Bruins 2022-23

[maust]

 

[captain stone]

Never should've gone to OT anyway... Hurricanes' first goal is ALL on Nosek... Not clearing the puck because of his lazy ass is In-ex-****ing-scusable... He & Coyle make a Terrible PK forward unit, but Bergeron & Marchand can't do it all.

 

[maust]

In the good news/bad news dept, reports have Forbort close to returning. That's very good news for the PK which has dropped off considerably in his absence (from 1st to 20th). The bad news is the B's don't currently have the cap room to add him to the roster. While he was on LTIR the room his exempted salary provided was used up by McAvoy's activation. Obviously the hope was Mike Reilly (he of the $3M cap hit) would be claimed when he was waived. No one bit so it appears the only way to get his salary off the books is to include an asset of genuine value.

No doubt there are other moves that can be made but they'd probably be of the band-aid variety.

 

[captain stone]

In the good news/bad news dept, reports have Forbort close to returning. That's very good news for the PK which has dropped off considerably in his absence (from 1st to 20th). The bad news is the B's don't currently have the cap room to add him to the roster. While he was on LTIR the room his exempted salary provided was used up by McAvoy's activation. Obviously the hope was Mike Reilly (he of the $3M cap hit) would be claimed when he was waived. No one bit so it appears the only way to get his salary off the books is to include an asset of genuine value.

No doubt there are other moves that can be made but they'd probably be of the band-aid variety.

Don't know all the intricacies of the NHL salary cap... But would it help if they sh!t-canned Greer & Stralman? Those two dudes suck anyway.

 

[maust]

Don't know all the intricacies of the NHL salary cap... But would it help if they sh!t-canned Greer & Stralman? Those two dudes suck anyway.

No cap relief to be had from releasing either of them, salaries are guaranteed and even if they weren't the two of them are on essentially min deals. Together they don't amount to much more than half what they'd need for Forbort. He is however making about what Reilly is. No one is taking Reilly's contract without a hella sweetener though. They'll have to do something, I'm curious to see what it will be. Greer is an adequate taxi guy, he comes cheap and at least he doesn't hurt them while he's out there. Stralman was a neccesary evil to start the season but you're right, he sucks.

Edit: Apparently Stralman's contract ,while guaranteed as far as his pay goes, is structured in such a way that waiving him for the purpose of reassignment made his cap number available at the NHL level. It won't get the B's to EOY but it provides room for now.

 

[maust]

Lindholm-McAvoy? NGL, putting those two together under regular circumstances is surprising to me. I could see it if you were down a couple or needed a spark because the team was playing flat but as a regular pairing it seems as though it makes the pairings rather top heavy.

 

[captain stone]

Lindholm-McAvoy? NGL, putting those two together under regular circumstances is surprising to me. I could see it if you were down a couple or needed a spark because the team was playing flat but as a regular pairing it seems as though it makes the pairings rather top heavy.

Yeah I don't know why the HC continues to feel the need to constantly juggle pairings.

Norbert/Lil'Z - Charlie Mac
Lindholm - Cliffie
Grizzle - Carlo
(Reilly & Stralman as top backups in Providence)

Seems pretty simple to me.

 

[captain stone]

Aside from that, last night was a great win for Swayman vs the Wales conference champs... Gives him & the team confidence that it can continue this roll with either net-minder... Next up: the defending Champeens themselves on Saturday... Should be a good one.

I love the ZsaZsa - Erik Haula trade, and our 2nd-line combo with him, Krejci & Pasternak... But I sure wish he had a little better touch around the net, because he does everything else really, really well... He'd have at least a half-dozen goals already...

 

[maust]

Yeah I don't know why the HC continues to feel the need to constantly juggle pairings.

Norbert/Lil'Z - Charlie Mac
Lindholm - Cliffie
Grizzle - Carlo
(Reilly & Stralman as top backups in Providence)

Seems pretty simple to me.

I can see some juggling under certain game/match up conditions but it seems a bit much beyond that.

NGL, I've been impressed with the growth in Carlo's game this season. Cliffie has always shown flashes of what his game could be so I can't say his play has been a surprise this year but the change in the way the D is pushing offense has made the pairing with Lindholm unlock something for him. Grzelcyk's game is reliant on speed and puck handling, it's a shame he and Forbort play the same side otherwise they'd be a great fit. I do think Carlo's game may be held in check a bit by a pairing with Grzelcyk as he just doesn't have the physicality that would make Carlo more comfortable taking worthwhile chances. Forbort-Carlo is a serious shut down combo I'd like to see consistently employed against opponents with a strong to the puck 3rd line. In any case, with those 6 guys in front of him Zboril shouldn't be seeing the ice with the varsity anytime soon.

No matter what, other than situational match ups anything that takes Cliffie away from LIndholm for an extended time is not good as far as I'm concerned.

Lindhiolm has been a revelation this year, definitely hit his post trade stride. With him and McAvoy on the roster the team has two legit '1' defensemen in their primes. While they give the B's a flexibility few teams are lucky enough to have it doesn't follow that flexibility requires applying. Montgomery has shown he has a talent for putting his players in a position to succeed. I think it is evident Grzelcyk's most consistent game is found in his pairing with McAvoy, not sure what the coach might be seeing differently.

 

[maust]

Aside from that, last night was a great win for Swayman vs the Wales conference champs... Gives him & the team confidence that it can continue this roll with either net-minder... Next up: the defending Champeens themselves on Saturday... Should be a good one.

I love the ZsaZsa - Erik Haula trade, and our 2nd-line combo with him, Krejci & Pasternak... But I sure wish he had a little better touch around the net, because he does everything else really, really well... He'd have at least a half-dozen goals already...

No doubt the dude is just snake bit right now. I have to believe the dam will break and the points will come, he's playing too well for them not to

 

[maust]

The Keystone Cops moment in last night's game when Foligno ran into McAvoy and cost Boston the only goal they gave up made me think of the Pats. Specifically about how what we've seen this season from New England is the antithesis of what t we'd come to take for granted from our football team in the past. Excepting that near comic fluke moment last night where they screwed up and it cost them, the B's have been playing as close to mistake free hockey as the game allows for. Consistently smart and responsible play, the kind that quietly but inexorably puts an ever building pressure on their opponent to match it until they eventually self destruct and beat themselves. They each do their job and play intelligent, disciplined hockey. You know, like what Patriot Football used to be.

There's no small irony in the B's sitting at the top of the NHL simply by being the smartest team on the ice night after night with essentially the same cast as last season plus Krecji. While at the same time what used to be the smartest team in football is at the bottom of their division playing the straight up dumbest mistake filled football of their past 30 years. I can accept hard fought losses. I'm a Pats fan of a certain age, unlike the younger portion of the fan base we've seen our share of losses. I have to admit though, in my own way and without realizing it I'd become spoiled too. The Pats play this century, win or lose, had me convinced stupid football was a thing of the past in New England. Turns out...not so much.

 

[Boston Boxer]

Tough to be critical of this team so far since they are obviously a top team in the entire league. Hate to lose last nights game with Bruce Cassidy coming to town in a game you know he wanted to win. Swayman was terrible and they might need to find another back-up because i don't think he is ready. He looked promising last year but doesn't show me any improvement so far this year IMO

 

[captain stone]

Tough to be critical of this team so far since they are obviously a top team in the entire league. Hate to lose last nights game with Bruce Cassidy coming to town in a game you know he wanted to win. Swayman was terrible and they might need to find another back-up because i don't think he is ready. He looked promising last year but doesn't show me any improvement so far this year IMO

Agreed... My trade deadline wish list still includes a top-6/7 RH Defenceman & a penalty-killing RW who isn't a complete idiot around the net; now I'm including a 1B-caliber Goaltender as well... Linus can't do this by himself...

 

[captain stone]

1B has now moved to the Top of my list.

Jeremy Gayman is dead to me. ****ing Dead.

That was Puuka Ralf sh!t he pulled last night.

And to lose to that ****ing disgraceful, illegitimate, slap-in-the-face-of-every-REAL-hockey-fan franchise was the Last Straw.

 

[maust]

1B has now moved to the Top of my list.

Jeremy Gayman is dead to me. ****ing Dead.

That was Puuka Ralf sh!t he pulled last night.

And to lose to that ****ing disgraceful, illegitimate, slap-in-the-face-of-every-REAL-hockey-fan franchise was the Last Straw.

Sometimes I get concerned for my good Captain's well being, what with all you keep bottled up inside.

 

[maust]

No Krecji, no problem. The Bruins shuffled their lines and still managed to return the 'favor' against Vegas last night, winning in their building after they took the one in ours. Standard recipe, good goal tending and getting after it with scoring depth. The B's continue to be the best 3rd period club in hockey.

 

[captain stone]

Now that's what a professional Goal-Tender looks like.

 

[maust]

The great philisophical goal tending query, would you rather be good, lucky or good n lucky?

 

[captain stone]

The great philisophical goal tending query, would you rather be good, lucky or good n lucky?

Great save there... I think, maybe, that Cliffie got a piece of the puck while it was on the ice, and that caused it to pop in the air for Norbert... If the last shot had gone top corner, I don't know if King Linus could've reached-up high enough for it...

At the other end of the ice, that poor dude seemed to allow 3-4 of the Bs' goals to go right under his armpits, the 6-Hole as Brickley called it...

 

[maust]

At the other end of the ice, that poor dude seemed to allow 3-4 of the Bs' goals to go right under his armpits, the 6-Hole as Brickley called it...

FL looked a bit like the B's of the past couple of years last night. Handing out more hits than their opponent and pumping out a high volume of lower percentage shots.