Post-Game Talk: Boston Bruins v. Buffalo Sabres - 1/31/13 - Part III

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[DoubleAAAA]

This loss is all on Chara, IMO. He's been shaky all season long, but has at least made up for it with his reach most nights. Not last night though. He pinched when he shouldn't have. He let guys blow right by him. He over committed. Positionally, he was in no man's land for most of the night. All the defensive breakdowns on that pairing were a direct result of his being where he shouldn't have been. Easily the worst game he's played the entire time he's been here.

The positive is that they played terribly defensively, yet they were still in the game until it finally caught up to them late in third period. The good news is that maybe this game will ground them. They weren't playing as well as their record had indicated, if I'm being truthful, so sometimes reality is a good thing.

Agreed I've been disappointed in Z's play so far this year. His pinch on the first goal and the hold to put them down 5 on 3 were plays you just don't see him make. Terrible game and rough start all around for him.

 

[reidy]

This loss is all on Chara, IMO. He's been shaky all season long, but has at least made up for it with his reach most nights. Not last night though. He pinched when he shouldn't have. He let guys blow right by him. He over committed. Positionally, he was in no man's land for most of the night. All the defensive breakdowns on that pairing were a direct result of his being where he shouldn't have been. Easily the worst game he's played the entire time he's been here.

The positive is that they played terribly defensively, yet they were still in the game until it finally caught up to them late in third period. The good news is that maybe this game will ground them. They weren't playing as well as their record had indicated, if I'm being truthful, so sometimes reality is a good thing.

Yikes... exaggerate much? Certainly can't put 7 goals scored (of which he was on the ice for only 3 of them) all on Z, and I think last night is the first game Chara's looked out of character. Prior to last night he'd been a force at both ends of the ice in every game -- scoring, hitting, and playing excellent D in his own end.

He sucked last night for sure, but I don't agree with your overall sentiment at all.

 

[Bri]

I'm posting this again since the other thread was just closed:

Too many threads right now, but if the Bruins played their normal game from a defensive standpoint, they win. It's really that simple. And then we're not talking about a "need to get tougher" we're talking about a good win and we hope Shawn is ok and what a great team guy he is. (And he is.)

A poor defensive game can be fixed and I suspect it will be.

 

[LSCII]

Agreed I've been disappointed in Z's play so far this year. His pinch on the first goal and the hold to put them down 5 on 3 were plays you just don't see him make. Terrible game and rough start all around for him.

Great point about the hold. I forgot to mention that during my rant.

That was easily his biggest blunder of the night, in an evening filled with them. Hopefully he gets it together fast because he's been playing like a shell of himself all season long, and they need him to get back to his regular level if they want to win.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

Still annoyed with Seguin. Just terrible.

 

[patty59]

I'm posting this again since the other thread was just closed:

Too many threads right now, but if the Bruins played their normal game from a defensive standpoint, they win. It's really that simple. And then we're not talking about a "need to get tougher" we're talking about a good win and we hope Shawn is ok and what a great team guy he is. (And he is.)

A poor defensive game can be fixed and I suspect it will be.

Ya, I agree, it was an all around bad game from a D standpoint. Although, it really pisses me off that Stafford elbows our rookie in the head and no one does a damn thing about it. After what had happened to Thornton in that game, you can't let crap like that slide.

 

[LSCII]

Yikes... exaggerate much? Certainly can't put 7 goals scored (of which he was on the ice for only 3 of them) all on Z, and I think last night is the first game Chara's looked out of character. Prior to last night he'd been a force at both ends of the ice in every game -- scoring, hitting, and playing excellent D in his own end.

He sucked last night for sure, but I don't agree with your overall sentiment at all.

On ice for 3 scored, and gave Buffalo a 5 on 3 because of an unnecessary hold after Lucic's boarding, so that's 5 goals he was directly responsible for/involved in. He's been going to the box pretty regularly this season, and if he's your best defenseman, not having him available for the PK because of bad penalties hurts, no?

 

[LSCII]

Still annoyed with Seguin. Just terrible.

He's been pretty bad this year, but I thought he had some jump last night and looked close to breaking out. Hopefully his scoring will come, and come in heaps because they need him.

 

[patty59]

On ice for 3 scored, and gave Buffalo a 5 on 3 because of an unnecessary hold after Lucic's boarding, so that's 5 goals he was directly responsible for. He's been going to the box pretty regularly this season, and if he's your best defenseman, not having him available for the PK because of bad penalties hurts, no?

He had a pretty bad night, for the most part he's been good, he's had a few bad shifts, but last night he was down right brutal. I'm not overly worried about him, he's a pro.

Now Thornton is out and the Bruins head to Toronto and have to deal with Colton Orr and McLaren(if he plays).

 

[reidy]

Still annoyed with Seguin. Just terrible.

So much this.

I'm starting to wonder about this kid's hockey sense... somebody mentioned it the other day, but to be perfectly honest, I expected to see him playing a more cerebral game by this point. Seems like he's got all the tools but often skates himself into the corner, at least thus far.

 

[reidy]

On ice for 3 scored, and gave Buffalo a 5 on 3 because of an unnecessary hold after Lucic's boarding, so that's 5 goals he was directly responsible for/involved in. He's been going to the box pretty regularly this season, and if he's your best defenseman, not having him available for the PK because of bad penalties hurts, no?

I agree with your sentiment that he was horrible last night, 100%. I just don't agree with you that he's been that way all season.

 

[Fair Warning]

Frustrating game to watch. Definitely don't miss this feeling.

Yes, John Scott beat the crap out of Shawn Thornton. But I get the feeling that Scott is getting in the heads of several of the fans here. Calls for new enforcers? Saying the B's lack toughness? That's a little extreme.

Let's not forget that the Bruins were still well in control of the game for at least a period and a half after the bout. Lack of physicality or toughness didn't kill them -- two bad, bad penalties by Chara and Lucic did. And from there, the wheels just feel off. Bad defense by the D-Corps, bad positioning/defense by the forwards. Mediocre goaltending. Guys not finishing opportunities.

It was just a recipe for disaster. You gotta give credit to the Sabres for taking advantage of just about every opportunity the Bruins fed to them.

Onto the next game. A date with Phil Kessel will be just what the doctor ordered to get this team back on track.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

So much this.

I'm starting to wonder about this kid's hockey sense... somebody mentioned it the other day, but to be perfectly honest, I expected to see him playing a more cerebral game by this point. Seems like he's got all the tools but often skates himself into the corner, at least thus far.

Weak stick checks, gotta go hard for those 50/50 pucks. He seems scared to give or receive contact. You have to battle on the boards, not curl away. That's annoying me even more than his efforts to skate around defenders.

 

[LSCII]

I agree with your sentiment that he was horrible last night, 100%. I just don't agree with you that he's been that way all season.

The reason he's been going to the box so frequently this season is because he's been getting beat and having to resort to an infraction as a last ditch effort to break up the play. In terms of penalty minutes on the team, Thornton and Lucic are 1 and 2, but they're obviously inflated because of the fights. Take a guess as to who's in third with 6 minor penalties called against him this year?

Again, he's getting all those minor calls against him because he's not in position to make a play. Simple as that. It may not have hurt them in their previous games, but it was only a matter of time before it did. This team needs him to un**** himself ASAP.

 

[Bri]

Frustrating game to watch. Definitely don't miss this feeling.

Yes, John Scott beat the crap out of Shawn Thornton. But I get the feeling that Scott is getting in the heads of several of the fans here. Calls for new enforcers? Saying the B's lack toughness? That's a little extreme.

Let's not forget that the Bruins were still well in control of the game for at least a period and a half after the bout. Lack of physicality or toughness didn't kill them -- two bad, bad penalties by Chara and Lucic did. And from there, the wheels just feel off. Bad defense by the D-Corps, bad positioning/defense by the forwards. Mediocre goaltending. Guys not finishing opportunities.

It was just a recipe for disaster. You gotta give credit to the Sabres for taking advantage of just about every opportunity the Bruins fed to them.

Onto the next game. A date with Phil Kessel will be just what the doctor ordered to get this team back on track.

Totally agree with the bolded parts. I don't know that you could call Tuukka mediocre...maybe I'm splitting hairs, I thought he was ok and many of the goals weren't his fault. If he makes couple of HUGE saves, it may be a different game, but if the Bruins play their normal defensive game, they win...so I'm not too concerned about Tuukka.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

I thought Tuukka played fine. I think the D was pretty bad overall. Another enforcer is not a bad idea, but I would want one who can play a regular shift and I don't think there are too many out there. Especially not one who is actually available.
Bruins lost, got beat pretty badly, not going to freak out about it but Colt is right IMO. Not much longer can Thornton keep it up.

 

[reidy]

Weak stick checks, gotta go hard for those 50/50 pucks. He seems scared to give or receive contact. You have to battle on the boards, not curl away. That's annoying me even more than his efforts to skate around defenders.

Hate to say it, but he's similar to Kessel in a lot of ways. I think he's got a higher compete level, a better skillset, and is a better playmaker than PK81, but his game's looking awfully similar to Kessel's of late, and not in a good way.

I think Dougie's going to be the real prize from that trade at this point.

 

[Fair Warning]

Totally agree with the bolded parts. I don't know that you could call Tuukka mediocre...maybe I'm splitting hairs, I thought he was ok and many of the goals weren't his fault. If he makes couple of HUGE saves, it may be a different game, but if the Bruins play their normal defensive game, they win...so I'm not too concerned about Tuukka.

Mediocre may have been the wrong word. Compared to how he had been playing, Rask played average. Not terrible, not great.

Miller played OK, but came up with big saves to keep his team in the game, especially in the third.

Rask and the rest of the team will bounce back, though. This loss won't sit well with them.

 

[BoyntBergie]

Weak stick checks, gotta go hard for those 50/50 pucks. He seems scared to give or receive contact. You have to battle on the boards, not curl away. That's annoying me even more than his efforts to skate around defenders.

Starting to wonder if what we see is what we've got with Seguin. Will hit 30 goals fairly easily each season, and maybe the occasional 40 goal season, but he's not going to be that true-game breaking superstar that some have pegged him to be.

Hope I am wrong, and yes, could be premature given he just turned 21, but I'm starting to wonder a bit.

 

[weaponomega]

Except for the last game, Chara has been fine. He's been Chara. He's been solid and steady. Last game he and the rest of the defense was awful. They need to figure out a way to handle Vanek. Vanek single handedly destroyed them last night.

On the plus side though, I thought the top 3 lines all looked dangerous. Lucic had a bunch of chances to score as did Seguin. The third line with Paille on it looks much better and more dangerous than they did with Bourque.

I don't think we'll see Bourque much more unless there is an injury. He can't play on the forth line and Paille completely energized the third line. Sorry Ray, your son is not an NHLer.

I didn't watch the 6th or 7th goals, but Tuukka was solid. There wasn't anything he could do about any of the other goals. Again, the defense just sucked.

 

[TCL40]

By far the most poorly played game by the defense corps so far.

I also thing Seguin isn't making good decisions and seems a little unwilling to engage along the boards. He needs to show up and score.

Also while I don't blame reffing for the loss it would be nice if the refs started actually watching the game. They missed some key penalties and while I am not sure the Bruins would have converted there is no excuse for the refs to miss the clear trip on Bergeron, the clear hold/interference on Seguin and the clear elbow to Dougie's head.

I hope the refs get better because so far this season the lack of consistency (for bruins games and others) has been frustrating.

 

[Bad Hat Harry]

I wasn't able to watch the game, but by the sounds of this board you would have thought they haven't won a game yet this season.

 

[11MilesPerJohan]

This is quoted from Kaoz in thread II...sorry didn't know how to directly quote something from another thread, if that is even possible:

Well thought out post and for the most part I agree.

One thing I would like to see, and I Colt touched on this before on a larger scale is some size on Bergeron and Kelly's line. I don't think they need to make whole sale changes however do think they could move some folk around the lineup to balance it out more. This isn't a reactive post either, I think it's been an issue all season and was towards the end of last season. Marchand can play bigger then he is but still, he's small.

For that reason I wouldn't mind seeing:

Marchand - Krejci - Horton
Lucic - Bergeron - Seguin
Pervs - Kelly - Hanson/someone else
Paille - Campbell - Thornton

I don't hate Bourque, not at all and very much hope for his success here, but he and McDermid could be used as injury callups. Not sure what to use for size on the 3rd line honestly, Hanson was just someone with size to throw in whom hopefully Kelly and Pervs could make look good. I'd love for them to make a run at a low cost guy like Evgeny Grachev for that spot honestly, see if he couldn't regain some of his former flash.



I have seen other posts suggesting something similar, and for the most part, I think you are all on to something. I'm not sure of the exact combination of lines, but I think it wouldn't hurt the team to spread out their size a bit.

The KHL line can be beasts on the forecheck, and they can dominate teams down low, but they could use more explosion on that line as well, perhaps in the form of Seguin or maybe Marchand as you suggested.

The Bergy line is great in transition and excels in odd-man opportunities, but I think teams have realized that and are playing them a little differently in the neutral zone, trying to negate the speed of Seguin and the quickness of Marchand. Last night, I was glad to see that line was able to sustain some pressure on the forecheck and make some plays in the offensive zone as opposed to making plays only in space. If that doesn't continue to happen, then I could definitely see Claude putting someone with some size on that line that can get in on the forecheck and help create some space for the other two players on that line.

All that being said, it might be tough breaking up the Krejci line, as they have been excellent to this point in the season. But perhaps a move would create two more balanced lines that can hurt you in multiple ways.

 

[LSCII]

I wasn't able to watch the game, but by the sounds of this board you would have thought they haven't won a game yet this season.

Nothing that bad, but they did blow a 2 goal lead in the second period, and a 1 goal lead in the third. It was disappointing because offensively they looked sharp, but defensively, they were suspect all night. Overall, I think the loss will be a positive for them. They've had defensive lapses during that win streak, and were kind of playing with fire, IMO, but they were able to squeak out wins. It finally caught up to them last night, and I hope that it was a big enough jolt for them to realize they have to play sound defensively if they're going to challenge for a cup.