Don't Let the Score Fool You
The 3-2 loss on Saturday night and 2-1 SO loss yesterday wasn't nearly as close as the final score displayed. The Bruins were simply overmatched by the class of the Eastern Conference and quite possibly the NHL. The Bruins are an improving team, but playing Ottawa certainly put our hopes/impressions in perspective.
Out shot 81-41 over the course of the home and home, the Bruins were constantly on the defensive and had relatively no answers for the Ottawa attack. The lone reason the Bruins were kept in these games was the play of Tim Thomas. Thomas has been standing on his head since the beginning of the season and clearly has cemented himself as this team's #1. With Fernandez on the shelf, Timmy is going to have to shoulder the heavy load.
Positives to take from this weekend:
Out shot 81-41 over the course of the home and home, the Bruins were constantly on the defensive and had relatively no answers for the Ottawa attack. The lone reason the Bruins were kept in these games was the play of Tim Thomas. Thomas has been standing on his head since the beginning of the season and clearly has cemented himself as this team's #1. With Fernandez on the shelf, Timmy is going to have to shoulder the heavy load.
Positives to take from this weekend:
- This might not be one of your classic Tim Thomas hot streaks - We're now nine starts into Thomas' season and he's posted a 1.65 GAA and a .949 sv%. It's possible that Thomas has turned a corner. I still want to see more before I make any conclusions
- Phil Kessel is quickly becoming one of the cornerstones of this team. He is seeing much more ice time and delivering
Now for the negatives
- With 1G and 4A (+- 0), Glen Murray has been a ghost thus far.
- Zdeno Chara has a severe knack for coughing up the puck at the worst possible times
- Sure, re-building the defense was a priority for Chiarelli - but has anyone taken the time to check Brad Boyes' numbers with St. Louis yet? (9G 3A +3)
- Shorthanded goals by the opposition are still killing this team. This is a backbreaker that needs to be figured out (possibly a new QB at the point?)
posted by JHa at 1:06 PM
11 Comments:
The negative are clear - the shots on goal, 1 point taken from 4. But let's look at it from another point of view. According to many hockey analysts, the Bruins were supposed to lose 10-0 and 9-2. And yet, Ottawa has yet to score a 5-on-5 goal. Sure they can run circles around the D and put the puck past Timmy - when they have more players ni front of him (and that includes the 3-on-2 shorthander from last night). The Bruins actually showed that if you press this team enough, work hard against them, you can beat them. And they did, three goals scored by hard work. Not because of an iffy call by a ref, or by Phillips and Redden knocking each other out like Larry and Curly. The Bruins responded yesterday with a hard effort. Hitting hard, finishing their checks. That just 24 hours after the first loss. I look at this weekend and say to myself that wins coming up against Buffalo, Montreal and Buffalo again - should be (in my opinion) easy, considering how they had to play the Sens. Nokie played a great game, Kobasew played a great game - and Muzz and Chara are starting to scare me. But I just know that Muzz will go on a tear any game now, maybe putting in 6 goals in the next 3 games. One thing for sure - they are fun to watch (if any one was ni the building yesterday).
Big-e - you make some great points. You could tell the Bruins were certainly trying their hardest against the Sens. I put it in the perspective that even with them trying their hardest they really couldn't overcome a better Sens team. Personally, I had that lingering feeling that the game could have turned ugly in the Sens favor at any second, which fortuantely it didn't. I felt the B's were simply trying to keep up rather than dictate their own game plan. It's like the Little Mac and Mike Tyson Punch Out comparison. You get all excited when you get a punch or two in but you know it's not going to do much in the end.
I fully expect the B's to take some wins against the up and coming divisional foes.
It just looks like the Sens are the clear cut kings of the East right now.
Chara has not shown me he is even worth 3-4 mil per year thus far, including last year.
He has been a huge disappointment. Trade him at the deadline and get some draft picks then hit the free agent market (again) next year. Murray also, its time to get what you can for him to recover some of the cap $$ they will lose on him if they wait.
Shame on Gordon for giving Chara what 7mil/yr.
E
Here's how to solve the power play problems leave Chara off the power play !!!
the man is to tall to have good control of the puck at the blueline..
Boyes is having a good year but he is play with Paul. I am waiting for next year before i think it was a good or bad trade i still like Wideman.The key he is still a young d i love his speed.Also Boyes the first year with a new team he always has a good year.
if kessel is the face of the organization that is terrible. it means this team is goin absolutely nowhere
fuck yourself
O.K., granted I'm a frustrated BRUINS' fan, but something has to be done now before we are 25 points out of it ! Thomas stands on his head again and what does he get...another loss with 1 goal of offense !! P.C... PULL THE TRIGGER !! Anyone but THOMAS, CHARA, KESSEL, SAVARD and BERGY can go !!
There was mention on spectorshockey.net of a possible trade for Marian Hossa. I say bring him on - Trade Murray and Axlesson and get Hossa playing with Savard and Sturm and watch the red light come on a lot more often.
It would seem there is talent available but Julien is beginning to look like Adolf Lewis (not literally) with his stance on the way he pairs lines and D-men. First off get Axelsson off of the first line, holy crap even Stevie Wonder can see that he can't pass or shoot worth crap. Next take Chara off of the point on the power play at least for a while, we have been burnt several times because he just isn't fast enough to get back and he coughs up the puck too much at the point, which has led to our terrible power play and the shorthanded goals that are ball breakers. Thirdly stop punishing Savard by making him play with Murray who is really terrible so far, mix things up a bit, we have Kobasew, Lucic, Kessel, Schaefer, even Bochenski to give Savard speed or skill to play with rather than Eeyore Murray who looks like he feels sorry for himself and Axelsson who is NOT offensively gifted. With Bergy out and Kessel still a bit green, Savard is our best commodity so maybe start treating as such. Lastly Chara and Alberts should not play together as neither is fleet of foot and the successful teams always pair up their strong D-type guy even when they are slow with a mobile D-man.
Julien has to start being creative or we will continue to get our ass handed to us by the freakin' Habs.
Not for nothing guys, but this blog lacks serious credibility or impact when we're 15 games into the season and there's still no stats, standings, and the previous games column includes the first 3 games of the season. Not to mention the hot and cold free agents was news from LAST JULY.
Step it up!
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