Where do you start with last night's game against the Penguins? The way the NESN crew gushed about Crosby in the opening, or that given the B's place in the standings and how well they have played all season how little excitement they showed for the home team? The Crosby and Malkin show in the first period? Or the complete meltdown of the Bruins team defense? The not one, but two fights between Chara and and Laroque, or that for all the dancing they did nobody truly landed a punch? Crosby's first fight and Gordie Howe hat trick, or his disappearing act in the 3rd period? The Bruins fighting back from 4-0 to tie the game late in the 3rd, or the way the Penguins collapsed? The huge saves Tim Thomas made to keep the Bruins in the game, or that he allowed goals on the first two shots in the shootout?
It was interesting, exciting, entertaining and yet... flawed.
For me, one play stands out even above all that. It was the Crosby goal in the 1st period. He crashes the net with Chara all over him, even lifting his stick. Yet somehow he powers his way to the goal anyhow, gets hist stick away from Chara's, and tips the puck into the net off from one of the most perfect passes I have ever seen. I've never been a true believer in Crosby, what with all the hype and how young he still is. But I am now. That wasn't a highlight reel all-skill goal, yet it will be burned into my memory.
Someone else who really impressed me with his play was PJ Axelsson. PJ is the kind of player the less observant fans tend to overlook, usually making a quiet string of great little plays rather than a few big ones. He's really come along in the last month or so, often making the key clear on the PK, and his forechecking improves with every game. Last night he was a force and difference maker all over the ice.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Flyers Get Warning
It's about time they did something. But one might ask why it took five player suspensions for this team in just 25 games to get the league's attention.The Flyers have been warned.
Another dangerous strike, another deliberate blow to the head of an opponent and more than just a player will be suspended. The NHL is prepared to take severe discipline against the franchise, such as a hefty fine, if another player needs to be punished for an illegal hit.
“Obviously, we’re under watch,” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said.
Bruins Report by the Numbers
After 24 games here are some cold numbers to judge the Bruins by:
6th -- the Bruin's power ranking based on statistics by TSN. Yes--you read that right. The Bruins are ranked as the number 6 team in the NHL.
4th -- the Bruins ranking in points in the Eastern conference once the points are adjusted for games in hand. They are basically tied for 4th place with Carolina, New Jersey, and Montreal. They are 1 point behind Philly, 2 points behind the Rangers, and 5 points behind Ottawa.
95 -- the Bruins projected number of points at the end of the season based on performance to date. This would have been good enough for 6th place in the conference and a playoff berth last year.
8th - the Bruins ranking in winning percentage.
3rd - the Bruins ranking in winning percentage when being outshot (thanks to Timmy).
7-2-1 -- the Bruins home record this season.
25 -- the number of assists Marc Savard has, which leads the league.
0.936 -- Tim Thomas' save percentage, which leads the league. That comes to allowing 10 goals out of every 156 shots, or 1 goal out of every 16. Timmy is currently ranked 4th in goaltenders by TSN and is the 10th ranked player overall.
6th -- the TSN ranking of Chara among NHL defensemen. He is ranked behind Pronger, but ahead of Phaneuf. Chara is 9th in the league in penalty minutes with 56. He has 18 minor penalties, 2 fighting majors, and 1 10-minute misconduct.
3-- the number of game winning goals by Glen Metropilit and Chuck Kobasew. There are 6 players with 4, Brad Boyes among them, and Jeremy Roenick leads the league with 5.
8th -- Kobasew's rank in shot percentage, hitting the back of the net 22.7% of the time. He is ranked 14th in the league in goals. Sturm is ranked 16th.
10 -- the plus/minus rating of Kobasew and Sturm. There are 9 players with better ratings in the NHL.
11th -- the Bruins power play ranking.
Ok, they can't all be good. Here are some of the low numbers:
25th-- the Bruins ranking in faceoff win percentage.
28th -- the Bruins ranking in penalty kill percentage.
4th -- the Bruins ranking in short handed goals against.
6th -- the Bruin's power ranking based on statistics by TSN. Yes--you read that right. The Bruins are ranked as the number 6 team in the NHL.
4th -- the Bruins ranking in points in the Eastern conference once the points are adjusted for games in hand. They are basically tied for 4th place with Carolina, New Jersey, and Montreal. They are 1 point behind Philly, 2 points behind the Rangers, and 5 points behind Ottawa.
95 -- the Bruins projected number of points at the end of the season based on performance to date. This would have been good enough for 6th place in the conference and a playoff berth last year.
8th - the Bruins ranking in winning percentage.
3rd - the Bruins ranking in winning percentage when being outshot (thanks to Timmy).
7-2-1 -- the Bruins home record this season.
25 -- the number of assists Marc Savard has, which leads the league.
0.936 -- Tim Thomas' save percentage, which leads the league. That comes to allowing 10 goals out of every 156 shots, or 1 goal out of every 16. Timmy is currently ranked 4th in goaltenders by TSN and is the 10th ranked player overall.
6th -- the TSN ranking of Chara among NHL defensemen. He is ranked behind Pronger, but ahead of Phaneuf. Chara is 9th in the league in penalty minutes with 56. He has 18 minor penalties, 2 fighting majors, and 1 10-minute misconduct.
3-- the number of game winning goals by Glen Metropilit and Chuck Kobasew. There are 6 players with 4, Brad Boyes among them, and Jeremy Roenick leads the league with 5.
8th -- Kobasew's rank in shot percentage, hitting the back of the net 22.7% of the time. He is ranked 14th in the league in goals. Sturm is ranked 16th.
10 -- the plus/minus rating of Kobasew and Sturm. There are 9 players with better ratings in the NHL.
11th -- the Bruins power play ranking.
Ok, they can't all be good. Here are some of the low numbers:
25th-- the Bruins ranking in faceoff win percentage.
28th -- the Bruins ranking in penalty kill percentage.
4th -- the Bruins ranking in short handed goals against.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Bruins Crush Flyers in Huge Hit From Behind
Last night the high-flying Flyers of Philly, with recent wins against Ottawa and Carolina under their belts, ran into a buzz saw called the Boston Bruins. The B's outplayed Philly in all areas of the game: hitting, fighting, passing, scoring, defense, and goaltending. The Bruins completely outclassed them. The Flyers, on the other hand, took cheap shots at Bruin players, one of which resulted in Andrew Alberts leaving the game with a head injury.
A class act the Flyers are not.
The sweetest sound I've heard in some time: the Philly fans booing their team while the Bruins dominated them in their own zone. Twice.
The sickest sound: a loud contingent of Philly fans booing as Andrew Alberts finally got to his feet after being knocked unconscious by a vicious illegal hit to the head.
A class act the Philly fans are not.
It's time the league sent a message about these reckless dangerous hits. If that wasn't clear to some people before last night, I hope it is now apparent. It is up to the coaches and ultimately the management to say to their players that these dangerous cheap shots are not to be tolerated. They have clearly failed to do this in Philly and they (the coaches and management) must be held accountable by the NHL before someone gets killed.
A class act the Flyers are not.
The sweetest sound I've heard in some time: the Philly fans booing their team while the Bruins dominated them in their own zone. Twice.
The sickest sound: a loud contingent of Philly fans booing as Andrew Alberts finally got to his feet after being knocked unconscious by a vicious illegal hit to the head.
A class act the Philly fans are not.
It's time the league sent a message about these reckless dangerous hits. If that wasn't clear to some people before last night, I hope it is now apparent. It is up to the coaches and ultimately the management to say to their players that these dangerous cheap shots are not to be tolerated. They have clearly failed to do this in Philly and they (the coaches and management) must be held accountable by the NHL before someone gets killed.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Adversity Strikes
I knew that the Bruins would face adversity sooner or later. It happens to all teams during the course of the season. I had simply hoped that it would come later, after they had built some confidence. But that was not meant to be. Adversity has come at the worst possible time: right as the Bruins are in the midst of a critical series of games against their division rivals.
The adversity? Major acquisition of the summer Manny Fernandez has been placed on IR . But he was playing poorly anyhow. Shawn Thornton, another summer acquisition, joins him. Arron Ward, one of the teams top blue-liners, is out with a concussion. And of course, worst of all, Partice Bergeron, who was called the "heart and soul of the team" by a teammate, is out indefinitely with a major concussion. Toss in the fact that out of their last four critical games there have been no wins and things look pretty bleak. The only thing that has gotten them this far has been effort, but can they keep that up without winning? I mean, they played very well against the league-leading Sens, but the bottom line is they lost both games. How long can they keep it up?
So where does that leave the team? Pretty much back where they were last year. I think of last year's Bruins in three separate phases. When the season began they were getting to know one another and their new coaches/system. They started horribly. Their goaltending was shaky at best. But they improved and eventually put together a good run. But a hockey season is a sort of race to see who can keep getting better, and the Bruins had peaked. The rest of the league passed them by and when that became obvious they collapsed. This is why I think people got the wrong impression about the team from looking at the stats. Looking at the stats for the entire season it is the last part that dominates (when the players had given up). Their defensive stats were terrible, and the goaltending stats were less than stellar. But forgetting for a moment the question of motivation when things go badly and the need to improve throughout the entire season (things that can be blamed on the coaching staff to a large extent), when I think about last year's team I think about that middle period when they were rolling. During that time they had spectacular goaltending, they played solid defense, and were able to win game after game by one goal. One goal. Often in overtime or the shootout. That's a very thin line between winning and losing and it was one they could not stay on the right side of forever.
So here we are with pretty much the same team: excellent goaltending, very good defense, but they can't score! Once again we have PJ on the top line. Just as last year, time and again they hold the other team to 1-2 goals and still manage to lose. Their forecheck improved this year (Bergeron's in particular, and PJ has been improving a lot), but it isn't enough.
I said over the summer that my number one wish for the Bruins was that they could establish just one strong scoring line. I felt that with a left-shooting power forward to go with Savvy and Muzz, they had the chance to have one of the most productive scoring lines in the league. Who knows, maybe Muzz would have come out flat anyhow. Or maybe some new blood would have brought him back into form. We'll never know for sure. I just wish Chiarelli had seen it my way and spent the Fenandez cap space on a power forward. If this team scores 3-4 goals per game it is juggernaut. At 1-2 goals per game it is barely holding on, and heaven forbid that something happens to Thomas, because he's the only thing keeping them from being blown out 4-1 every time.
There is so much right about this team. They have huge talent and play hard for their coach, but they don't seem to have the right mix of players. The only hope I see for this team this year is to somehow acquire a forward that will get them scoring again. And you watch, Chiarelli will soon be claiming that the Bruins need help up front. But even with the cap space due to the players on IR, doing so at this point in the season would seem rather difficult. It would have been so much easier last summer.
I hope that Bergeron cames back this season and can play up to his potential. I expect that Fernandez will eventually get it together, although goaltenders can be really hard to figure. We've seen goaltendeers walz into town before only to see their career end. I am sure that Muzz will break out of his scoring slump. Muzz is in fact playing well, he's just not scoring.
But will any of that be enough? Will I be pleasantly surprised to discover that this team has the will to fight through the adversity and start winning again? The last time the coach complained they weren't scoring they answered with a five goal game, so who knows? Time will tell. But it doesn't look so good right now...
The adversity? Major acquisition of the summer Manny Fernandez has been placed on IR . But he was playing poorly anyhow. Shawn Thornton, another summer acquisition, joins him. Arron Ward, one of the teams top blue-liners, is out with a concussion. And of course, worst of all, Partice Bergeron, who was called the "heart and soul of the team" by a teammate, is out indefinitely with a major concussion. Toss in the fact that out of their last four critical games there have been no wins and things look pretty bleak. The only thing that has gotten them this far has been effort, but can they keep that up without winning? I mean, they played very well against the league-leading Sens, but the bottom line is they lost both games. How long can they keep it up?
So where does that leave the team? Pretty much back where they were last year. I think of last year's Bruins in three separate phases. When the season began they were getting to know one another and their new coaches/system. They started horribly. Their goaltending was shaky at best. But they improved and eventually put together a good run. But a hockey season is a sort of race to see who can keep getting better, and the Bruins had peaked. The rest of the league passed them by and when that became obvious they collapsed. This is why I think people got the wrong impression about the team from looking at the stats. Looking at the stats for the entire season it is the last part that dominates (when the players had given up). Their defensive stats were terrible, and the goaltending stats were less than stellar. But forgetting for a moment the question of motivation when things go badly and the need to improve throughout the entire season (things that can be blamed on the coaching staff to a large extent), when I think about last year's team I think about that middle period when they were rolling. During that time they had spectacular goaltending, they played solid defense, and were able to win game after game by one goal. One goal. Often in overtime or the shootout. That's a very thin line between winning and losing and it was one they could not stay on the right side of forever.
So here we are with pretty much the same team: excellent goaltending, very good defense, but they can't score! Once again we have PJ on the top line. Just as last year, time and again they hold the other team to 1-2 goals and still manage to lose. Their forecheck improved this year (Bergeron's in particular, and PJ has been improving a lot), but it isn't enough.
I said over the summer that my number one wish for the Bruins was that they could establish just one strong scoring line. I felt that with a left-shooting power forward to go with Savvy and Muzz, they had the chance to have one of the most productive scoring lines in the league. Who knows, maybe Muzz would have come out flat anyhow. Or maybe some new blood would have brought him back into form. We'll never know for sure. I just wish Chiarelli had seen it my way and spent the Fenandez cap space on a power forward. If this team scores 3-4 goals per game it is juggernaut. At 1-2 goals per game it is barely holding on, and heaven forbid that something happens to Thomas, because he's the only thing keeping them from being blown out 4-1 every time.
There is so much right about this team. They have huge talent and play hard for their coach, but they don't seem to have the right mix of players. The only hope I see for this team this year is to somehow acquire a forward that will get them scoring again. And you watch, Chiarelli will soon be claiming that the Bruins need help up front. But even with the cap space due to the players on IR, doing so at this point in the season would seem rather difficult. It would have been so much easier last summer.
I hope that Bergeron cames back this season and can play up to his potential. I expect that Fernandez will eventually get it together, although goaltenders can be really hard to figure. We've seen goaltendeers walz into town before only to see their career end. I am sure that Muzz will break out of his scoring slump. Muzz is in fact playing well, he's just not scoring.
But will any of that be enough? Will I be pleasantly surprised to discover that this team has the will to fight through the adversity and start winning again? The last time the coach complained they weren't scoring they answered with a five goal game, so who knows? Time will tell. But it doesn't look so good right now...
Monday, November 5, 2007
The B's Hang with the Sens
I have been tempted to write something about how the Bruins are doing so far this season several times, but each time I have decided to wait a bit longer before saying anything. But after the home-and-home series against the Sens I think the time may be right.
This was a critical set of games. My big worry going in was that the young Bruins would be obviously outclassed and it would sting them so badly that they would lose their edge, possibly to never recover. That didn't happen. Even though they lost both games the Bruins can hold their head's high because they did show they could play with the best. My only disappointment was the shootout in last night's game. I thought Timmy had played perhaps his best NHL game ever. All night long you could hear that big "boom" as the puck came off his pads. The traffic in front of him was thick yet time and again he somehow saw the puck and stopped it. His rebounds were controlled. His glove hand was fast and sharp. In the two games he allowed only four goals on 81 shots (0.951). The Sens had to earn every single goal. So for Timmy to give up two back to back goals to start the shootout was a real disappointment. I wouldn't be surprised if fatigue wasn't a factor. He had to work very hard both games.
Overall the team played very well. Everyone contributed, and unlike last year everyone hustled nearly non-stop. There were only a few times when they let up but were able to recover quickly. One of those did lead to the Ottawa goal last night though. The Bruins were on the PP and as they began to set up in the offensive zone I knew right away they were in trouble because they had lost their jump. Just for a few seconds. I was very impressed by how the Sens smelled that and immediately took advantage of it to score a shorty.
Anyhow, I think it is safe to say that the Bruins are for real. If they play any other team in the league with the sort of hustle they showed against the Sens they will come out the winner. The next challenge (and there is always a next one) is to see if they can sustain that hustle against the other teams in their division. That, and they are going to need to get Timmy some help in goal. Unfortunately, as Fernandez discovered, Timmy's a tough act to follow.
This was a critical set of games. My big worry going in was that the young Bruins would be obviously outclassed and it would sting them so badly that they would lose their edge, possibly to never recover. That didn't happen. Even though they lost both games the Bruins can hold their head's high because they did show they could play with the best. My only disappointment was the shootout in last night's game. I thought Timmy had played perhaps his best NHL game ever. All night long you could hear that big "boom" as the puck came off his pads. The traffic in front of him was thick yet time and again he somehow saw the puck and stopped it. His rebounds were controlled. His glove hand was fast and sharp. In the two games he allowed only four goals on 81 shots (0.951). The Sens had to earn every single goal. So for Timmy to give up two back to back goals to start the shootout was a real disappointment. I wouldn't be surprised if fatigue wasn't a factor. He had to work very hard both games.
Overall the team played very well. Everyone contributed, and unlike last year everyone hustled nearly non-stop. There were only a few times when they let up but were able to recover quickly. One of those did lead to the Ottawa goal last night though. The Bruins were on the PP and as they began to set up in the offensive zone I knew right away they were in trouble because they had lost their jump. Just for a few seconds. I was very impressed by how the Sens smelled that and immediately took advantage of it to score a shorty.
Anyhow, I think it is safe to say that the Bruins are for real. If they play any other team in the league with the sort of hustle they showed against the Sens they will come out the winner. The next challenge (and there is always a next one) is to see if they can sustain that hustle against the other teams in their division. That, and they are going to need to get Timmy some help in goal. Unfortunately, as Fernandez discovered, Timmy's a tough act to follow.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Enough!
I am deeply disappointed that the Flyer's Randy Jones has been given a slap on the wrist for nearly killing Patrice Bergeron. NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Cambell said, "There have been suggestions by some that this hit was comparable to incidents earlier this season where players received significant game suspensions for blows to the head. These comparisons and suggestions are wrong."
No Mr. Campbell, you are wrong.
What is the difference Mr. Campbell? Were the earlier instances the result of intentional acts to harm? If so, then this is an admission that the players involved should have been kicked out of the NHL altogether and assault charges should be filed!
Is it because Jones has a clean record? Like someone else so succinctly put it, "not any more." What happened on the ice was inexcusable. When a person exercises such negligence off the ice which results in serious injury they are put in jail. Just try intentionally shoving someone into a concrete wall on the sidewalk from behind and see what it gets you. Do you think the excuse, "We were playing roughly," will get you off? But in hockey they get a slap on the wrist and a list of excuses! Hockey players are supposed to be professionals. This was not the action of a professional.
Not only should Jones have been suspended for much longer, but the entire Philly franchise should be fined a large sum of money for the wanton disregard their players have shown for safety this season. That would get their attention and might have a real impact. This slap on the wrist--it amounts to little more than saying "it's a rough game boys." This should have been a 30-day suspension. And the "other" incidents should have been for entire seasons or more. I fear for what is going to happen now that not only are players from other teams going to be incensed about the Flyers, but the NHL has made it clear that they will give you a slap on the wrist unless it is obvious that you intentionally try to kill someone!
Some people will say that I'm just overreacting as a Bruins fan. But I've given that a lot of thought. What if it were my Bruins who were going around carelessly injuring people? What if it were my Bruins who were being suspended every few weeks? The answer is that I would be ashamed!
Mr. Campbell: as of this moment I am ashamed. I am ashamed to be an NHL fan.
No Mr. Campbell, you are wrong.
What is the difference Mr. Campbell? Were the earlier instances the result of intentional acts to harm? If so, then this is an admission that the players involved should have been kicked out of the NHL altogether and assault charges should be filed!
Is it because Jones has a clean record? Like someone else so succinctly put it, "not any more." What happened on the ice was inexcusable. When a person exercises such negligence off the ice which results in serious injury they are put in jail. Just try intentionally shoving someone into a concrete wall on the sidewalk from behind and see what it gets you. Do you think the excuse, "We were playing roughly," will get you off? But in hockey they get a slap on the wrist and a list of excuses! Hockey players are supposed to be professionals. This was not the action of a professional.
Not only should Jones have been suspended for much longer, but the entire Philly franchise should be fined a large sum of money for the wanton disregard their players have shown for safety this season. That would get their attention and might have a real impact. This slap on the wrist--it amounts to little more than saying "it's a rough game boys." This should have been a 30-day suspension. And the "other" incidents should have been for entire seasons or more. I fear for what is going to happen now that not only are players from other teams going to be incensed about the Flyers, but the NHL has made it clear that they will give you a slap on the wrist unless it is obvious that you intentionally try to kill someone!
Some people will say that I'm just overreacting as a Bruins fan. But I've given that a lot of thought. What if it were my Bruins who were going around carelessly injuring people? What if it were my Bruins who were being suspended every few weeks? The answer is that I would be ashamed!
Mr. Campbell: as of this moment I am ashamed. I am ashamed to be an NHL fan.
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