Randoms:
Woo, we get to be the comeback team for once! Much more fun.
First period, good legs but not much flow. Pretty blah. Second, poor discipline, hopeless special teams, dug themselves a hole again. Third, heart and determination, leaders in McAvoy, Marchand and especially Pasta stepping up. Finally some finish. Best half a game Pasta has played so far this season. Loved his passion and will to win here. We saw some of this roster’s biggest problems, but also just a glimpse of what they
are capable of when they get going and find some life and confidence. Tougher work than it needed to be, but Boston put a bad team away, eventually.
Hope Hampus is ok and it’s just a nasty bruise. But I fear it could be worse. That was a nasty shot he took in a vulnerable spot. Bruins did well to tough this out a man down.
Top 2 lines did a good job. Neither Geekie nor Brazeau really belong there but they battled hard. Thought Geekie had his skating legs on here and deserved his goal. Zacha-Pasta and Marchand-Lindy seem the right pairs to me. Not elite on their own, in either case, but give them the right support and you might have something decent to work with.
I thought the D was solid 5v5. The Blues lack the pace to worry them and they held their line and shape pretty well. McAvoy stepped up after a couple of bad patches in the 2nd. I like Wotherspoon, he is sensible and reliable.
Goes without saying, but the special teams at both ends are killing us. Cannot be that bad in a penalty-friendly league. As
@bobbyorr04 commented to me, sorting those out could make a world of difference. I don’t know what the coaches can do there that they haven’t tried already, but the PK at least has no excuse to be this bad. All experienced guys on those units, just have to be better.
9 points out of 12 in the last 6, as I said in the GDT. Nothing wrong with that in itself. Had a favorable run with the schedule, but at least they’re banking points, despite their struggles. Stars next though. Timely chance to see if they are actually building something here, or if it’s just a chimera.
I have no idea where this is all going, and whether it may ultimately prove that wins like this are just delaying the inevitable need for significant change. But a comeback win is always enjoyable, especially against the Blues. So I’ll take it for what it is, and see what happens next.