Bruins Into 2022 : Where Are We At

 

Since I wrote last the bruins went 5 and 3 . They had Covid issues , and of course the whole league went in break to try and get the Covid situation under control and after the break the Bruins stated it off with a 3 game winning streak till losing at home Thursday night 3-2 against the Wild. It was a very winnable game but was marred but some of the worst reffing Ive seen so far this year . 

So where are the Bruins at as we near the mid season point in another crazy season with this damn pandemic still wrecking havoc with the world sadly. They currently hold the last Wildcard spot a point up on Detroit with 4 games in hand. 

Well first off the fact remains unless something drastically changes , this squad will be fighting for a Wildcard spot unless a crazy run happens and they rattle off a huge winning streak . That is highly doubtful when your look at the construction of this team as is. The problem is not defense. In general they have been solid overall. Right now they sit 6th in the league in the goal-tending stat . That is very solid with a rookie and a goalie that has played a total of 131 NHL games. So that is encouraging. 

The big issue remains with the offense. As of right now we have only scored 8 goals more than allowed . Too many players are just not consistently on the score sheet and although in the mini 3 game win streak the scoring emerged , it has to be pointed out that was against teams that are not very good defensively. We have struggled to score against top teams all year still and have a sub par winning percentage against playoff teams as well . Why ? Offense . We don't score. We are 18th in goals per game . Not good enough to be competing for a top 3 spot in a highly competitive division. Tampa.Toronto and Florida all have better depth and stars that are playing well. Beyond Brad and the consistent play of Bergeron , who on the Bruins has been consistent , no one. 

As is this team gets a C- at best . They are a Wildcard team , no more , no less. The loss of Krecji haunts this team and no one has been able to replace him . Coyle is a 3rd line center , Haula at best maybe a 3rd as well . Then players like Smith have struggled to score , Pasta is having a truly off year . At his current pace he might not even hit 30 goals and have maybe 50 points . Considering what he went through losing his infant son , I can understand his struggles because from my perspective , it seems more mental than physical. Hall , who has looked better as of late , is clearly missing having an elite or proper 2nd line center. Then on the back end , McAvoy is having a solid year but both Reilly and Grzelcyk are struggling to contribute offensively. 

This struggle is on Sweeney and Ive been firmly in get rid of him because I do not trust him to rebuild or reboot this team be it a hard rebuild or a soft one. He has made way too many blunders that
hurt this team in my opinion. 

The next game is tonight against the power house Tampa Bay Lightning . Unless the Bruins find a new gear tonight , this could be a very interesting game and a benchmark to see how they stack up against one of the best teams in the league.Ulmark  gets the start in nets and he better be ready . 

Hot News : Tuukka Rask has signed a contract with the Providence Bruins to tune up and get ready to join the big club once a contract is done .His rehab from hip surgery is done and he is ready to roll. How this will play out with the other two newbies in nets we will have to watch how the Bruins navigate a very interesting situation.But getting one of the best goalies of the last 15 years is not a bad thing in my opinion. Glad to see him back.

Catching Up In Bruinland !

 

Took a bit of a break from writing , but over the last 7 games the Bruins have been still struggling to find consistency in their game and goal scoring. The record over that 7 game stretch has been 3 wins 2 losses in regulation and 2 losses in extra time , one in OT and the other in a shootout. In those 7 games they allowed 14 goals and scored a total of 14. Also during this period Brad was suspended for 3 games for a so called slew-foot in the Vancouver victory . Over the 3 games they went 1-1-1 and no question Brads absence could have swung at least one game or perhaps both losses especially to the Red Wings . Perhaps the best game in these 7 was the Tampa Bay loss in OT . A game that the Bruins deserved a better fate because they were the better team from the start. 

Plus Coach Cassidy was placed in Covid protocol with Covid , so over the last few games Sacco has handled the coaching assignments.Thankfully Coach Cassidy has had mild symptoms and the spread didn't hit his family or the Bruins . It will be great to see Bruce back behind the bench soon. Then add  more drama DeBrusk went public with his trade request. No one should be truly surprised because its clear , he and Coach Cassidy seem to have a difficult relationship. So between Brads suspension, Cassidy in Covid protocol and DeBrusk trade request , the well oiled ship of the Bruins has been a bit rocky over the last week and a half.

A few positives over this 7 game run has been the overall play of both Ulmark and Swayman . Both have played very solid and have given the Bruins the type of goal-tending you need to win. Ulmark against the Oilers was stellar which is what you need when your on a back to back . The defense has been better in their zone as well . Still making some gaffs but it looks like its turning a corner to being more responsible in the d zone. 

Areas of concern have not really changed . The secondary scoring is missing still . But the reason that is even more glaring is Pasta has just 8 goals and we are past the quarter mark. At his current pace he might not even hit 30 goals and his shooting percentage right now is almost half of what it has been in his career. This could change , but I have found his shot placement and selection has really been off . In a few tight games we have lost this year , if he had have added a goal here and there , we could have had perhaps 3 more wins . 

That 2nd line ! They have been good at times but at times ,almost invisible. The other night against the Oilers in 2 periods they hadn't even registered a shot on goal. However in one shift they created a turnover late in the 3rd and that resulted in the winning goal by Grzelcyk. If we are to push for a playoff spot that must change . I think flipping Pasta back and moving Smith up to play with Brad and Bergy might work. Hall and Pasta looked decent together when Brad was suspended and Hall and Pasta could help each other elevate their games. 

Plus what is with our bottom 6 . I truly thought with the signings in the off season they would be better , rejuvenated . But they have been very mediocre at best most nights . 

So next up in this 3 game road trip is Calgary who shut the Bruins down in Boston a couple of weeks ago. This will be a real test again because the Flames are playing a very stifling type of game . So far 3 out of a possible 4 points is solid and tonight if we can get a victory this will be a solid trip and hopefully a real building block to push the Bruins to play better in the games ahead. So lets get it on , Go Bruins.

The Quick Take : Bruins Find Thier Offense Defeat the Sabres 5-1

 

The Bruins exploded with offense in the 1st period last night and carried that momentum to win against a Sabre's team falling apart. After the Calgary game with the Bruins being stifled , they came out with a shoot first mentality and it showed in the first . 

The lone Sabres goal was created after a 2 on 1 for the Bruins with Bard and Pasta . A juicy rebound caused a quick transition and with the the Bruins being caught a bit cheating , Okposo fired a shot past Bergeron and it eluded Swayman and the Sabres took a 1-0 lead at 10:56 . But the Bruins were relentless in puck pursuit and shooting . At 13:29 Bergeron scored to tie it with simple pucks to the net , traffic and hunt down the rebound mindset. From there the flood gates opened . At 14:20 Coyle ripped a shot ,high corner past the Sabres goalie and quickly it was 2-1 .The Bruins continued to do lots of good things and carried the play . At 16:59 with the Bruins on the PP , Pasta took a nice feed from McAvoy and ripped one on the short side , 3-1. The Bruins were not done yet. At the 19:00 minute mark , once again solid offensive zone pressure , Reilly took advantage of a good rebound and buried the 4th goal . Total domination in that period. 

2nd period was a non scoring affair but the Bruins in the first half of the period till about the 10 minute mark , seemed to be asleep . All the good things they were doing in the 1st went away . Sloppy passing , poor forechecking , weak on the boards et.. and the Sabres created a few decent chances but Swayman was solid after that 1st goal that kinda leaked through him. Then around the 10 min mark , the Bruins got back to the basic structure of the 1st and carried the play . 

The 3rd carried on much like the later part of the 2nd with Boston completely in control overall. Strong positional play stopped the Sabres from really pushing to make this a game and the Bruins generated some solid chances . With period winding down , McAvoy took a hard , dangerous hit when he turned near the boards and the Sabres player Girgensons , drove his head into the boards and he came away bleeding and left the game . It resulted in a 5 minute major and a game misconduct . The Bruins took advantage  with Taylor Hall scoring at 15:26 to add insult to the score making it 5-1. Total shots were 47-25 with 13 shots of the Sabres coming in the 2nd when the Bruins went asleep for a bit but the 3rd was an 18-3 difference for the Bruins. The Bruins dominated accept for a brief stretch and when a team is falling like the Sabres , you must do what the Bruins did , win with authority . 

Bruins PP : The Bruins PP was working and both units looked sharp with crisp puck movement and a shot mentality . As Meatloaf said 2 out of 3 aint bad. Grade A 

Bruins PK : The Sabres only had 1 power-play and with their pretty anemic attempt , the Bruins shut them down pretty easy. Still the Bruins showed good positional play and cleared well. Grade A 

Player of the Game : I know Ive been critical of Charlie Coyle and whether he is a legit 2nd line center but last night he was dominate and showed he has it in him to be a real difference maker . He looked strong on his skates and was excellent on the boards , passing and what a goal he scored . I really like the guy and really hope he brings it .

Last Thoughts : The Bruins played with purpose and hunger and it showed . Except for a brief period in the 2nd , this was a complete effort . Every line looked engaged. They dominated in the circle winning 69% which always bodes well to defend and push the offense. I also like how Foligno looked on the 2nd line with Coyle and Hall. Plus Nosek moved up to play with DeBrusk and Smith . So Cassidy is looking to find some chemistry and hopefully with Bruins no longer going into long hibernation periods between games , they can now find that consistency they need in order to get back in the hunt for solid position in the Atlantic. 

Side Note : The good news about McAvoy , he appears be be alright because today carrying on a Bruin tradition with it being the American Thanksgiving , was delivering pies to shelters in Boston. Way to go Chuck . 

Nest up a matinee with the Rangers in New York . Should be a tough one because the Rangers are playing well. So lets get it on and go Bruins.

Bruins at the 15 Game Mark : Optimistic or Pessimistic

 

I decided to take a break from writing for a bit but now its time to get back in the saddle . Over that span the Bruins went 3 and 1 . With 3 straight wins 5-2 over the Devils , 5-2 over the Habs and 5-2 over the Flyers before losing to the Calgary Flames 4-0 . After the utter collapse on the 3rd period against the Oilers , the Bruins finally found some consistency and scoring. Beating the Flyers and the Devils were more impressive than the Habs because those 2 are over .500 . The Habs , well they are a disaster a mess with injuries and little offense . But when faced with a stingy and well disciplined team like the Flames , they struggled to find any real offense and mistakes  on coverage combined with some weak rebound control , they were chasing the game from the get go and really not one player had anything going. The 4th line was their best that night and a few players had decent jump but the top guys , zip. 

So as of right now 15 games in the Bruins find themselves at 9 wins 6 losses . That places them at 5th in the Atlantic but they have also played the fewest amount of games as well. 

Is this record a reason for concern or is its a combination of the crazy lay offs and all the new players still not gelling yet? I hold its perhaps a bit of both. The new players coming in and then having extended breaks haven't helped this team gel or develop an identity at all . But at the same time many concerns are emerging. 

The Bruins always were considered one of the best defensive minded teams in the NHL . But this year leaks are appearing. The Bruins usually were always in the top 10 and 5 teams in the league with goals allowed . This year after 15 they find themselves at 16 with 2.87 and a team goal-tending save percentage of a very mediocre .908 . Both concerning. It is all on the goaltending , no it isn't . The D coverage has been an adventure and players from Reilly, Forbort,Carlo,Grzelcyk , Clifton have all been inconsistent and the forwards have also been an adventure at times with turn overs and poor decision making. Plus lets be honest , its a tall ask for Ulmark and Swayman to replace a top 5 all-time goalie in Tuukka Rask, who was one of the best at high difficulty saves as well , something neither Swayman or Ulmark are in the top of the league as of right now. So that needs to change and soon.

The offense has been sketchy at best and once again the top line is the driver of most of the scoring . We sit at 15th in the league with an average of 3 goals per game . But when the top players are figuring in most of the goals that is a recipe for disaster . The new players have not panned out so far and the 2nd line with Coyle at center for me is not really doing much most nights . Coyle is not an legit 2nd line center , Haula on the 3rd had one break out season and has looked very weak. The bottom line with this team again is , shutdown the top line , you'll probably win especially now with Krecji gone. 

The PP and PK have been finding their games and we currently are around 10th in the league in both categories so that is a decent sign going forward. 

Best players so far have been Charlie McAvoy , Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand . They have by far the most consistent and have led this team so far . We need more from Pasta who has only 5 goals on the year so far , Taylor Hall who has looked good at times but I think he is being held back by his line-mates , Carlo on the D who has struggled and has had more than a few bad outings. 

So the grade I would give this team as of right now would be a C . Its as I see it right now a wildcard team at best . As I watch many top tier teams , in all honesty there is no way this team as it is playing at this momenta contender.

Tonight they take on Buffalo. A team reeling again. The Bruins need to get their offense going and bury them . Will see if that happens because at this point , one cannot predict what will happen with this team .

The Quick Take : A Trend and a Few Thoughts on the Bruins Loss to the Oilers Thursday Night

The loss to the Oilers the other night has revealed a disturbing trend that has not been corrected and it's starting to be too common. Up till the 3rd period, the Bruins had played a decent game. Limiting McDavid to a few chances but that is going to happen. The play was pretty much even and as the Bruins entered the 3rd, they had the lead. But the wheels on the bus came off hard.

Beginning in the 3rd with a brutal give away from Carlo to Draisaitl that tied the game at 6:22 of the 3rd and it was a struggle for the rest of the period for a few players including Carlo and the Haula, DeBrusk, and Smith line that was also victimized by Draisaitl again when he was left not properly defended in front of the net. Capping off a 3 goal period was Cody Ceci late in the 3rd at 17:41 created by a bad play by Clifton on the boards that caused a domino effect, a scramble, and the final goal. A result once again because of a D man's poor handling of the puck. Plus after Ulmark made a great save, instead of trying to corral the puck he hit it with his stick directly in the slot and Ceci took advantage. 

Without laboring the point, the Bruins continued the trend of errors within their own zone that caused the collapse. The D all have been suspect at times even McAvoy. Carlo had one of his worst periods by his own admission and Clifton, well can we just admit he should not be a regular but is a 7th. Forbort looks dreadful some shifts, Reilly soft on the boards and Grzelcyk decision making sometimes is off. On top of that, you had bad positional play by some of the forwards, weak checking like DeBrusk on the 4th gaol by the Oilers. It's been a comedy of errors costing the Bruins points and wins. 

Plus if a team is struggling to find its A-game in terms of playing defense you have to have a goalie steal a few points for you and although Ulmark has been good, that doesn't cut it when your team is not playing well enough in front of you. 

11 games into the season this Bruins team has not gelled, lacks secondary scoring again, is being carried by the top line specifically Brad and Bergy because Paata still isn't playing to his potential, the D has been a disaster at times, the PP is hit or miss, goaltending good but not great and the new players have been underwhelming. 

Last Thoughts: As it is right now unless this team finds its mojo and finds its game a playoff spot could be in jeopardy and let's not even pretend that as it's playing, this team could contend for a cup. The harsh reality for a Bruin fan is this, perhaps this team is simply not that good. We have a few elite players but too many bottom 6 players that cannot produce. I've been critical of Sweeny for years and this team is on his plate. He wasted a solid core, has drafted poorly, and let's not talk about some of his trades and signings. But he is still employed !! 

Hopefully, this team will turn it around and prove my worries wrong. Will see!

The Quick Take : Bruins Survive a Game Senators Team to take a 3-2 Victory

Bruins held off a pesky and hard-working Sens team 3-2 last night for the Bruins 5th win at home giving them a perfect record at home. The Sens being down 5 players because of Covid protocols didn't roll over and pushed the Bruins. 

The game itself was pretty even but the Bruins after a slow start, allowing the 1st goal and playing fairly sloppy in their zone again, did make adjustments and after the 1st , played better.  They did take 3 penalties in the 1st and 6 in total for the game, something they do not want to get in a habit of doing. Most were lazy penalties as well. 

After the 1st the Bruins in general controlled much of the play but the Sens gave the Bruins issues attacking through the neutral zone and on entries with their 1-3-1 defense. The Bruins held a 58% to 38% advantage on faceoffs. They outshot the Sens 36 to 27. That is a bit deceptive because although Murray was called on to make a few big saves, especially against Pasta he was never under siege. Swayman had a decent night. His rebound control needs work and the 2nd Sens goal should not have gone in but late in the 3rd, he made a huge save on a Sens player point-blank. Sometimes it's not the weak ones but when you make the big save and he did.

The Bruins as a team are still looking out of sync really. The D core is having real struggles with passing and defending well. The forwards are still a huge question mark beyond Bard and Bergeron, who have been the only consistent ones so far this season and were once again last night. 

Ottawa scoring - Zach Sanford 1:14 of the 1st and Nikita Zaitsev 13:09 at the 2nd

Bruins scoring - Brad Marchand 5:12 of the 2nd PP goal, Derek Forbort 10:58 of the 2nd, and Patrice Bergeron at the 18:40 mark 

Final score 3-2. 

Bruins PP : The Bruins PP was 1 for 3 and on their first scored. They had good puck movement and made shooting a priority. The last 2 were a disaster. One was very short because they took a penalty because of poor decision making and the last one was a dud by the top guns. The 2nd unit had better looks. Grade D

Bruins PK : The PK last night did its job quite well. They kept the Sens mostly to the outside and were solid in their clears, blocked shots and won most of the board battles. the Sens had a goose egg at 0 for 6 , so well done. Grade A +

Player of the Game : This one goes to Captain Patrice Bergeron who led by example and effort. Winning draws, battling on the boards, playing in all situations with 21:12 of ice time. Plus showed his skill on the winning goal. 

Last Thoughts : The Sens proved to be a hard opponent even though handicapped with the players out. The Bruins did find their game and overcame a very poor start. Still lots of questions concerning this Bruins team. Keynote: Trent Frederic suffered an upper-body injury in the 2nd with a thunderous clean hit and left the game. Will not be available for tomorrow nights game against the Oilers in Boston. 

Next game Oilers at the Garden. Let's get it one and go Bruins. 

The Quick Take : Bruins Struggle in the 2nd and the Leafs Take a 5-2 Victory

 

After 2 years, the Bruins and Leafs renewed what was becoming an excellent rivalry before the pandemic. I don't need to go into the history but the Leafs have not been on the winning side when it counts in the playoffs. 

The 1st started pretty even and the Bruins got an early PP and building off of the previous game, executed well with Hall tipping a shot from Bergeron past Cambell at the 8:37 mark to take a 1-0 lead. From there the teams traded chances in a pretty wide-open period. At the 12:21 mark with the Bruins hemmed in, an odd goal was put in the Bruins net by Tavares off his skate with Bergeron pushing Tavares into the crease dislodging the net. After a lengthy review, the call on the ice was confirmed a good goal. It seemed for some reason after that call the Bruins were on their heels and the Leafs, using their speed and transition game took control of the period for the most part. 

Entering the 2nd tied on the road isn't a bad thing, but the wheels on the bus for the Bruins came off hard. The coverage was spotty at times in the 1st but in the 2nd, the missed assignments were glaring. The D made mistakes over and over, the forwards overall couldn't get much of anything going and the Leafs took full advantage. The Leafs were the better team. Then with a questionable call on Pasta for boarding, at 14:59 Matthews scored putting the Leafs up 2-1. The Bruins had a few decent rushes after that and were trying to get some energy back in their game but in a scrum in front of the Leaf's net, Brad too a penalty that should have been offsetting. With Brad in the box, at 18:54 Matthews scored his 2nd goal. The Leafs took a 3-1 lead into the 3rd. 

As the 3rd started the Bruins right within the 1st minute were rewarded a PP. But the execution was horrid, much like the last 2 PP attempts. Poor passing, zero winning of pucks, and the Leafs did a good job making some adjustments to the Bruin rush. Then shortly after on another D zone-blown coverage, Tavares with his 2nd made it 4-1. The Leafs were in full command. The Bruins looked pretty much done. But then at the 8:29 mark on a solid effort from the top line, Brad found Pasta for a one-timer that got by Campbell and made it 4-2. After that, the Bruins woke up and looked like the better team. They dominated in zone time and shots but Campbell made some huge saves and the Bruins also failed to finish on plays. Then with the Ulmark pulled for an extra attacker, the leafs iced it with Marners goal at 19:17. Game, set, and you are out of here, Bruins lose to their rivals in the 1st match in two years, 5-2. 

Bruins PP: What started off as promising and got them the 1st goal, let them down big time throughout this game. Down 3-1 in the 3rd and getting an early PP, could have really changed the game but they failed to generate any sustained pressure and just like the two previous ones, were completely ineffective. Grade F 

Bruins PK: You can question a few calls but that stuff happens and when it does, it's incumbent on the team to lock down and defend. But they failed to do so and with a team like the Leafs with talent on the PP, mistakes will be in your net. I think Ulmark would have liked the first one from Matthews back but he is still an elite goal scorer and his shot can find the holes. Grade F 

Player of the Game: This is an old story but once again Brad Marchand was the best and most consistent player on the ice all night. Was it his best game, no but he was in on both scoring plays and was visible on the ice trying to get this team back into the game. 

Last Thoughts:  This team is in a state of flux. The team showed once again last night after the late goal by Pasta, what it can do when it took over the game. Granted no team will ever dominate from start to finish in this league but that effort is what you want to see more of. The D had a really bad night. Blown coverage, poor communication, missed assignments, etc...  Forbort, Reilly, Clifton, and Grzelcyk had really weak nights and even Carlo plus McAvoy were not on either. Plus the forwards are underperforming. Haula has 1 assist, Smith has zero points, DeBrusk just 2 goals, Coyle had one big game and has been his inconsistent self, the 4th line cannot score and even though Pasta scored last night, he still looks off and is the weak link on the top line. The fact that Brad has figured in over 50% of all the Bruins goals tells you how good he is but also is very concerning.