on 5 on 5 play. Bart is a -1. Miller is a +13.

Seems to me that if Bartkowski is generating more goals 5 on 5, he must be out there for a ton more 5 on 5 goals against than offensively challenged Miller.

But, that's just math.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I don't believe it. There are offensive and defensive tactics with and without the puck. The Bruins coaching staff emphasize battles on the boards which is fine when you have the personnel to do it. Why do you think so much is being made of Pastrnak's willingness to battle on the boards and how it makes the coach happy? I know it's hard to get past defensemen with the gap control but this team seems to dump the puck in a lot. it's like a forecheck team without the forecheckers. I think guys like Smith, Eriksson, Marchand as a group are good at carrying in with possession and they could do it more if the team generated more speed from the back end. But the coach's first priority is to keep goals against down so he dresses a heavy defense and the transition is limited and the team looks slower than it actually is. It has worked lately, the goals against are down, but you end up with games like the one against Columbus where you can't score, and if that happens against a poor/average defensive team like Columbus, what chance do the Bruins have of scoring against Montreal? Where are the adjustments to beat that team?

So they get the turnovers in the neutral zone from the forecheck but they don't attack with speed. Then in the offensive zone the team is rather stationary. The defensemen pinch in to keep the puck in but there is a certain point that they don't go past. Other teams when they possession sometimes you see a defenseman take the puck down the ice and circle the net or take it in the corner and hold it up for possession and then circle to the net. I have seen a difference in Boychuk since he left in the way he moves with the puck...much more confident...looking to make plays that I didn't see in Boston. I think our guys are coached to almost always make the safe play with the puck which is like nothing risked nothing gained. They throw it back into the corner because they don't want it getting blocked...but no offense comes from that.

Therein lies the problem.

 

[HumBucker]

Yes, good teams find a way to win - and this B's team found a way to win their five previous games, against some of the best teams in the conference - TB, Pitt. Not sure why people are discounting that just because they lost last night.

I'd rather they show they can beat the better teams, because if we end up in the bottom half of the playoff rankings, it's those teams we'll be facing!

 

[C77]

The +/- stat is based on 5 on 5 play. Bart is a -1. Miller is a +13.

Seems to me that if Bartkowski is generating more goals 5 on 5, he must be out there for a ton more 5 on 5 goals against than offensively challenged Miller.

But, that's just math.

Thank you for such an enlightened response about the nature of the +/- stat.

Yes Bart was on the ice for many goals both for and against this season.

I am not trying to say "Bart is great and Miller is terrible". I think Miller has been excellent for what he is asked to do, my issue is with having both him and McQuaid in the lineup. We only have two guys in Krug + Hamilton who can really move and retreive the puck and Hamilton is going through growing pains.

 

[HumBucker]

Can't believe the NHL might be looking into Soderberg's hit on Calvert - when the previous game Soda was shoved face-first into the boards by Kreider, and that was ignored? Wow.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Thank you for such an enlightened response about the nature of the +/- stat.

Yes Bart was on the ice for many goals both for and against this season.

I am not trying to say "Bart is great and Miller is terrible". I think Miller has been excellent for what he is asked to do, my issue is with having both him and McQuaid in the lineup. We only have two guys in Krug + Hamilton who can really move and retreive the puck and Hamilton is going through growing pains.

So you want to replace McQuaid for Bart?

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

So you want to replace McQuaid for Bart?

McQuaid is definitely better than Miller. Miller plays a mere 14 minutes per game.

 

[C77]

So you want to replace McQuaid for Bart?

I think McQuaid is a bit better than Miller but they are both good defensively. I think we need a bit more speed/puck retrieval in the group of defensemen. I would be favorable to having Bartkowski in the lineup over Miller for Bart's skating and in part because he is an upcoming UFA and I'd like to see how he develops. Who really knows, maybe they have already determined that Bart isn't going to be part of the solution going forward. I do think it is pretty clear that the Bruins could use another puck-mover in the lineup. *edit* I don't really see Bart as the traditional PMD because I don't think he passes that well but I do think he could help the team out.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

McQuaid is definitely better than Miller. Miller plays a mere 14 minutes per game.

Miller's current average is 17:51 per game.

Second to Chara in PK time per game.

 

[HumBucker]

I think McQuaid is a bit better than Miller but they are both good defensively. I think we need a bit more speed/puck retrieval in the group of defensemen. I would be favorable to having Bartkowski in the lineup over Miller for Bart's skating and in part because he is an upcoming UFA and I'd like to see how he develops. Who really knows, maybe they have already determined that Bart isn't going to be part of the solution going forward. I do think it is pretty clear that the Bruins could use another puck-mover in the lineup. *edit* I don't really see Bart as the traditional PMD because I don't think he passes that well but I do think he could help the team out.

Agree. It would be nice to have what Bart brings in that mix. He's had his problems in the past, but I really thought he was playing pretty well defensively just before he got scratched - at least getting good body position on opposing players. He's a great skater when he brings it up ice.

I think he has the potential to be a Ference type. Not the biggest or best defensively, but sound, and not the fastest or offensively gifted (like a Krug), but has a nice balanced blend of capabilities and is mobile.

At least that's what I think he could be capable of, if he develops a little more - which he will only do if they play him. With McQuaid back, I'd sit Miller and play Bart.

 

[C77]

Agree. It would be nice to have what Bart brings in that mix. He's had his problems in the past, but I really thought he was playing pretty well defensively just before he got scratched - at least getting good body position on opposing players. He's a great skater when he brings it up ice.

I think he has the potential to be a Ference type. Not the biggest or best defensively, but sound, and not the fastest or offensively gifted (like a Krug), but has a nice balanced blend of capabilities and is mobile.

At least that's what I think he could be capable of, if he develops a little more - which he will only do if they play him. With McQuaid back, I'd sit Miller and play Bart.

I agree about the type of defenseman that you see in Bart although I think he is faster than Krug/Ference. When he gets going north his speed is outstanding and he can recover from up the ice. He does have his head-scratching moments but he brings an element that the team doesn't have on the back end, and he can be pretty physical too.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Wrong thread

 

[Caper Bruins fan]

In the end, I don't want to see this team lose to teams they could potentially beat because they can't generate offense when we have a group of forwards that should be able to do that, although admittedly a sniper is lacking.

If the Bruins dress the same six defensemen that they did last night in a playoff series against a fast team it's likely going to be a nightmare.

Let's say for example we get a series against Montreal.

Objectively the Bruins are not as good as last year and Montreal is better this season.

It will be difficult to forecheck against them because they transition well and Price plays the puck well.

Their forwards are fast and will pressure the Bruins' defense so we will have trouble exiting the zone and generating speed through the neutral zone which will make it easy for Plekanec to neutralize Krejci.

When the Bruins are set up in zone against Montreal, the Canadiens' stick position and quickness prevent the Bruins from getting to the dangerous areas of the ice with the puck on their stick. I'm not necessarily saying Bartkowski is the answer, but the Bruins did score a lot of goals 5 on 5 this year with him in the lineup. And I think if you have a skater like him in the lineup you at least give yourself a fighting chance to have a pushback/transition.

I would rather Bart in the lineup over Miller .