2022-23 Playoffs; The Quest for The Cup

[sb1]

I’d like to hear some draft takes today but local sports talk will be unlistenable.

 

[PP2]

No. Maybe closer to 2010 but we’re not rivals with the Panthers like the Jete.

I don't know about that. 2007 was a real heartbreaker but at least we didn't go out in the first round in an epic collapse; we were 2 freak plays away from perfection.

 

[Steve102]

This whole series I’ve never seen a team so bad at moving the puck out of their own zone. Andy Brinkley said it best, the best pass at moving the puck out of their zone tonight was by Swayman, that says it all.

I am no student of the game, but it seems to me that they had too many turnovers in their own zone. I don't know why they always feel the need to pass the puck all cute when they simply could carry it out. Florida always managed to get in the passing lanes, so props to them. It felt to me that Florida was better coached on that aspect of it, better scouting dept. I'd like to hear @maust weigh in.

 

[sambam94]

goalies let them don Ullmark was horrible, Swayman played Ok, but first goal was soft and tying goal was tipped yes, but he didn't get to his right fast enough. Florida's game was dump and chase and it wore the Bruins down. Very rarely did you see a Florida player carry the puck over the blue line, all dump in and fetch in the corners. Not pretty to watch. I feel this was just a bad match up for the Bruins.

 

[sambam94]

I’d like to hear some draft takes today but local sports talk will be unlistenable.

when isn't it?

 

[borg]

I went to the B's/Panthers game in March (B's lost in final seconds of this away game) and Florida pushed Boston around all night. The Panthers owned the boards in Boston's zone that night and the B's D strategy was no different in this playoff series...Rope-A-Dope.
Yes, Boston has plenty of skilled players who thrive in space but unfortunately shrink during the unrelenting physical battles of playoff hockey.
Take a look at the plus minus stats of the Boston "stars"
Yes, they score but Florida scored more with them on the ice

Boston Bruins 2023-24 NHL Regular Season Skating Stats - ESPN

Full Skating stats for the 2023-24 Regular Season Boston Bruins on ESPN. Includes team leaders in goals, points, assists, penalty minutes and plus/minus.

www.espn.com

Pasternak is the finesse-player poster boy....a one trick pony (sniper) who rarely battled for loose pucks, and when he did, almost always lost.
Marchand had a great offensive series but the diminutive one is a major liability defensively

A team built to score in the minimal contact regular season....but physically flawed in the post season.
Most disturbing to me in these 7 games and so completely evident in the final minute (5 v 5) of the 3rd when FL tied it up was the D strategy of simply trying to absorb shots (like their penalty kill). It was their undoing in several of these games.
I watched 70-75 regular season games and it was abundantly clear Boston was vulnerable to grinding hockey, especially in the final month, so this Florida result was not surprising.
My final take away: As great as Montgomery was in the regular season, he maintained the Rope-A-Dope defensive philosophy in their zone that Cassidy deployed and Florida exploited it just like St Louis did a few years ago.

Hats off to Bertuzzi....a hell of an acquisition and perfect playoff addition.
Shrinkage awards: Ulmark, Lindholm (0 points), McAvoy (who seemed to live in the penalty box), and Pasta who simply is irrelevant unless on the tail end of a pass in the slot.

This blows!!
Now what do I watch on TV at night?
The C's ?
The Sux?
Serenity now

 

[sambam94]

I went to the B's/Panthers game in March (B's lost in final seconds of this away game) and Florida pushed Boston around all night. The Panthers owned the boards in Boston's zone that night and the B's D strategy was no different in this playoff series...Rope-A-Dope.
Yes, Boston has plenty of skilled players who thrive in space but unfortunately shrink during the unrelenting physical battles of playoff hockey.
Take a look at the plus minus stats of the Boston "stars"
Yes, they score but Florida scored more with them on the ice

Boston Bruins 2023-24 NHL Regular Season Skating Stats - ESPN

Full Skating stats for the 2023-24 Regular Season Boston Bruins on ESPN. Includes team leaders in goals, points, assists, penalty minutes and plus/minus.

www.espn.com

Pasternak is the finesse-player poster boy....a one trick pony (sniper) who rarely battled for loose pucks, and when he did, almost always lost.
Marchand had a great offensive series but the diminutive one is a major liability defensively

A team built to score in the minimal contact regular season....but physically flawed in the post season.
Most disturbing to me in these 7 games and so completely evident in the final minute (5 v 5) of the 3rd when FL tied it up was the D strategy of simply trying to absorb shots (like their penalty kill). It was their undoing in several of these games.
I watched 70-75 regular season games and it was abundantly clear Boston was vulnerable to grinding hockey, especially in the final month, so this Florida result was not surprising.
My final take away: As great as Montgomery was in the regular season, he maintained the Rope-A-Dope defensive philosophy in their zone that Cassidy deployed and Florida exploited it just like St Louis did a few years ago.

Hats off to Bertuzzi....a hell of an acquisition and perfect playoff addition.
Shrinkage awards: Ulmark, Lindholm (0 points), McAvoy (who seemed to live in the penalty box), and Pasta who simply is irrelevant unless on the tail end of a pass in the slot.

This blows!!
Now what do I watch on TV at night?
The C's ?
The Sux?
Serenity now

agreed, very similar to the St Louis series. Hard to believe they lost 3 out of 4 at home.(last 3 in a row)

 

[RobertWeathers]

I feel like my dog died.

So freaking frustrating how a team can play so masterfully in it's own end all season and look like the worst team in the NHL for 7 games straight.

 

[PaulNEPats]

Ully clearly didn’t have it and Swayman should’ve started game 6 instead of putting him in cold for a game 7. Better yet, stick with the platoon that won you 65 games in the regular season.

McAvoy was brutal last night, and really all series. Same with Lindholm. “Playoff Pasta” also leaves a lot to be desired.

Now this team is effed for the foreseeable future. With Bergy and Krejci likely retiring, no cap space, and lack of draft capital, it could be some dark days ahead.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Ully clearly didn’t have it and Swayman should’ve started game 6 instead of putting him in cold for a game 7. Better yet, stick with the platoon that won you 65 games in the regular season.

McAvoy was brutal last night, and really all series. Same with Lindholm. “Playoff Pasta” also leaves a lot to be desired.

Now this team is effed for the foreseeable future. With Bergy and Krejci likely retiring, no cap space, and lack of draft capital, it could be some dark days ahead.

I don't know about dark days but as legit Cup contender that is certainly in question. They still have some very good players on the wing and on D but as you highlight are losing a ton of talent this offseason because they can't afford to keep it.

You never know though.....As we've just seen a team can suck during the reg season and turn it on in the playoffs just as likely a GOAT reg season team can poop its pants in it's own end for 7 games straight.

 

[maust]

I am no student of the game, but it seems to me that they had too many turnovers in their own zone. I don't know why they always feel the need to pass the puck all cute when they simply could carry it out. Florida always managed to get in the passing lanes, so props to them. It felt to me that Florida was better coached on that aspect of it, better scouting dept. I'd like to hear @maust weigh in.

I'm gonna need a day or two my friend

 

[Steve102]

I don't know about dark days but as legit Cup contender that is certainly in question. They still have some very good players on the wing and on D but as you highlight are losing a ton of talent this offseason because they can't afford to keep it.

You never know though.....As we've just seen a team can suck during the reg season and turn it on in the playoffs just as likely a GOAT reg season team can poop its pants in it's own end for 7 games straight.

Looking forward, I like Hall and Bertuzzi. I like Bertuzzi a lot. Pasta seemed to disappear, so that's disappointing. It's unfortunate, but they just got beat by that lowest seed, so guess looking ahead, anything is possible.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Looking forward, I like Hall and Bertuzzi. I like Bertuzzi a lot. Pasta seemed to disappear, so that's disappointing. It's unfortunate, but they just got beat by that lowest seed, so guess looking ahead, anything is possible.

A lot of players disappeared. Very disappointing.

 

[Sect140]

Again I’ve never seen a team struggle so much moving the puck out of their own end, as someone mentioned already why they didn’t start having one player skate the puck out of their own end, isn’t that supposed to be Grzlyck and McAvoy’s strength? One time in the third I believe Marchand came down from the forward position picked up the puck with speed behind the net ( I thought finally) as he approached the blue line he passes across the ice to Carlo who immediately turns the puck over. After the game Montgomery said that’s on him not being able to get the team to move the puck North.

including the playoffs the B’s lost 21 games this season, six of those losses were to the Panther’s.

Pasta was a no show the first five games. Speaking of no show’s, Lindholm was awful for seven games, we are paying him a lot of money not to fold in the playoffs.

Does either Bergeron or Krejdi return next season? Krejci seemed to play OK last couple games, Bergeron, if he does his playing time needs to be reduced. No one is a bigger Bergeron fan than I am but the B’s seem to have played better without the two in the line up the first few games.

 

[bormio]

A lot of players disappeared. Very disappointing.

Boston keeps getting out-physicalled in the playoffs. There is no Chara or Lucic anymore. Bertuzzi was a great pickup but not enough. We have not seen the Big, Bad Bruins in a while. Our forwards are mostly on the slight side - even Gretzky was paired with Messier.

 

[borg]

Again I’ve never seen a team struggle so much moving the puck out of their own end

This!

After game 1 when Boston kept turning the puck over in front of their goalie, the B's became one dimensional with a singular strategy of clearing up the boards.... and Florida knew what was coming and simply occupied the perimeter to their advantage.
And lets give the Panthers credit, they convincingly won the battle of the boards. At times it seemed FL won every loose puck.
And the Tkachuk signing was massive and allowed Florida to transition from their formerly wide open (Bruins-like) style last season to the more physical playoff style they integrated into this season. He was +5 with 5 G/6A.

In an earlier post I described Boston's D zone strategy as Rope-A-Dope.
Using Patriots terminology we all grew too accustomed to during a few of the Patriots' defensively challenging seasons, the B's D was Bend 'N Break ....aka.....soft zone.....just wilting in the final minutes of close games

 

[aluminum seats]

Damn. More bummed about this than I thought I'd be.

Say this about Boston sports, we don't do anything halfway. Titles and heartbreak. As Zevon said, I'd rather feel bad then feel nothing at all

 

[Guts]

So 07 was obviously more devastating, but this is a bigger choke job

 

[The Brandon Five]

A team built to score in the minimal contact regular season....but physically flawed in the post season.

Yeah, it works when they are calling penalties. Stops working in the postseason when they "let them play" (i.e. trip, hold, spear, cross-check, interfere).

 

[maust]

Bruins... just... it's like a death in the extended family and not that a-hole uncle or dumbass cousin or some other in-law / outlaw circumstances or a cruel fate stuck you with but one you loved and were proud of