BRUINS GDT GAME 33 12/27 7:40 PM - A wounded bear shuffles off to Buffalo - TNT, MAX, 98.5 WBZ-FM

[Ladyfan]

DROP THE f***ING PUCK ALREADY!!!!

The game is tomorrow ??? My non hockey fan sis is leaving tomorrow and I am looking forward to watching the game. If it is tonight

 

[Fenian24]

Hey only the playoffs matter after last year, so let's worry about making the dance and playing our best in May and June, not in December and January.

Problem is this team is built for the regular season, not nearly mentally or physically strong enough for the playoffs as they are built right now

 

[Wirelessbits]

The first order of business should be fixing the D. Forbort is out. Lohrei is a rookie and makes his mistakes. Carlo has been their best defenseman. Gryzlick, Lindholm and McAvoy have played poorly. Why, I'm not sure. Blown assignments, bad passes, a maddening inability to get the puck out of the zone, etc.

It's not just the personnel, either. The system isn't working because other clubs are beating the Bruins to the puck and disrupting their outs. This, to me, is the primary culprit. They have to modify what they're doing when setting up breakouts or rethink their approach entirely.

And then, of course, you have the late, deflating goals at the end of the period. The blown third period leads. The inability to clear the crease and relieve pressure in their own zone. Other clubs are now convinced they can push the Bruins around, hector them for minutes on end in the defensive zone, and eventually score.

I'll leave the lack of secondary scoring, overreliance on goaltending, overreliance on their best players with mentally and physically exhausting minutes night after night, soft as Charmin players, and constant line instability to one side for the moment.

I'm not sure fans understand how seriously dysfunctional things have become.

There aren't one or two glaring issues. There are several.

This right here...Bruins are basically fielding the P-Bruins for too much ice time. Think back a year and what if the Bruins were going up against a team of Wotherspoon, Beecher, Steen, Mitchell, Frederic, Lauko, DeBrusk (this year), Shattenkirk, Geekie, Heinen, JvR (I like him, but...)...goaltending is your only concern and trying to keep Pasta from getting a hattie. Grinding out a win would be the goal and a good probability. Last years Bruins would dominate this team even with the level of effort from Steen and others.

Reality is here...if Pasta gets hurt for an extended period this team is done.

 

[hrdpuk]

Thanks Fenway

 

[BMC]

The game is tomorrow ??? My non hockey fan sis is leaving tomorrow and I am looking forward to watching the game. If it is tonight

Oops my bad. I thought it was tonight

 

[NDiesel]

Problem is this team is built for the regular season, not nearly mentally or physically strong enough for the playoffs as they are built right now

I wonder if Panthers fans thought they were built for the playoffs last December

 

[OV]

Oops my bad. I thought it was tonight

The new label in your house discombobulated you. Totally understandable!

 

[Fenian24]

I wonder if Panthers fans thought they were built for the playoffs last December

That's a good question. I would feel a lot better if Tkachuk, Bennett and Gudas were on this team in place of some of the current group of top 6 forwards and D.

 

[Bruinaura]

Our D problem is constantly leaving people alone in the slot. Way too many shots from that area. Too many heads following the puck and not covering someone.

They also don't have a center doing this anymore

That's a black hole in the slot lol

 

[Ladyfan]

Oops my bad. I thought it was tonight

Better for me as my older sis hates watching hockey.

Tomorrow is good as I can clean up the house, do laundry and crash and watch the Bs!

 

[GordonHowe]

This right here...Bruins are basically fielding the P-Bruins for too much ice time. Think back a year and what if the Bruins were going up against a team of Wotherspoon, Beecher, Steen, Mitchell, Frederic, Lauko, DeBrusk (this year), Shattenkirk, Geekie, Heinen, JvR (I like him, but...)...goaltending is your only concern and trying to keep Pasta from getting a hattie. Grinding out a win would be the goal and a good probability. Last years Bruins would dominate this team even with the level of effort from Steen and others.

Reality is here...if Pasta gets hurt for an extended period this team is done.

I'm okay with a transitional year, and therefore -- in theory -- don't expect much.

Frankly, I'm waiting for Succession, with Charlie taking over, and booting both Sweeney and Neely to the curb.

They inherited a still excellent core, and they've done some good things. But it's been eight years, and I'm tired of the reruns. That is, Bergeron, Krejci and 2019 withstanding, it's one and done and back with the same approach next time.

It's clear to me that for whatever reason, Sweeney does not value team toughness/physical intimidation/"All for one, one for all," etcetera. It's clear that overwhelmingly, his teams have been easy to push around and easy to beat in the playoffs.

I'm heartily sick of him, Neely, and the entire lame ass enterprise. It's O'Connell Lite. and it tastes like sh*t.

These are not the managers to oversee a significant transition, reestablishment of prototypical Bruins hockey, or anything else.

I desperately want to move on.

I may have a modicum of concern is they drop this tilt.

A modicum? Perhaps you might reassess.

 

[GordonHowe]

And his -7 for the season is the worst on the team. At the other end Carlo and Forbort lead the way with +12 and +9 respectively. Both have had their own bad moments, but for the most part have been pretty solid. McAvoy carries a heavier load than either of them, it must be acknowledged, but still, he's not at his best and some of his defensive play and positioning has been poor. Lindholm has been even worse, and combine that with a struggling Gryz and it's not hard to see why the D has been feeling the strain.

CAPTAIN OBVIOUS INQUIRES, "IS IT THE DEFENSE CORPS OR THE COACH'S SYSTEM?

While D personnel outside of Carlo has struggled mightily, I suspect they are struggling to adapt to Montgomery's "system."

Which is to say, unless everything works perfectly, and other teams have not learned how to short circuit outs, clog the crease and hem Boston into their own end for absurdly long stretches, the Bruins and Sunny Jim are screwed to a fair thee well.

And that's what you're seeing.

As noted elsewhere, imho the defense is the primary problem, but there are multiple issues. It's like running from fire to fire with a leaky bucket.

It's absurd.

Ultimate culpability rests with Sweeney, as it is his roster and his vision on the ice.

Proximate culpability rests at the feet of Jim Montgomery.

Think back to round one last spring, how several basic coaching decisions were badly bungled, and how, in the end, the Bruins appeared to be running scared and very much without answers.

Montgomery is a bright guy, an excellent coach and understands how to get through to today's NHLers.

But I see chaos. And I think it starts with him.

 

[GordonHowe]

Better for me as my older sis hates watching hockey.

Tomorrow is good as I can clean up the house, do laundry and crash and watch the Bs!

An excellent plan.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

CAPTAIN OBVIOUS INQUIRES, "IS IT THE DEFENSE CORPS OR THE COACH'S SYSTEM?

While D personnel outside of Carlo has struggled mightily, I suspect they are struggling to adapt to Montgomery's "system."

Which is to say, unless everything works perfectly, and other teams have not learned how to short circuit outs, clog the crease and hem Boston into their own end for absurdly long stretches, the Bruins and Sunny Jim are screwed to a fair thee well.

And that's what you're seeing.

As noted elsewhere, imho the defense is the primary problem, but there are multiple issues. It's like running from fire to fire with a leaky bucket.

It's absurd.

Ultimate culpability rests with Sweeney, as its his roster, his vision on the ice.

Proximate culpability rests at the feet of Jim Montgomery.

Think back to round one last spring, how several basic coaching decisions were badly bungled, and how, in the end, the Bruins appeared to be running scared and very much without answers.

Montgomery is a bright guy, an excellent coach and understands how to get through to today's NHLers.

But I see chaos. And I think it starts with him.

If Monty's defensive system and coaching are a problem, why now? Last year's defense had its blemishes but was mostly very very good, playoffs aside. This year's defensive group is largely the same, apart from swapping out Clifton for Shatty and seeing some other new faces around the edges. The core is stable. Two elite centers are gone, one of them arguably the greatest defensive forward of all time, and that has to be factored in. But still, there doesn't seem to be enough change purely in personnel to explain any massive drop in effectiveness. And while I certainly wouldn't say the decline has been 'massive', it is notable enough to require explanation beyond pure luck or a short slump in form. This year's team struggling to generate offense was expected, the defensive maladies less so.

So what's going wrong? Injuries have to be part of it, opponents are probably getting wiser to Monty's tactics. What else?

 

[Gordoff]

If Monty's defensive system and coaching are a problem, why now? Last year's defense had its blemishes but was mostly very very good, playoffs aside. This year's defensive group is largely the same, apart from swapping out Clifton for Shatty and seeing some other new faces around the edges. The core is stable. Two elite centers are gone, one of them arguably the greatest defensive forward of all time, and that has to be factored in. But still, there doesn't seem to be enough change purely in personnel to explain any massive drop in effectiveness. And while I certainly wouldn't say the decline has been 'massive', it is notable enough to require explanation beyond pure luck or a short slump in form. This year's team struggling to generate offense was expected, the defensive maladies less so.

So what's going wrong? Injuries have to be part of it, opponents are probably getting wiser to Monty's tactics. What else?

When he was first hired he wanted to change the defensive structure that had been in place since Claude Julien got here, carried on for the most part with some tweaks by Bruce Cassidy. I suspect (IMO) he's confused the defensemen with some contradictions and confusing orders. Furthermore, IMO he leaned on the likes of Patrice Bergeron and took a back seat to Bergeron's "coaching" of other players. He even took a back seat to Bergy (again, JMO) in the playoffs when he allowed him back into the lineup when PB wasn't fully ready. He's a clawless cat IMO and if this team hits the skids in the second half, he'll be gone. The next coach should IMO be one who has sipped from the Stanley Cup because they will need a strong leader with all of the changes coming this off season.

 

[bruinsfan1968]

I'm okay with a transitional year, and therefore -- in theory -- don't expect much.

Frankly, I'm waiting for Succession, with Charlie taking over, and booting both Sweeney and Neely to the curb.

They inherited a still excellent core, and they've done some good things. But it's been eight years, and I'm tired of the reruns. That is, Bergeron, Krejci and 2019 withstanding, it's one and done and back with the same approach next time.

It's clear to me that for whatever reason, Sweeney does not value team toughness/physical intimidation/"All for one, one for all," etcetera. It's clear that overwhelmingly, his teams have been easy to push around and easy to beat in the playoffs.

I'm heartily sick of him, Neely, and the entire lame ass enterprise. It's O'Connell Lite. and it tastes like sh*t.

These are not the managers to oversee a significant transition, reestablishment of prototypical Bruins hockey, or anything else.

I desperately want to move on.



A modicum? Perhaps you might reassess.

They inherited nothing! Lol
Sweeney was working for the team as Head of Player Development before being a Asst. GM, then the GM.
It's a joke when someone makes that ridiculous claim of them inheriting the team.

 

[RedSlider]

This season so far is almost a carbon copy of 2019-20 right down to the mid-Dec slide. We'll see if they can get out of it like that 2020 team did.

 

[Tbaybruin]

Get Merkulov in the line up ASAP. Can’t hurt. Get a third line of Coyle Geekie and Frederic.

 

[22Brad Park]

Our D problem is constantly leaving people alone in the slot. Way too many shots from that area. Too many heads following the puck and not covering someone.

I hate the space our wingers give other teams D .We have this system where our players will only chase it so far then retreat .It looks like killing a penalty 5 on 5.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

When he was first hired he wanted to change the defensive structure that had been in place since Claude Julien got here, carried on for the most part with some tweaks by Bruce Cassidy. I suspect (IMO) he's confused the defensemen with some contradictions and confusing orders. Furthermore, IMO he leaned on the likes of Patrice Bergeron and took a back seat to Bergeron's "coaching" of other players. He even took a back seat to Bergy (again, JMO) in the playoffs when he allowed him back into the lineup when PB wasn't fully ready. He's a clawless cat IMO and if this team hits the skids in the second half, he'll be gone. The next coach should IMO be one who has sipped from the Stanley Cup because they will need a strong leader with all of the changes coming this off season.

Monty did want to adapt the Bruins' defensive tactics but it was my understanding that it wasn't meant to be a root and branch change - keep the basic structure and methods in place but get the defenders moving more in transition and giving them license to jump up on offense more and contributing a greater share of points. In essence that's what we saw last year and it largely worked.

Fast forward to now and the purely defensive aspects have weakened, but the ability of the blueliners both to start the offensive chains and help finish them off in the O zone are what has really diminished. That was something that Monty really talked up as a strength of his that he wanted to develop as a priority on the Bruins - plus it was something that management were looking for that Cassidy seemingly couldn't deliver - so for that to fall away as it has must be particularly troubling.

At the same time the team is overall still in a good position and mustn't panic. As you say, Monty's got less to lean or fall back on than he used to. But the other part of that is he's also got a lesser roster with which he can only reasonably be asked to do so much, and that has to be factored in. Realistically all he has to do to keep the Bruins in the hunt and assure his job is steady the ship and keep the points ticking over at a regular rate, not have it continually performing above expectations. If he's good enough and has enough injury luck, he'll manage that. If not, then the proof will be on the ice over the next couple of months. I still expect that he'll turn things around soon enough, but we'll see.

 

[GordonHowe]

If Monty's defensive system and coaching are a problem, why now? Last year's defense had its blemishes but was mostly very very good, playoffs aside. This year's defensive group is largely the same, apart from swapping out Clifton for Shatty and seeing some other new faces around the edges. The core is stable. Two elite centers are gone, one of them arguably the greatest defensive forward of all time, and that has to be factored in. But still, there doesn't seem to be enough change purely in personnel to explain any massive drop in effectiveness. And while I certainly wouldn't say the decline has been 'massive', it is notable enough to require explanation beyond pure luck or a short slump in form. This year's team struggling to generate offense was expected, the defensive maladies less so.

So what's going wrong? Injuries have to be part of it, opponents are probably getting wiser to Monty's tactics. What else?

A few bits, in no particular order:

A lot of fans and media types underestimated Patrice Bergeron's value to the Boston Bruins for a long time. It wasn't until he added significant scoring production that he received acclaim.

Those who followed Patrice closely understood how dominant he was in the faceoff circle and beyond. I'm not certain we understood how central to Boston's success he was.

Not a stats person but will look for a piece published upon his retirement. The numbers relative to Bergeron's impact on the Bruins' defensive game are eye popping, never mind offense.

So, there's that. Krejci too.

That things went swimmingly through the regular season last year can be attributed to a] far greater depth; b] greater talent; c] the novelty of Montgomery's "system" -- predicated on getting to the puck in the defensive zone and a full throttle rush -- had opponents flat-footed for a time.

The Panthers solved this riddle in the first round with a relentless forecheck and physical play, thus handing the rest of the NHL a cheat sheet on how to beat the Bruins, to paraphrase Mick Colageo.

This season, the Bruins are no longer a high-octane, smooth-running machine with reliable scoring depth.

It's thin gruel at best, and that's not Montgomery's fault.

As Brian Sutter would say, Sunny Jim doesn't have the horses.

The D corps is a a mess and you have to ask why. Carlo is having a career season. Forbort is more valuable than those eager to jettison him imagine or admit.

Matt Gryzlick (oft injured), Hampus Lindholm (clearly frustrated and exhausted), and Charlie McAvoy (gun shy and beat up) have vastly underperformed.

Now, again, why?

To me, on defense, this is about an inability to execute a system that opponents are wise to and can, evidently, easily disrupt.

Relative to Boston's defense, the Bruins are easily knocked off the puck and offer little physical resistance, never mind initiative (as with the rest of their lineup, save Frederic, Lauko and Steen, which tells you everything you need to know about their team toughness). D corps cannot break out cleanly with a pass or carrying the puck; they're soft as puppy poop, do not check, cannot clear their crease, and therefore, surprise surprise, wind up hemmed in their own zone not for seconds, but minutes.

This is the worst defensive Bruins team I've seen in a long time.

On paper, this should be a top D corps. Whatever is ailing Gryz, Lindholm and Charlie can be corrected, beginning with bringing in size and intimidation.

Nonetheless it seems to me the main reason for the clusterf*ck is a system that is not working, hasn't for a long time, and must be redrawn or discarded.

I realize it's unfair and probably untrue, but I don't believe Jim Montgomery is up to the task.

That's harsh and of course it is a transitional season. Yet, from overreliance/overburdening goaltending, to shortening the bench and exhausting his best players, to juggling lines from shift to shift FOR MONTHS, I am not sanguine about this head coach going forward.

Too much chaos, too little stability, less than sound judgement.

Again, I realize this criticism is harsh. I also realize I'm not an NHL coach.

When he was first hired he wanted to change the defensive structure that had been in place since Claude Julien got here, carried on for the most part with some tweaks by Bruce Cassidy. I suspect (IMO) he's confused the defensemen with some contradictions and confusing orders. Furthermore, IMO he leaned on the likes of Patrice Bergeron and took a back seat to Bergeron's "coaching" of other players. He even took a back seat to Bergy (again, JMO) in the playoffs when he allowed him back into the lineup when PB wasn't fully ready. He's a clawless cat IMO and if this team hits the skids in the second half, he'll be gone. The next coach should IMO be one who has sipped from the Stanley Cup because they will need a strong leader with all of the changes coming this off season.

Hear hear, and there there!

 

[GordonHowe]

That's a good question. I would feel a lot better if Tkachuk, Bennett and Gudas were on this team in place of some of the current group of top 6 forwards and D.

Funny how roster makeup can affect success, or lack thereof.

 

[caz16]

We all need to see the Bruins play hard, show some effort, the Sabres are full of turkey too, so no excuses. I imagine a slow start to the game, that tryptophan is a serious drug

Two points, zero injuries please. Making us wait until 7:30 is just mean.

 

[smithformeragent]

These two Mazz sounding dudes in the gym locker room were saying they “hoped Montgomery had them practicing icing the puck these past four days”.

I considered mentioning that, due to the holiday freeze, the team was prohibited from practicing, but thought better of it.

 

[mjhfb]

Losing 3 out of 4 veteran centers, all good defensively, and all good at face-offs.