Is the Bruins loss the biggest choke job ever?

[wintersej]

Thomas was playing like a man possessed during that run. He was the biggest factor and he is long gone.

The Bruins scored twice the goals the Vancouver scored. Thomas’ best games were in the Bruins losses to Vancouver. In the ECF he gave up 4+ goals in 4 games. The narrative is overblown.

 

[Mongo]

The Bruins scored twice the goals the Vancouver scored. Thomas’ best games were in the Bruins losses to Vancouver. In the ECF he gave up 4+ goals in 4 games. The narrative is overblown.

I know the narrative seems to have changed the past few years about Thomas and that the Bruins would have won otherwise, but I still 100% disagree. Thomas finished with a .940 save % and a 1.98GA for the playoffs. Thats delivering everything and then some. Yeah, he gave up goals against Tampa but he also stood on his head and absolutely delivered when he needed to. Thomas managed to have a .916 save % vs Tampa and that vaunted offense.

Same in the Vancouver finals. Thomas had a .967 save % in the finals and if he wasn't standing on his head just stopping seemingly everything, Vancouver probably doesn't tighten up as much and it is a different series. I know the Bruins blew them out 4 times, but I feel Thomas got in their heads and helped changed the series. Bruins don't even get out of Tampa to face the Canucks if it wasn't for Thomas, imo.

Bruins in games 6 & 7 of round 1 needed just 1 more save to finish off the Panthers and couldn't get it. It's not like the shots the Panthers scored on were magnificent either. Goal one vs Swayman in game 7 was a backhander from just inside the faceoff dot. Game 6 Ullmark (injured, we know now) should have been able to stop at least 2 or 3 of the goals. Thomas did that and much more in 2011. Thomas' narrative of being the biggest factor of winning the cup shouldnt be considered overblown. The 2 SCF losses in 2013 & 2019 were better teams than 2011 and so was this year's team.

 

[N o o d l e s]

Excuse me we took Florida to 7 games

 

[BigEezyE22]

I second the Tampa loss to the BJs. The Bruins lost in 7, which, regardless of records, is hardly a choke. So far, they've given the Cats more resistance than anyone else, although Leafs and Canes fans might say otherwise.

Thing is though, Boston had the series within reach. Tampa was donezo after the first game.

 

[Pablo El Perro]

Thing is though, Boston had the series within reach. Tampa was donezo after the first game.

Which is why I consider Tampa's a worse choke job.

 

[cliffclaven]

Lots of bruins fans thought they would cakewalk to a cup this year. I said in a different thread a couple months ago “anything can happen” and was laughed at.

 

[Eye of Ra]

perhaps in nhl

but in hockey world overall, its for sure sweden against belarus in 2002 og

 

[njdevils1982]

perhaps in nhl

but in hockey world overall, its for sure sweden against belarus in 2002 og

how about the colossal choke from banana pads in '04.....what a tool

 

[Aurinko]

High pressures and young goalies more than often dont work out.

Demko was the last one that didnt end up as a complete collapse.

 

[Human]

Honestly, it doesn’t look like the biggest choke anymore. After eliminating the Bruins, the Cats walked all over the East…

Context always helps.

 

[MOGlLNY]

High pressures and young goalies more than often dont work out.

Demko was the last one that didnt end up as a complete collapse.

Who is a young goalie? Ullmark?

 

[CheerstoBeers]

Lots of bruins fans thought they would cakewalk to a cup this year. I said in a different thread a couple months ago “anything can happen” and was laughed at.

I doubt many Bruins fans thought it would be a cake walk. Everyone knows what can happen in the playoffs, especially winning the presidents trophy and having that pressure. I don't know any Bruins fans who weren't a little bit worried that the season they had would catch up to them at the wrong time.. All it took was a couple of injuries, our goaltending coming back down to earth and our D to look human again and all of a sudden we're in a dogfight with #8 for a first round win. I along with most Bruins fans weren't overly ecstatic going against Florida first round, a team that had been scratching and fighting for weeks to make the playoffs. They knew how to win.

 

[wintersej]

Lots of bruins fans thought they would cakewalk to a cup this year. I said in a different thread a couple months ago “anything can happen” and was laughed at.

I call horseshit. There was cockiness about round 1, but most thought that the second round was going to be close no matter the matchup and Carolina has been at bad matchup for Boston if they happened to be the team out of the metro. Did Bruins fans think they were the favorite in any series? Sure. Of course they would have been.

 

[Rowlet]

Which is why I consider Tampa's a worse choke job.

That's not choking, that's just losing. Choking is when you have the series wrapped up but can't get it done. They didn't choke if they were completely outclassed by the Blue Jackets in every way. It was certainly one of the biggest playoff disappointments of all time, but I don't think they ever even led in any games.

 

[KnockHobbler]

The Florida-Boston series was a coin flip in hindsight, and that was without Bergeron for a bit there. Florida walked all over Toronto and bullied the canes, and are now cup favourites. Hard to call it a huge choke job anymore.

Florida was legit all along.

 

[Aurinko]

The Florida-Boston series was a coin flip in hindsight, and that was without Bergeron for a bit there. Florida walked all over Toronto and bullied the canes, and are now cup favourites. Hard to call it a huge choke job anymore.

Florida was legit all along.

Florida is a great team, but ALL 16 playoff teams would be legit if they had the kind of goaltending Bob provided in 2023 playoffs.

 

[KnockHobbler]

Florida is a great team, but ALL 16 playoff teams would be legit if they had the kind of goaltending Bob provided in 2023 playoffs.

Are you saying goaltending isn’t part of the team

 

[Aurinko]

Are you saying goaltending isn’t part of the team

I'm saying ALL 16 playoff teams would be legit if they had the kind of goaltending Bob provided in 2023 playoffs.

 

[PullHard]

The one thing that sticks out to me about this season is how on Chiclets RA got his shots in on Cassidy when he could, diplomatically saying the team ran out of patience for him, etc. but you could tell he was poopooing him, and how now Monty is the man and the Bruins are playing so much better under him, etc.

And now we're here.

 

[KnockHobbler]

Florida is a great team, but ALL 16 playoff teams would be legit if they had the kind of goaltending Bob provided in 2023 playoffs.

Yes so if those teams were better, they’d be legit too. Got it

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Honestly, it doesn’t look like the biggest choke anymore. After eliminating the Bruins, the Cats walked all over the East…

Context always helps.

Yes. Context. Panthers are garbage and all the teams they faced choked or were crap.

 

[KnockHobbler]

the fact is that the panthers are one of the worst teams of all times. Despite being in the Stanley cup finals this year, winning the president’s trophy last year and having a 100 point player/legit number 1 centre/stud number 1 d and great depth, I’d argue they were worse than this year’s Arizona Coyotes. Honestly this season they were one of the worst teams in all of sports history.

I haven’t seen a team this bad since the dodge-ball team I was on (the sole star player of course) in elementary school, the dragons. We were putrid, but still better than this year’s Florida panthers. If we’d had Bobrovsky we’d have won. Instead we got swept by the elementary school equivalent of the Boston bruins.

 

[MoreOrr]

Lots of bruins fans thought they would cakewalk to a cup this year. I said in a different thread a couple months ago “anything can happen” and was laughed at.

Well, those were pretty naive Bruins fans. The Playoffs are never a "cake walk" for any team, other than sometimes for a surprise team that almost nobody expected.

 

[BB79]

Excuse me we took Florida to 7 games

AND got respected in the handshakes.

 

[BruinsFan37]

When you're up 3-1 in the series, it's a choke job, but given how Florida has played since it's not the biggest choke ever, even in Bruins history. In hindsight 2010 was worse for me.