Series Talk: ECSF-Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins (FLA leads 3-2)

[DelZottoHitTheNetJK]

The way Florida is playing has me even more confused by their game 1 effort.

They've completely suffocated Boston which should be exactly the game plan; they're not exactly a team with a heavy level of offensive firepower.

Looking at this to be over in 5, maybe 6 which is exactly what I had prior to the series starting. The underlying metrics for Boston are awful.

 

[BTO]

I personally thought that the penalty that made it 4-0 (lol) should have been a 2 and 2. The guy tried to run Bob, but Ekblad also held him. Fair's fair.

Lauko didn’t try to “run Bob”, he tried to take the puck to the net.

 

[Chaos2k7]

Lauko didn’t try to “run Bob”, he tried to take the puck to the net.

Terrible call on that one

 

[Chaos2k7]

The way Florida is playing has me even more confused by their game 1 effort.

They've completely suffocated Boston which should be exactly the game plan; they're not exactly a team with a heavy level of offensive firepower.

Looking at this to be over in 5, maybe 6 which is exactly what I had prior to the series starting. The underlying metrics for Boston are awful.

I think we have at least comparable offensive talent to the Rangers, we have actual goal scorers, but no time to put the cart before the horse, neither team has won anything in the 2nd round yet.

Barkov line would be stapled to Panarin and Trocheck at 5v5. Who would Lavi match against Swaggy - Bennett - Chucky? That's an honest question

 

[BTO]

Panthers management kina figured this out after The President's Trophy team got bounced by Tampa
in 4.

Skill is great, but it will only take you so far, timely goaltending, sound defensive structure, and a strong forecheck...if you have the personnel to do it...can be sustainable and repeatable.

One thing I think we all can agree upon is that let’s hope that the leafs never learn it!

 

[KW]

Lauko didn’t try to “run Bob”, he tried to take the puck to the net.

It doesn’t have to be only A or only B. It was more accurately both A and B.

 

[BTO]

It doesn’t have to be only A or only B. It was more accurately both A and B.

No it was A. You’re allowed to set your edges and try to make a power move to the net with the puck. Rest of the Bruins should try it sometime.

 

[Chaos2k7]

One thing I think we all can agree upon is that let’s hope that the leafs never learn it!

No fear of that ever happening

 

[BTO]

No fear of that ever happening

Tell me about it lol.

 

[KW]

The way Florida is playing has me even more confused by their game 1 effort.

They've completely suffocated Boston which should be exactly the game plan; they're not exactly a team with a heavy level of offensive firepower.

Looking at this to be over in 5, maybe 6 which is exactly what I had prior to the series starting. The underlying metrics for Boston are awful.

Maurice decided to ice the top heavy lines that won game 5’s periods 2 and 3 for Florida, over lines that worked well for most of the season. In games 2 and 3 he went back to what players were used to.

 

[KW]

No it was A. You’re allowed to set your edges and try to make a power move to the net with the puck. Rest of the Bruins should try it sometime.

Both A and B make much more sense. B is the primary reason but it’s also a convenient cover for A.

If Bennett had done that to Sway, the bruins board would talk of nothing else (except maybe the Marchand-Bennett incident) and claim Benny tried to only do B, no credit given for it possibly to be A.

Here you have panthers fans giving you at least some benefit of doubt, but you dig your heels in. Okay whatever.

 

[BTO]

Anyway hopefully Boston can pull their heads out of their asses and win game 4, but I’m not going to sit here and whine that the Panthers bullied them up and down the ice. I’m going to complain that the Bruins let themselves get bullied up and down the ice. But they were never going to do anything about it because they’re not built that way anymore. God only knows why. Probably because of some politically-correct myth about a “new NHL” - small, speedy and skilled rather than big, mean and nasty. f*** that. I’ll take the latter please. Like how we used to be. But no one on those teams ever had any fear of answering the bell because it was somehow beneath them. Thachuk and Bennett would have been fed their teeth several times over by now.

 

[BTO]

Both A and B make much more sense. B is the primary reason but it’s also a convenient cover for A.

If Bennett had done that to Sway, the bruins board would talk of nothing else (except maybe the Marchand-Bennett incident) and claim Benny tried to only do B, no credit given for it possibly to be A.

Here you have panthers fans giving you at least some benefit of doubt, but you dig your heels in. Okay whatever.

I dunno. Was a hockey play. Unlike Thachuk taking a swipe at Swayman’s head 15 seconds into game 2 and then the Bruins ending-up in the box for defending Sway. The point is that Thachuk and Bennett and the rest of them can all act like pricks all over the ice because they know they’ll never have to answer for it, either from the opposing team or the refs. Until they play the darling Golden Knights again, or more likely just the Rangers.

 

[Ratsreign]

I dunno. Was a hockey play. Unlike Thachuk taking a swipe at Swayman’s head 15 seconds into game 2 and then the Bruins ending-up in the box for defending Sway. The point is that Thachuk and Bennett and the rest of them can all act like pricks all over the ice because they know they’ll never have to answer for it, either from the opposing team or the refs. Until they play the darling Golden Knights again, or more likely just the Rangers.

This is funny.

 

[KW]

I dunno. Was a hockey play. Unlike Thachuk taking a swipe at Swayman’s head 15 seconds into game 2 and then the Bruins ending-up in the box for defending Sway. The point is that Thachuk and Bennett and the rest of them can all act like pricks all over the ice because they know they’ll never have to answer for it, either from the opposing team or the refs. Until they play the darling Golden Knights again, or more likely just the Rangers.

It’s true that Bennett and Tkachuk play with the edge but for you to call them pricks when you have equal pricks in the shape of McAvoy and Marchand is the height of hypocrisy.

 

[Dread Clawz]

About that Bennett-Marchand hit.

On the replays admittedly Bennett does raise his right arm and his gloved fist may make contact with Marchand’s head. I can’t see it conclusively on the posted videos, and I can’t see if there indeed is contact to the head, how hard the hit might be. The whole situation was absolutely not a “targeted and planned sucker punch” as the bruins coach is implying.

This is a lot more accurate:
1) Marchand initiated the contact (he was aiming to hit Bennett who appeared to be only intending to dump the puck and then get a line change).
2) Bennett had to prepare for a hit at the last second, knowing Marchand may have been looking for an opportunity to test his left hand (yeah, he’s equally dirty and would hit the injured hand if he got a chance).
3) Part of preparation was to protect the left hand and thus extend the right arm.
4) If that happened to connect with a significant punch to Marchand’s head, it most certainly wasn’t a sucker punch. I would congratulate Benny for the lightning fast ninja reflex and remind anyone wishing to sucker check a player who’s trying to dump the puck to not be unprepared for a counter hit.
5) The whole sequence is actually Marchand’s own fault. That wasn’t the right time to try to lay out Benny, it turns out. Marchand clearly expected to catch him a bit vulnerable because he was going to dump the puck, but he didn’t realize that Bennett could dump the puck so quickly AND then prepare for the hit/collision. Dumb play, paid the price.

This sums it up, basically. Marchand of all people should've realized that Bennett is a masterful hitter. It's also funny that Montgomery said it was a targeted and planned sucker punch as Marchand initiated the hit.

 

[Ratsreign]

This sums it up, basically. Marchand of all people should've realized that Bennett is a masterful hitter. It's also funny that Montgomery said it was a targeted and planned sucker punch as Marchand initiated the hit.

Montgomery grasping for straws right now.

 

[BTO]

It’s true that Bennett and Tkachuk play with the edge but for you to call them pricks when you have equal pricks in the shape of McAvoy and Marchand is the height of hypocrisy.

How’s McAvoy a prick? Marchand? Sure. But not anywhere close to what he once was. Anyway, I didn’t see Marchand taking a swipe at Bobrovsky’s head. Of course you probably never saw Tkachuk take a swipe at Swayman’s either.

 

[KW]

How’s McAvoy a prick? Marchand? Sure. But not anywhere close to what he once was. Anyway, I didn’t see Marchand taking a swipe at Bobrovsky’s head. Of course you probably never saw Tkachuk take a swipe at Swayman’s either.

LOL

 

[Ratsreign]

How’s McAvoy a prick? Marchand? Sure. But not anywhere close to what he once was. Anyway, I didn’t see Marchand taking a swipe at Bobrovsky’s head. Of course you probably never saw Tkachuk take a swipe at Swayman’s either.

yes, and then I saw Boston player go back at Tkachuk. Then I saw that the ref was gonna let the initiation and the retaliation both slide, but then Bs player intentionally removed Tkachuk’s helmet. Automatic call nowadays.
Macavoy has thrown some cheap shots, (remember vs FL earlier this season?)

You seem to be just as guilty of selective vision/memory as you’re trying to say the other Panthers fan is

 

[Chaos2k7]

How’s McAvoy a prick? Marchand? Sure. But not anywhere close to what he once was. Anyway, I didn’t see Marchand taking a swipe at Bobrovsky’s head. Of course you probably never saw Tkachuk take a swipe at Swayman’s either.

How about his suspension this season for headshoting OEL, got 2 games for it

Part of the game plan is to hit him every time he is on the ice, they dump to his side, he needs to hear footsteps

 

[BTO]

yes, and then I saw Boston player go back at Tkachuk. Then I saw that the ref was gonna let the initiation and the retaliation both slide, but then Bs player intentionally removed Tkachuk’s helmet. Automatic call nowadays.
Macavoy has thrown some cheap shots, (remember vs FL earlier this season?)

You seem to be just as guilty of selective vision/memory as you’re trying to say the other Panthers fan is

My point is that Boston got penalized for trying to defend Swayman. If the refs aren’t going to defend you then you have to defend yourself, but then the refs will penalize you for it. So it’s a no-win situation. As you all learned in the Final last year.

How about his suspension this season for headshoting OEL, got 2 games for it

Part of the game plan is to hit him every time he is on the ice, they dump to his side, he needs to hear footsteps

He’s hears them loud and clear.

 

[Ratsreign]

My point is that Boston got penalized for trying to defend Swayman. If the refs aren’t going to defend you then you have to defend yourself, but then the refs will penalize you for it. So it’s a no-win situation. As you all learned in the Final last year.

No, they didn’t get penalized for defending Sway. The ref wasn’t going to call anything as the scrum was seemingly coming to an end....until the Bs player left him no choice by taking Tkachuk’s helmet off.

Edit; while I think that is a stupid rule, it is a rule now.
The only reason (that I can see) for this rule is because of the (other) new rule about having to leave the ice if your helmet comes off.

 

[PaulGG]

Bennett is a dirty prick of a player but all he did was brace for the hit that Marchand delivered.

 

[nbwingsfan]

The way Florida is playing has me even more confused by their game 1 effort.

They've completely suffocated Boston which should be exactly the game plan; they're not exactly a team with a heavy level of offensive firepower.

Looking at this to be over in 5, maybe 6 which is exactly what I had prior to the series starting. The underlying metrics for Boston are awful.

You don’t even need underlying metrics. Every metric the Bruins have been awful the last two games.

It’s not even really on Boston, Florida is just playing another level.

Which makes the undefeated in the regular season record all the more confusinh