2015-16 Boston Bruins Thread... A New Hope...

[BDL]

The Bruins swept the home & home against the Sabres and in both cases it took extra time and a Bruin beating the Sabre's goalie 1 on 1.

On Thursday... I'll have to say mea culpa, mea culpa. Apparently, holding a 2 goal lead is the hardest thing to do in sports. BUF got on the board 1st. Evander Kane (the player I've been jones-ing for to be in a Spoked B since his time in ATL) lit the lamp in the 1st per. The Sabres doubled their lead in 1st min of the 2nd per. The joy was short lived though, when Spooner scored less than a minute after that. And it was 2-1 until Marshmont tied it up in the 3rd. Next came the OT, that featured some great up and down action and plenty of opportunities. What shocked me the most was that Z and Seids stayed out there for the whole OT. In the shootout, Spooner was the only player to net a goal, and get the B's the extra point.

Saturday's game was a hard fought battle of attrition and a skosch of controversy. First of all, I have no problem if they had called for a penalty shot on that play in the 3rd. But if they didn't call for a PS on that 1, they shouldn't've called for the PS on Ristolainen, in OT. But they did, and Marshy scored the Bruins' 1st ever PS goal in OT. All that aside, this game was as evenly matched as it could be. Shots, FO%, attack zone time, everything was even. Buffalo's play definitely belies their place in the standings.

As of this morning, the Bruins have the 3rd slot in the playoffs to themselves. They are tied in pts with 2nd place TB, but the Bolts have more wins and have a game in hand on the B's. And... Shhhhhhhh.... The Habs have quietly started to inch closer to the Wild Card slot.

The Bruins have 1 more game at home on Tues (Kings), and then are on a 6 games road trip. Unfortunately, it is against all Western Conf. teams. No chance for any 4pt games.

In closing, I just want to say, best wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery, to Malcolm Subban. On Saturday, he took a puck to the throat during warm-ups and was rushed to the hospital. The only details that we have, is that Malcolm has a fractured larynx, he is in stable condition, has been transported to Mass Gen and is out indefinitely. Get well soon SubZero

 

[BDL]

9 to 2. Let me say that again. "9 to 2." 9... 2... 9... 2...

I keep typing it and I still can't believe it. And when I say it to myself, in my head, all I can think is someone saying "No... You..." in german/spanish. But I certainly don't equate it to a hockey score. Even when the Hawks played Section-5, I don't think it was this bad. And with the trade deadline coming up, Claude Bombay NEEDS an Adam Banks. I don't know who, how, where or when, but Hans Sweeney is going to have to make a deal.

Watching the game; It began with hope. Marchand got the B's on the board 1st. Then the LA Wolverines netted the next 7 goals. And the game went from hope to "Hunh... I wonder if the Kings can score 10?" I saw the whole game. 3 of LA's goals were flukes that no one could anticipate going in. 2 were grievous turnovers by the B's that led directly to scores. Guess what? Even if you take those goals out of the equation... THE BRUINS STILL LOSE THE FRIGGIN' GAME 4-2.

Tonight the Bruins begin their 6 game road trip. Face-off is 8, against the Jets.

Let's Go Bruins!!!

 

[laeeyore]

That game was a thing of beauty.

 

[kimblebee]

BRING IT

 

[BDL]

BRING IT

Ok.

 

[declansdad]

BRING IT

Looks like they did.

 

[BDL]

It was nice to see the Bruins show up last night. Now, I'm not putting the cart in front of the horse just yet. There were a couple of goals that people could call a fluke. like I did of some of LA's goals, the other night. And when they went to the review on 1 of the goals, I was sure that the goal was going to be over-turned. And I think it could've gone either way. Last night's game was the Bergeron/Marchand show. It was reminiscent of Game 7 vs. Vancouver. Those 2 just took over the game. And it was nice to see Connolly have a 3 pt night. What shocked me, was the number of fights last night. And I never realized exactly how small this Bruins team was, until I saw the 3 1/2 fights (Machand/Wheeler roughing call). My God. It looked like every Jet had 2-4" and 30-50 lbs on the Bruins. I did get worried when Jack and Brick pointed out that Bergy hadn't been seen for a while since he left the box for his fight. Thankfully, he got back on the ice as the 3rd progressed. And doubly thankfully. Claude sat Bergy at the end of the game.

The Bruins have a busy weekend coming up. They have the Wild tomorrow and, a chance for a 4 pt game on V-day, against the Wings. So either plan on making your sweetie, a breakfast in bed or move those dinner reservations to later in the day, if you want to watch the game.

Finally, a couple of stories on the health front. Malcolm Subban has already had his larynx surgery and is now recovering at home. Earliest estimate of a return is 8 weeks. I think it might be best to shut him down for the year, let McIntyre steer the P-Bears, and use the off-season to get him back in playing shape and rebuild his confidence.

This next story... Does anyone out there personally know Declansdad or Mommasita? We may have to do some wellness checks. I heard on the radio, that the Habs may have lost Price for the season, due to extensive ligament damage. Now, I'm sure he will be fine next year. And Scrivens and Condon have been filling in pretty good. Plus, there's always the trade deadline.

Face-off tomorrow at 2pm. Happy Valentine's Day.

Let's go Bruins!

 

[declansdad]

It was nice to see the Bruins show up last night. Now, I'm not putting the cart in front of the horse just yet. There were a couple of goals that people could call a fluke. like I did of some of LA's goals, the other night. And when they went to the review on 1 of the goals, I was sure that the goal was going to be over-turned. And I think it could've gone either way. Last night's game was the Bergeron/Marchand show. It was reminiscent of Game 7 vs. Vancouver. Those 2 just took over the game. And it was nice to see Connolly have a 3 pt night. What shocked me, was the number of fights last night. And I never realized exactly how small this Bruins team was, until I saw the 3 1/2 fights (Machand/Wheeler roughing call). My God. It looked like every Jet had 2-4" and 30-50 lbs on the Bruins. I did get worried when Jack and Brick pointed out that Bergy hadn't been seen for a while since he left the box for his fight. Thankfully, he got back on the ice as the 3rd progressed. And doubly thankfully. Claude sat Bergy at the end of the game.

The Bruins have a busy weekend coming up. They have the Wild tomorrow and, a chance for a 4 pt game on V-day, against the Wings. So either plan on making your sweetie, a breakfast in bed or move those dinner reservations to later in the day, if you want to watch the game.

Finally, a couple of stories on the health front. Malcolm Subban has already had his larynx surgery and is now recovering at home. Earliest estimate of a return is 8 weeks. I think it might be best to shut him down for the year, let McIntyre steer the P-Bears, and use the off-season to get him back in playing shape and rebuild his confidence.

This next story... Does anyone out there personally know Declansdad or Mommasita? We may have to do some wellness checks. I heard on the radio, that the Habs may have lost Price for the season, due to extensive ligament damage. Now, I'm sure he will be fine next year. And Scrivens and Condon have been filling in pretty good. Plus, there's always the trade deadline.

Face-off tomorrow at 2pm. Happy Valentine's Day.

Let's go Bruins!

Thanks for the concern.

In my mind, Price was done for the season anyway. Scrivens and Condon have been good but they need to score some goals to help them out.

 

[stevea20]

After that disgraceful debacle against the Kings I just haven't been able to write. I only saw the first period last night and thought it was more of the same even though the B's were up 3-2. Glad they finished better though now it seems Bergeron may have done something to himself in a fight. . .when does HE fight!

Felger is advocating "blowing the team up" since he believes the team will get "blown out" of the first round (the second quotes are mine). Question is, who you gonna get and who you gonna give up?

 

[mommasita]

Thanks for the concern.

In my mind, Price was done for the season anyway. Scrivens and Condon have been good but they need to score some goals to help them out.

Ditto, I think we all knew this a LONG time ago, at least in this city. You don't really go far without seeing Price, and he doesn't look good

 

[BDL]

Hi everybody. Sorry I've been away. Actually got a chance to get away for a while. BDLsgal and I were down at Cancun for a bit, and we enjoyed actively doing nothing.

So...? What's been going on with the Bruins while I was gone?

Just kidding. I followed along as best I could and when I could steal wi-fi, I listened to the 98.5 broadcasts of the games. And lately, they have been playing like the Boston Sybils. And if you don't get that reference, you did not grow up watching channel 56, which showed Sybil no less than 10 times a year. And if you did not watch channel 56 growing up, I feel bad for you. They used to broadcast The Benny Hill Show uncensored.

But what I mean by the Boston Sybils, is that they are playing like they have 10 different personalities. Blow out high powered teams. Lose by giving up 6 goals to a lottery team and be shutout by a team that just traded their 2nd best D-man.

They are still in the 3rd spot, but only have 1 pt on the Wings. And the Wings have a game in hand. So, today will be a Twitter and TSN Trade Tracker frenzy day. It was just released that the current asking price for Eriksson, is a top player and a top prospect. Now I doubt they will get that. But if the B's throw in 1 of the 8 million draft picks, it could be worked out. Also, if a trade is reached I could see Sweeney immediately flipping and making another move at 2:59pm.

Gotta love trade deadline day.

Next game, The Bruins welcome Johnny Hockey back to Boston, tomorrow night.

Let's go Bruins.

Cue the the playing of Yakkity Sax

 

[BDL]

3:01pm... No deals for the Bruins.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh

***UPDATE***

The Bruins acquired John-Micheal Liles from the Canes. Details to come.

 

[mandy200587]

No deal for the preds and I am happy...our lines finally clicked and gelling

 

[stevea20]

I am seriously beginning to wonder if Sweeney has a clue. With the way they struggle at home, I agree with Felger (shudder) that if they make the playoffs, they'll get shelled.
Why are they picking up these journeymen instead of bring along the young players like Colin Miller and Vatrano?

 

[BDL]

Steve A...

Before I give my answer to a couple of your questions, I'd like to address a small snippet of your comment. "...agree with Felger." While I would never begrudge anyone their opinion. Yours is as valuable as mine if not more-so. Because your opinion may have more information, truth, influence with it, than what I have said. Therefore, adjusting and maybe improving my position. That being said...

***WARNING: Beginning of OT rant. Please scroll down to see on-topic opinion of the trade deadline

I have lost ALL respect for just about any opinion that comes from Felger and his squeaky parrot Maz. For the past 4yrs (starting just about the time there were rumors they were to be syndicated), they stopped being onions. By that, I mean, everything they said was completely superficial and lacked any layers. There was never another way to look at anything or an alternative way of doing things. Never mind how a team is composed, go get player X. Never mind the personnel, change the schemes and game plans. Never mind that the coach is winning, his style is antiquated, get him out of here. Things of that nature.

And for every (approx) 45 min of talking per hr, 30 min is spent regurgitating the same opinion, just getting louder in each successive hour. And it wouldn't be so bad, if they weren't wrong 75% of the time. They've been wrong on Marchand, comparing him to Donny Sadler. They were wrong about Claude. They were wrong about Bergy, Z & Thomas. They were wrong about Brady. Wrong about the importance of getting quality O-linemen, running backs and back-up players. They were wrong about the 2013 Red Sox. Wrong about Stevens. Wrong to want the C's to tank for the draft. And wrong about the impact I. Thomas. But, I said they were right about 25% of the time. They were right about Chiarelli and his wait-n-see attitude. Right about Rondo and how you can't build a team around him.

But I give no credence to all of the "blabber and blatherskite" they were spewing yesterday. First Maz insisting that it should've been SO EASY to trade Eriksson, without even knowing what the offers were. Also, not factoring in that there is a list of 1/2 of the teams that Loui had pre-approved to be traded. And if the teams that he picked were in the East, 1 of the teams that recently did the wholesale upgrade (CHI, NYR, etc) or in the bottom of the rankings, he wasn't going anywhere. Also, if the only offers were similar to the low-ball offers they were getting draft day, why trade him for flea market prices.

Sorry, for unloading. And I don't know if Marinaro is like this. And I'm pretty sure that Francesa is too busy placating his own ego and mommy issues to care about the listeners. But this is my opinion about Felger & Maz. The rest of the 98.5 staff is AWESOME. Toucher & Rich in the morning put the afternoon show to shame in the way that they can see things from a step back. Then there is Beatle & Zolak mid-day, where they jump in with both feet and immerse themselves into the intricacies of the teams. For the past 7-8 months, when Beatle & Zolak sign off, I go to youtube and listen to stand-up comics instead of F&M. Every once in a while I'll tune in depending on the event (like yesterday), guests coming on or just HOPING that they've modified. But so far, no. If anyone else has similar opinions about F&M or your local broadcasters, let us know. Or if you think I am off-base, let me know and point out what I seem to be missing.

End of OT rant***

As for the day itself, I am also let down that they were not able to move Eriksson. I don't know if there was a pick or prospect they could've bundled to get the player that Sweeney wanted. The 1 thing that they couldn't do, was retain any of his salary. The B's are still eating some of Looch's and to retain Loui's $$$, means they wouldn't be able to afford taking a player back. I do think, and I am totally hypothesizing here, that experienced GM's were trying to fleece the rookie GM. We won't find out til the Summer. But if the other GM's were offering 3 dimes for a dollar bill, it's better to sit on Loui and ride it out. Then at 2:59pm, Sweeney did improve the D and the top 6. Before Stempniak even steps on the ice, he is 6th on the team in scoring and 4th in goals. Granted, Liles is a -3 in +/-, but there were only 4 Canes that were on the + side, that played more than 40 games. He was 2nd on his team in blocks with 96 (tied for 3rd on the B's) and has played every game this year. I don't know what his avg TOI, but he can only help in spelling the other D's.

Now, I'm not spouting rainbows and unicorns from my eyes and I know I'm trying to see a bright side; but it's not that hard. Loui walks, and the B's can trade him before the FA period, for a 4th rd-er, to give that team an inside track. Same can be said for Liles and Stempniak, if the B's decide not to try to sign them. But the ultimate math bonus, and this was pointed out by Goucher this morning, with Loui's money gone, Kelly's money gone, and no longer retaining any of Looch's pay; the Bruins will be approx $10m under the cap for next year, with abundant, and low priced talent, on the farm. So by not signing Loui, they have the cap space to extend Marchand and deny his agent from saying "If Eriksson is worth X, we think that we are worth Y." And you buy time, stability and breathing room to negotiate with RFA's like Krug and Pastrnak.

Bruins face Dougie and Johnny Hockey tonight.

Let's Go Bruins!!!!!

 

[stevea20]

. "...agree with Felger." While I would never begrudge anyone their opinion. Yours is as valuable as mine if not more-so.

It was a joke. I have no problem with anyone who agrees or disagrees with any of their opinions. In fact, I think it's their job to create arguments so we think they are idiots.


"blabber and blatherskite"


You were a fan of DuckTales weren't you Gizmo Duck.
Let's Go Bruins!!!!!

 

[BDL]

Sorry man. Didn't mean to go off on the anti-F&M tangent. But they just seem to metaphorically smack every sports fan that can analyze more than just the score.

And speaking of scoring... What was that last night? 4-2! Holy poop. I know, I know... The 'Hawks were on the back end of a back to back and had their #2 in net. But I'll take the 2 pts. Also, with the win, Claude tied Art Ross (you know... the trophy guy) for most regular season wins behind the B's bench. Also Patrice "Rafters" Bergeron is now tied with Terry O'Reilly for 8th on the Bruins all-time scorers list. Now Bergy is still a good stretch away from even sniffing Bourque's total, but it is still something of note.

Next game for the Bruins will be tomorrow night against the Caps. And as fate will have it, this will be the 2nd time in a row, that the B's will face a conference leader on the back end of a back to back. I aint complaining. Trust me. And after that, the Bruins crucible continues. And this is where fate bites the Bruins in the spoked B. In back to back days, the B's have to play the 2 teams that are directly over them in the Atlantic Div. And for some reason, both games are in the EST time zone, yet have a 7:30 start time. If the B's are getting bumped for Spring Training, I will be quite miffed.

But, 1 step at a time. Tomorrow night... Bruins Caps.

Let's go Bruins.

 

[BDL]

Before I start, I just want to send best wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery for PK Subban. He had a rough collision last night with a teammate; and had to be brought off the ice on a stretcher. Get Well Soon.

As for the Bruins, they are having a pretty good March. Not "march", with a lower case 'M' (though they are doing that too), but a March. They have had at least 1 point in every game that they have played this month. With wins against the Western Conf. leader and the 2 teams that were ahead of them going into the contests. And an OTL against the Presidents' Cup leader. It seems that the Bruins MAY have shaken their multiple personality disorder and replaced it with "playing to the level of the opposition." This has translated into 10 of 12 possible points and they are currently in 1st place in the Flor-theast. But I don't expect that to be cemented just yet. The Bolts and Cats each have games in hand over the B's.

Aside from the the points streak, I'd have to say the newcomers are probably the best recent news. They are fitting in almost seamlessly. The Bergy-Marshy-Stempy line has clicked since the word go (and helped out my fantasy team. I have Bergy, Marshy and Rask). Another thing of note is that Claude is really throwing his hat in the ring for the Art Ross Trophy, and not just because he beat his regular season Bruins record. The re-sorting of the lines. The mixing and matching of the special teams when certain players aren't available. And handling the players themselves. Everyone who dumped on him for dropping Pastrnak a couple of lines when he had a few foul-ups, look at how he's been playing since. He's more involved, more physical and has gotten better at surveying the landscape around him.

After tomorrow's game against the Isles, there are only 12 games left in the season, and it will be crunch time. And I REALLLLLLLY hope that Claude will put Monster between the pipes for at least 4 of them. Let Tuuk start against teams that the B's could meet in the Eastern playoffs and let Gustavsson face the West and teams that are out of the playoffs. Gives Tuuk a chance to get familiar with the possible opponents while still giving him chances to rest. Also, I like Monster's style. Though he is 8ft 6in, he doesn't drop to the pads til the last minute, and is quick with the glove.

And looking to the future, I'm wondering who will be brought along for the Black Aces. I'm sure that we'll see some familiar faces from Prov. like C. Miller, Talbot, Vatrano and either Subban or McIntyre (or Smith). But I wonder if there will be any surprises like Senyshyn, or O'Gara from Yale (Krug 2.0, but MUCH bigger). But 1 thing that is tough, the AHL reg. season ends a week and a 1/2 after the NHL. Could be a tight fit.

Face-off at 1pm tomorrow.

Let's Go Bruins!


PS: A little off topic here. If anyone here is a fan boy, like myself, I'm sure that you have seen the new trailer for Captain America: Civil War. If you want some free entertainment, go on youtube, type "Captain America fan reaction" and when the results come up, select the filter option and select only videos from the last 7 days. It is a blast. But be warned, some of the fan boys/girls video-ing their reactions do not play by the Disboards standards & practices.

Have a great weekend and hope you have a great parade if your town celebrates St. Pat's Day this weekend.

 

[BDL]

Tonight begins a rough 4 game road trip that includes 3 games on the west coast, all 4 are against playoff contenders, and including their 1 game back home, has 2 pairs of back to back games (and would make 5 playoff contenders).

Tonight, the B's face a Sharks team that embarrassed the Caps on Saturday. The Sharks have 3 20+ goal scorers and 3 60+ point scorers. That being said, the Sharks are definitely top heavy. And with the home advantage of last change, Claude will have to be really mindful about the lines and pairs he puts out in different situations. And on top of all that, the game won't start until 10pm.

BUT.... I do have some good news. 2 bits of good news actually. 1st, Vatrano has joined the B's on their west coast swing on an emergency basis. And 2nd, The Hockey News is reporting that the Habs are bringing Therrien back next year. So, there's that to look forward to.

Face-off at 10pm tonight.

Let's Go Bruins!

 

[declansdad]

Habs management are idiots if that report is true. Therrien should never have been brought back.

The loss of Price has shown that he has no idea how to coach in today's NHL.