Bruins 2015-2016

[captain stone]

Best game of the season from Goose. That was a well-earned OT win.
The one vs Panthers, not as much.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Team is getting better and better...and at the right time of the year. 4-0-1 since deadline against playoff teams. Now they only have 1 home game in 3 weeks...and that i am fine with because they are better on the road

 

[Rhodey]

This team has frustrated me all year, but they stayed above the .500 mark and in the mix. They frustrate me because they can be better and win, as opposed to not being able to reach the bar altogether. And this lends a lot of credence to the team and what I believe they might achieve.

What I don't like:
- The attitude for home games; sitting back too often; letting the home fans down more than they might/should have. Was it the dark sweaters? They have finally brought it to the somewhat respectable .500 level. This must improve...and not next year.
- Losing some of that zing on the power-play. Nuff said. Overall, it's been too good to beat up. However, it would be nice to have that going for the play-offs.

What I like:
+ That this team has been able to consistently score. They've been one of the best offensive teams all year long.
+ They've got a lot of guys who can score; is spread out really well. Compare their lineup to other teams offensively, and the B's are hard to criticise.
+ The move(s) they did not make and the ones they made at the trade deadline. OK, the team was generous with the draft picks, but Stemphouse and Liles aren't slugs. And they might have been a few of the best moves the team might have made...a 1st line RW and a top-4 D-man without subtracting players. And they have all of their top picks, prospects et al. This team has turned right around with the presence of two veterans; one at each needed position. It was almost as if the team was still enduring a Milan Lucic and Dougey Hamilton hangover. Give the team some credit for leaving the proverbial door/position open for some of their prospects. What great opportunities.
+ Having 4 lines, again. I really like Ferraro and would love to see Connolly blossom. And has anyone else noticed how difficult it is to watch/listen to a (recent) B's game and not take not of Noel Acciari's play? Even if he's not scoring, he seems to find ways to chip in.
+ Claude Julien

Where do I think this is all going? Right now, the B's have as good a shot as any other team, besides WAS. But they played them pretty well last time. Perhaps, someone else will knock WAS out? We'll see. And they have a lot of pieces in place for the future. If some of these prospects can blossom, the team will really excel. For this year's run, we have a team that can score. Say anything you want about this team, but they can score. And that's exciting. Teams that can also play defense are positioned well. This team got off to a horrible defensive start. It was ugly! Ergo, the defensive stats were affected by such a poor performance in the short-term. Offensively, our lines score more than most teams- check the stats for yourselves. Marchand will hit 35 any game now; Bergy is closing in on 30, and so it Louie. Having 3 30-goal guys is huge. Now, ad a few 20-goal scorers and a couple at 15. Not many teams have that. Even WAS stats are a bit deceptive with Ovechkin getting so many by himself. The bottom line: the B's can score. Can Rask get hot AND can the team play well defensively? Yes. Will they? Your call.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

If Bs can get past 1st round..they can make some noise

 

[Rhodey]

WOW! The play-off positioning is really tight this year. Positions 2-6 range from 84 to 86 points! And PIT weighs in at #7 with 80. (Please be reminded that they lost Malkin; out for a few months). And what has also happened is that the teams that are chasing the B's have closed the gap in the games played (GP) column. A few days, ago, the 3-4 teams chasing the B's had 2-4 games in hand; could easily pass them with a win or two. As of this post, 3 of the teams that chase the B's have played 69 games; the NYI have only played 67 to the B's 70 game, to date. And this is important, as the B's need to keep winning; cannot afford to lose a few whilst the teams that are chasing add many more points...will quickly find themselves in position 6-8.

And the B's play a lot of road games to finish the season. But they've been one of the best road teams in the league. In fact, let's tie that into tonight's game against SJS. Has anyone else noticed that the only other team that mimics the B's home/away record this year is San Jose? They are 13-15-3 at home; 25-9-3 away. It would be big to kick of the road trip with a win and 2 points.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

was rough...I am picking the Ducks to win the west and i have seen a lot of their games this year. Such a physical game they play. That team is GOOD

 

[captain stone]

Looks like the Ruins are who we thought they were: pretenders.

Zero fecking points. Z-E-R-O.

What a fecking disgrace.

 

[Rhodey]

As of right now (i.e. 3/21/2016), the B's are in a position to not make the play-offs for the 2nd year in a row.

All 3 of the teams that are chasing them- PHI, DET and NYI -have at least 1 game in hand. Of course, PHI is one of the hottest teams in the league right now. Don't expect them to not be there. The NYI have 2 games in hand and are only 1 point behind the B's. Ergo, if these 3 teams win their game(s) in hand, the B's will be tied for the last spot with PHI; DET missing out by a point. Of course, the season does not stop at 73 games. The log-jam between position 2 and 9 will be sorted out by playing them all out. If the B's want to play soft going down the stretch...that "well, the other team got off to a quick start, but we played well for the rest of the game...just came up short" style, then they will go home early.

And the B's schedule to finish up is not an easy one. They play several top teams...FLA, NYR, STL, CHI, DET and OTT. Note: I listed OTT, as they play wel against BOS, and did last year, at this time. Here's hopin' they can pick up some points against TOR and the 2 CAR games. If they squander those 6 points and call tough starts against the rest, they could easily come up short. And this will fall into place very quickly...couple of "tough" losses with the rest quietly passing the town team...finding themselves in "must win" positions just to finish the season.

The B's play their last 3 games of the regular season at home. Honestly, I'm not sure if that's good or bad. The B's have been one of the worst teams in the league at home this year- go figure! And the fans do not deserve this after not even making the play-offs last year. In my opinion, this "it's OK to be soft at home" attitude this year is just plain unacceptable! NO, you cannot play soft at home. NO, the fans do not accept it or like it. What's wrong with playing 60 minutes and protecting your home turf?

Anyway, that's where we are, right now...the teams behind us having games in hand and close to being nixed out if things continue the way they are currently going.

And I'm not claiming they will not make the play-offs, not that they should not. Rather, I am simply pointing out that unless this team turns it around RIGHT NOW, they might very well come up short, again, this year. We'll see...

 

[Rhodey]

If Bs can get past 1st round..they can make some noise

First, they have to get into the play-offs. They are in serious danger of not making it the second year in a row. (Check my last post; one before this one.) Once they've all played 73 games, the B's might be tied for the last spot; 1 point ahead of the 9th place team. Of course, they have to play them all, which might not work well for BOS; last 3 at home...one of the worst home teams in the league this year.

Are the B's going to show some character, or are they going to take some more periods/games off and go home early, again, this year?

Well, see...

 

[meatface]

Nobody in the east or west other than the caps looks good and we all know Washington will lose in the first or second round

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

gotta W vs rangers

 

[captain stone]

Nobody in the east or west other than the caps looks good and we all know Washington will lose in the first or second round

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk

I don't think they'll lose so early this time.

 

[Rhodey]

I don't think they'll lose so early this time.

Right now, it is looking like they will be battling out the final (i.e. #8) spot with DET. Anticipate the NYI (with 3 games in hand and only 1 point behind the B's) to pass them. PHI- one of the hottest teams in the league right now -is a pair of games behind; need to make up 3 points to tie BOS at 86 points.

Put simply, the B's cannot afford and more markdowns in the L column. It's that simple. If they lose a few more, they will surely be watching and hoping that other teams lose in order to make the grade...sneak into the 8th slot for a date with WAS.

In a nutshell: BOS does not have the luxury of working out a losing streak, now. The B's have played 74 games; more than the rest. Ergo, there is NO MORE WIGGLE ROOM! None. Zero. Zippo. It's all gone. They used it all up.

Every period this team takes off could cost a game. And every game they take off...will have to hope someone else wins for them. And, yes, this is the part of the season where those "bad/soft" games come back to bite them...truth is bitter, and sometimes a biter.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Broke my remote tonight on that no goal call....yup

 

[captain insano]

im starting to think rodger goodell is controlling the nhl refs. how the hell was that not a goal.

 

[Deus Irae]

They wasted draft capital on trades that were designed only to make the team's owner a little money by getting the team into the playoffs, and now it looks as if that might not even happen.

Yeah, Chiarelli started the dumpster fire, but the new crew isn't helping much in the short term, and they foolishly weakened their chances for the long term.

 

[Rhodey]

im starting to think rodger goodell is controlling the nhl refs. how the hell was that not a goal.

I agree. It was a goal. However, how does that change the way the team responded? Good teams respond (i.e. come back). Teams that believe they can keep "getting away" with losing AT HOME do not. Who on this board can tell me that this year's team has not gotten used to losing at home? It's as though...it's acceptable. Having a losing record AT HOME, whilst the team is many games over .500 is almost...disrespectful to the home fans. It's like saying....we know you guys are going to pay anyway and love us, so it's no big deal. (That's what it says to me.) FYI: the only other team with a record like BOS this year is SJS, who just kicked their butts last week on their home ice. Please be reminded that the San Francisco Bay Area is most certainly not like the BOS area in regards to hockey (and winter sports). In fact, the Sharks compete with festivals and many other activities that most prefer over hockey and sports in general.

Personally, I'm already disgusted...believe I watched too many games this year...wasted my time. The team would rattle of a winning streak and then a losing streak...fall right back to where they were...middle of the pack; unable to beat most teams that are going to the play-offs and oft getting beaten AT HOME by sub-par teams. And the excuses from the establishment are always the same...well, we got off to a slow start, but played well for the rest of the game. YOO-HOO! And it did not carry over to the next game? Get it? If the quality of play is good, then it's going to carry over to the first period of the next game. And these guys know that! Aside from a handful of games- that most teams experience -the quality of play has been horrendous.

The big surprise this year has been the ability to put the puck in the net, but that has come at the expense of letting it in, as well. In the past, when the B's would bring up a d-man, that player would usually stick and do well. They must have given playing time to 3-4 players this year who are trying to break through...none of them seemed to work out...really bizarre. In fact, not one of them could keep a spot, so the team had to go out an trade draft picks to rent 1 player who might. And talk about missed opportunities!

 

[captain insano]

the problem is the owners are too close to the president of hockey operations cam neely. and he's too close to the GM his buddy don Sweeney. that makes the front office very dysfunctional.

 

[captain stone]

The really bad news here is that their defensive personnel, as a group, is one of the worst in the league, especially among those teams in PO contention.
Krug & McQuaid is a good #3 pairing; as a #1 pairing, they are exposed.
Chara & Game-Killer Kevin Miller have no mobility, and Chara's once-feared slap shot has been replaced by a never-feared wrister.
Seidenberg & Liles are possibly the worst pairing in hockey.
Meanwhile, Colin Miller & Joe Morrow, who offer youth, speed and a hope for a future, languish in Providence and the press box instead of gaining valuable experience in NHL action during what will soon enough prove to be a transitional season without another PO appearance.
Stupid, stupid Ruins.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I agree. It was a goal. However, how does that change the way the team responded?

It was a huge part..after that call you could see the life sucked out of them. 2 nights in a row it happened. Anyone on any team would feel their hearts ripped out after that one. Fans throwing things on the ice. Players and coaches knew it was a goal and yeah do we as fans sit and go "still have to go out and play after?" Of course. But being in that situation as a player..when you are playing for your playoff lives. That 1 call absolutely killed them. We see it all the time in the NBA and NFL..NHL..even good teams 1 call that is awful can change the outcome because it changes the teams perception on the game at times. Especially when you sit on the bench for 6 min during the review saying. Yeah this is a no brainer..then that happens...

WHen you get Bergy to swear..you know you are ****** as a team