Now that Braden Holtby is the new Bruins owner, maybe he'll do something about Chris Kelly's ice time

Braden Holtby now officially owns the Bruins. Three games this season, 3 shutouts, 88 saves. With the playoffs starting I don't know how active Braden Holtby will be in operating the Bruins' day-to-day operations. But hopefully we'll soon have a new GM, maybe a new coach, fewer reality TV shows, and please for the love of everything holy, less Chris Kelly. The Braden Holtby era of Bruins ownership has begun!

Give an assist (a rare one) to Kelly for Holtby's ability to acquire the team. Kelly had another goalless game Wednesday night. That's 25 in a row. He hasn't scored since February 13th. He hasn't had an assist since March 5th. And yet for some reason last night, with the Bruins down 3-0 in the 3rd period, Kelly got more even-strength ice time in the 3rd than he had in the 2nd or 1st. What the fuck, Claude?

There's nobody on this roster less likely to score a goal or contribute to a goal, and yet Claude Julien put him on the ice for the same number of shifts (6) as he had in the 1st and 2nd periods.

Chris Kelly isn't the only problem the Bruins have, nor are the Bruins' difficulties as simple to solve as reducing a defensive specialist's ice time when you need to score. But this is just baffling.

Kelly has spent over 6 hours on the ice since his last goal (360:46).

Down 3 goals in the 3rd, Kelly got 4:40 of even-strength ice time. David Pastrnak, who's scored 5 goals and 14 assists since Kelly last scored, was on the ice for 2:45. Kelly 4:40, Pastrnak 2:45. Are you kidding me? How is this even possible? I'm looking at the time on ice report on NHL.com and I'm thinking that they must have made a number of mistakes, as this is simply ludicrous.

Kelly had more even-strength ice time in the 3rd than Pastrnak, Spooner, Connolly, Marchand, Krejci, Lucic, and Bergeron. That's right, Patrice fucking Bergeron. Why? How?

Those players have 99 combined goals this season. Kelly has 7. And only 3 in 2015. Those are guys getting paid millions because they can score, and they're playing less than a guy who hasn't scored in 25 games.

I can't even think about anything else today. You're down 3 goals. You have 20 minutes of hockey and you must score 3 goals in order to secure a valuable point. You have 12 forwards on your bench. Some of them have 20+ goals this season. Some have been carrying you the past few weeks with their offense. And so you send a guy riding a 25-game drought on the ice more than most of them.

So please, new Bruins owner Braden Holtby, tell Claude Julien that he either needs to change the way he plays favorites with the most offensively inept player on the team, or he needs to find a new team.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Nick Wass

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 24

Washington forced a Game 7. And I'm not shocked at all. The good news is we get to see a Game 7, the bad news is we have no hockey until Saturday.

CAPITALS 2, RANGERS 1 - (Series tied 3-3)

I'm finally respecting Braden Holtby. He's withstood the pressure, clung to his confidence, and he's making big saves. He gives the Capitals confidence to play their game. Which isn't the finesse, high-flying offensive hockey that we've seen from them in years past. They've become more hardcore. They grind goals. But they also have that skill and talent to take advantage of odd man rushes and Power Plays.

Game 7 should be fantastic. It will be played Saturday night in Madison Square Garden. Winner faces New Jersey.

Stanley Cup Preview: Rangers vs. Capitals*

The Capitals beat last year's Champs, a defensive minded team that tried to grind opponents down. The Rangers are a defensive minded team that tries to grind opponents down. So why won't Washington win? Because Henrik Lundqvist is playing out of his mind (1.70 GAA in first round). Because the Rangers have guys like Brad Richards, Ryan Callahan, and Marian Gaborik. And unlike the Bruins, their top players are playing like their top players.

I'm not sold on Braden Holtby. He's good. He's sound. But I think he struggles to smother loose pucks. The Rangers will take advantage of this. The Rangers also scored 5 times on the Power Play against Ottawa.

The Caps played to their maximum potential against the Bruins. But if the B's had done likewise, they would have beaten them in 5 or 6 games. The Rangers are hungry. They're more fundamentally sound than the Bruins, their goaltending is better, their scorers are scoring.

Rangers in 6.

Series schedule:
1: Saturday 4/28 - 3:00pm - WSH @ NYR - NBC
2: Monday 4/30 - 7:30pm - WSH @ NYR - NBC Sports
3: Wednesday 5/2 - 7:30pm - NYR @ WSH - NBC Sports
4: Saturday 5/5 - 12:00pm - NYR @ WSH - NBC
5: Monday 5/7 - 7:30pm - WSH @ NYR - NBC Sports
6: Wednesday 5/9 - tba - NYR @ WSH - tba
7: Saturday 5/12 - tba - WSH @ NYR - tba

Bruins Lose With a Capital L

On the bright side, I get to trim my beard. That's good because it was getting a bit unruly. Some tomato sauce got caught in it and since my beard has a reddish hue, I was never certain that I got all the sauce out.

Anyway, to the game and the series.

The Capitals played to 100% of their potential. The Bruins fluctuated between 80% and 100%, mostly hovering around 90%. Rarely reaching 100%.

We're going to here the theories. It's amazing how small minded people come up with the biggest and most complex explanation of things. They'll blame the so-called "Cup hangover." They'll say the Bruins celebrated too much in the off-season. They might even point to Tim Thomas not visiting the White House.

I'm more simplistic. I see David Krejci not scoring goals and just think that he's not a very consistent player. I see Milan Lucic skating up the ice before he has full possession of the puck, turning it over on his own blue line. That's something the Bruins have done many times, both before and after winning the Cup. I see brad Marchand trying too hard to make plays on his own.

These aren't complicated things. The Bruins didn't execute. It happens. It happened in the 2011 Cup run too. Just not 4 times in a 7 game stretch.

Krejci and Lucic made the right plays at the wrong time. They'd fling the puck in front of the net, but not when the Bruins had any bodies in front. They didn't do much in the offensive zone that had any purpose. Only Seguin did a good job supporting the play. Only Seguin looked dangerous in the offensive zone.

I missed Mark Recchi in this series. His timing to get to the front of the net was something the Bruins were sorely missing all series long. Holtby was giving up rebounds, struggling to smother loose pucks, and frequently made mistakes with his glove. But there were no Bruins hovering around the net, pouncing just as the shot got in, and getting body position to capitalize on rebounds.

Holtby was the story of this series, but not the star. He did a great job, but the Bruins did a poor job of making him work to make saves. No traffic, no second-chance opportunities. Lots of perimeter shots that he was able to see clearly.

Anyone who wants to blame Thomas for this series loss is a fool. He wasn't godlike, as he was in 2011. But how perfect would he have needed to be last night?

Defensively, the Bruins did a good job shutting down the Caps. But most of the top 6 Bruin forwards did nothing on offense. Kelly's line produced at the start of the series. Then the defensemen took over. Seguin and Peverley combined for 5 goals, which is 1/3 of the Bruins' total offensive production. Bruins forwards only scored 11 goals. The top 6 scored 7 goals, and 5 of those were Seguin's and Peverley's

Krejci had 1 goal. Marchand had 1 goal. Lucic had 0 goals. Bergeron had 0 goals.

One of these guys needed to produce. Just one.

The Bruins needed their scorers to score. They were never going to outmuscle the Caps. These aren't the Canadiens, the Lightning, or the Canucks. Alex Ovechkin is 230 pounds. He doesn't shy away from physical contact, he initiates it.

So now comes a long off-season. Will Thomas be back? Will the Bruins get a "scorer?" Will they try to construct a true top line. We have plenty of time to find out.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bruins - Capitals Game 7 Preview

The Bruins won a record setting three Game 7s on their way to the Stanley Cup last year. So this is familiar territory for them.

The Bruins' best regular season players are finally showing up in the post-season. Seguin was a constant threat in Game 6, Krejci scored, Lucic had 2 assists. The Bruins need these guys to contribute, especially with Patrice Bergeron well below 100% and playing a very limited role.

The Power Play has been painful to watch, but I don't think it will be much of a factor in Game 7. I think the refs will only call the most blatant penalties and I'd be shocked if the B's get more than 2 Power Play chances.

Tim Thomas has been outstanding in this series. Some have pointed to a goal or two that he would have stopped last year. And many are declaring that Braden Holtby has "outplayed" Thomas. That's not true. Holtby has played well, but he's had much easier saves to make. The Capitals have constantly obstructed Thomas with bodies in the slot. Something the B's have only occasionally done to Holtby. Thomas has traffic, Holtby has space.

If not for Thomas, the Caps would have already won this series. And the bigger the stage, and the more pressure there is, the better Tim Thomas performs. The Bruins will not lose Game 7 because of their goaltender.

For the Capitals to win Game 7, there's a set order of things that they need to do. Holtby has to make some big glove saves, Ovechkin's line needs to score or at least neutralize a Bruins line, and goals need to be scored by one of 5 guys (Ovechkin, Semin, Laich, Brouwer, Backstrom). If any one of these things don't happen, the Capitals don't win.

The Bruins, on the other hand, can win in a variety of different ways. The Bruins are more diverse, their players are more flexible and can play multiple roles. The Bruins get more production from more sources than Washington does. The Caps have 9 players with multiple points in this series. The Bruins have 14. The Caps have 6 players with 3+ points. The Bruins have 8. Four Bruins' defensemen have scored a goal. Only one Capitals' defenseman has scored.

All the Bruins can play defense as well. Peverly is the Bruins' top scorer in this series, and you'll see him on the ice in defensive situations. Unlike an Alexander Ovechkin. Then there's a guy like Chara who is the best defensive player on the team and also a guy who can score.

So Washington can win, but it'd have to follow a script. If the Bruins can disrupt that script, or just improvise their own using their broad range of skills, then they'll win.

I think the B's will find some holes in Holtby. I think Ovechkin will score and make things interesting. But the Bruins will pull away down the stretch and win 3-2.

Seguin Keeps Bruins In

The Bruins weren't going to win this series unless some of their key forwards woke up and scored. Krejci scored yesterday. Lucic had two assists. And Seguin scored the game-winner.

Seguin was dangerous all game. It was only a matter of time before he scored. He threatened frequently in the 1st, and he helped set-up Peverley's goal in the 3rd. Finally, the opportunity came for him in OT. He was confident, he was patient, he was Tyler Seguin. He waited for Braden Holtby to commit, then he attacked. And as good as the media has made Holtby out to be, Seguin is ridiculously more talented than him. And don't forget that Seguin has to practice against Tim Thomas. That might be part of the reason why he's becoming such a good player.

I thoroughly enjoy Eddie Olczyk's mis-analysis of Tim Thomas during the playoffs. He spouted the same crap last year. The NBC guys frequently critique the two time Vezina winner for his aggressiveness. I think Mr. Olczyk believes that if he laced up his skates today, he'd be able to score on Thomas with ease. But he has just a good of a chance to score on Thomas as he does of pronouncing a player's name correctly.

Thomas was great. Washington's first goal was a deflection off Zanon's leg. Their second goal came when the referees didn't call interference or high-sticking and the Caps had a de facto Power Play. Ironically, after the play Marchand couldn't return to the ice due to the flowing blood from the non-penalty. He got a stick to the face and Washington scored. Then again, the refs were primarily focused on clamping down the toughest, fiercest player in the NHL: Benoit Pouliot.

How much attention are the referees giving Pouliot's play? Pouliot has 6 penalty minutes this series. Ovechkin has 4. Who do you think has played rougher, pushed the rules further?

Speaking of penalties, the Washington fans properly displayed their ignorance when booing the 4 minute high-sticking call on Ovechkin. Stick to face equals a penalty. And blood makes it a 4 minute penalty. There's little grey area. What the hell were the Caps fans booing?

Then again, the lack of penalties on Ovechkin isn't new. He was 21st in the NHL with 215 hits in the regular season. He only received 26 penalty minutes. That's not a typo. He was only penalized 26 minutes. 21st most hits, 393rd most penalty minutes. It's impossible to be involved in so much physical play and not be penalized more. Clearly the refs have a different rule book for him.

The Bruins' Power Play looked much better than it's been in the first 5 games. The B's scored a PP goal in the 1st. And they were much better at entering the zone and maintaining possession. The next step is to move some bodies away from the puck. That makes it harder on the penalty killers. It opens up passing and shooting lanes, creates 2-on-1 situations, and forces the goalie to move around. And we've seen Holtby struggle when he's forced to move from post-to-post.

The Bruins' penalty killing is back to form too.

So we have another Game 7. This is familiar territory for many of the Bruins. If they can continue to grow on the Power Play; if Krejci, Seguin, and Lucic can contribute; and if Benoit Pouliot's rampaging can be harnessed, the Bruins should win.

I can't wait until Wednesday.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Capital Punishment

The series is tied 2-2. And as much as Braden Holtby will get praised for this, it really is the Bruins' fault. They're not playing at the same level as Washington. Just look at the Bruins' top scorers (Seguin, Bergeron, Krejci, Lucic, Marchand). These 5 guys have combined for one assist. The top 5 Bruins scorers have one assist in this series.

Then there's the turnovers, which are frequently erased by Thomas, but not always. Then there's Ference falling down. That resulted in a Washington goal.

Defensively, though, the Bruins have been pretty tight in this series. Even when they've made mistakes, somebody has made a play to minimize those errors.

Offensively, this team is lost. Lucic looked like a fucking fool last night. How many times did he give the puck away, or struggle to gain possession?

Then Krejci. How perfect do passes have to be for Krejci to settle the puck?

The 4th line is doing what the 4th line is supposed to do, the 3rd line is scoring, and at least the Bergeron line is generating chances. The Krejci-Lucic line is playing horribly right now. And I think they're the biggest reason this series is tied.

Strategically, the Bruins need to stop throwing shots high on Holtby. He's good with the glove. He's very cocky with the glove, actually. Low shots, generate rebounds, get inside position and try to score. Make him question himself. He's too secure right now.

And the Power Play needs to be simplified in some areas and made more dynamic in others. Two defensemen on the blue-line. No need to have forwards on the point (unless it's Rolston). Move bodies without the puck.

And in all situations, build traffic in front of Holtby.

How much traffic did Thomas deal with last night? How much did Holtby deal with? Thomas had I-93 at 4:45pm on a Friday. Holtby had Route 24 at 2:00am on a Tuesday. Make Holtby struggle to make these saves.

Game 5 is Saturday afternoon in Boston. It's time for the Bruins to show up and play as well as they can play. We haven't seen that all series.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Caps Even Series at 1-1

On the bright side, with just one more goal the Bruins could be up 2-0 in this series. On the not-so-bright, with just one more goal the Capitals could be up 2-0.

As painful as double OT losses are, I'm going to start with a very positive thing I've seen in this series.

Tim Thomas is in Conn Smythe form. Maybe it won't last, but he is fresh and playing at his absolute peak. 2 goals in 144 minutes. He's stopped 96.4% of the shots he's faced. He's averaging less than a goal allowed per game (0.83 GAA).

Statistically, he's been matched by Braden Holtby. In fact, Holtby's save percentage is higher (.977). The 22 year old former Hershey Bear has become one of the biggest stories of the playoffs so far.

But Thomas' saves have been much harder. That's no knock on Holtby, it's a compliment to the Capitals and a criticism of the Bruins' forwards. The Caps are occupying space in front of and around Thomas. The Bruins aren't doing the same to Holtby. Holtby has had the crease to himself.

The B's seem content with peppering Holtby from the perimeter. The Caps seem fine with that too. They're yielding the outside to the Bruins and clogging up the middle. Holtby's given up rebounds that would be juicy if there were anyone in a black sweater to capitalize.

Guys like Marchand, Lucic, Bergeron, and Rolston need to get to the front of the net. Be there for rebounds. And be there to make Holtby's job difficult. Screen him, disrupt him, get him angry. He's already taken a minor for roughing. Push his buttons some more. See if he unravels.

The Bruins have not produced any offense. The Power Play has been crap, and Kelly's line are the only players with points.

Part of the problem might be Bergeron's line being on the ice to face Ovechkin. Seguin, Marchand, and Bergeron were #1, #2, and #5 on the list of Bruins goal scorers. They've been playing in much fewer offensive situations than usual. And lining up against a tough line.

Maybe Seguin can move to the Krejci line. Seguin is a bit out of place when facing Washington's top guys anyway. And his playmaking ability could spark Krejci and/or Lucic. Peverley can move to the Bergeron line which might even make them better defensively.

Lucic and Krejci need to step up. It's the playoffs. Krejci was 1-8 on faceoffs Saturday. He played close to 28 minutes and I can't remember that he was ever on the ice. He's been a ghost.

Considering how well the Bruins have played defensively, and how poorly most of them have played offensively, they deserve to be tied 1-1. The good news is, these are all problems that can be solved internally. Washington has played well, but the B's haven't been making things very tough on them.

Game 3 tonight on NESN and NBC Sports. Not a bad way to end Patriots' Day.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo