Mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, Utah outworked the Bruins and played like a more cohesive team. They generated more chances. But on the other, the Bruins actually had more high quality chances, the defense on the whole is gradually improving (albeit let down by more lapses in the 3rd) and the game was very much there to be won with a period to go. A point on the road, against a team that's decent and seemingly on the up, is never to be sniffed at.
I'm not as gloom and doom as some here seem to be. The team is 3-2-1 and very much staying in the mix in their division while in the process of trying to reinvent itself with quite a different-looking roster. Yes they're disjointed and some of their play is really sloppy or lacking effort/intensity, but there are some positives to build on too.
My concern is more whether this roster is built properly. I fear there is a mismatch between the way they need to play to be effective and the mentality and culture of the players and the locker room as a whole. This team is short on speed and raw talent. What they are is big and for the most part quite experienced. But to make use of that size they need to play tough, gritty, physical and mean. Dump and chase, bodies to the net, force the opposition into mistakes. Simple, hard-working hockey with an edge. But look at these guys. McAvoy, Carlo, Pasta, Coyle, Beecher and Lohrei don't have a mean bone in their bodies. Frederic was feisty when he was young and looking to make an impression, but he's a teddy bear at heart. Zacha of all people seems to understand the need to step up the nasty, but it's not natural to him. Sway has moxie, but he's the goalie. I just don't see them being able to play 'big and bad'. It's not in them. And if they can't do that, is a big and slow-ish roster going to be able to take it up to the very best teams in the league?
I don't think the team has been well-coached so far this year. Not liking quite a lot of what we've seen from Monty, and I don't believe he's yet got a handle on how to get this kind of lineup working. He's more visibly grumpy, and I understand why, but I'm not sure he's dealing with it constructively. But I still remind myself we need to patient. Only 6 games in. Long way to go. This really is a different team to what the Bruins have had for a long time. It was never going to click overnight. As a team more built for playoff hockey, it's going to be more difficult for it to find its rhythm in the regular season. We saw that from the Panthers when they changed their approach two years ago, and that turned out pretty well. But it took some stumbles on the way there. The Bruins need to stick at it and some senior guys need to have a look at themselves in the mirror and step up. Need to see a bit more yet before any major shakeup moves are considered.
