The Bruins are interviewing for their own jobs

Here's a brain buster. In 2 words or less, tell me what the Boston Bruins need. By the way, the answer isn't "Tyler Seguin." Because 100% of the teams currently in the NHL playoff picture lack Tyler Seguin, and 100% of the teams that have Tyler Seguin are outside of the playoffs. What the Bruins need are efficiency experts. Like the efficiency experts in Office Space, who made all the Initech employees interview for their own jobs. The Bruins, from the front office to the coaching staff, from the top line to the healthy scratches, need to answer the question "What would you say you do here?"

The Bruins have 9 games to prove that they deserve their jobs. And even after those 9 games, the B's might only postpone their being fired. Making the playoffs isn't enough evidence to keep this team intact. If this team doesn't make the playoffs, or if they're once again outclassed and overmatched in the playoffs, heads will roll.

So what would those efficiency experts ask Peter Chiarelli?

Why did you trade Johnny Boychuk? Why were you in so much cap trouble that you needed to trade Johnny Boychuk? Why didn't you hold out for more in return for Seguin? Why do you consistently fail to acquire targeted players at the deadline? Why did you let Shawn Thornton go without replacing him with another enforcer or anyone who could fight? What do Reilly Smith and Loui Eriksson add to the team's overall toughness? Why does Chris Kelly have a $3 million cap number? Why can't you afford a legitimate backup goalie?

The Bruins mismanaged the cap for years. And very few of us (myself included) noticed it. In fact, most of us praised them for locking up their talent long-term. But what they were really doing was slowly signing themselves into a corner.

The B's haven't just spent unwisely, their philosophy of what it takes to build a winning team is outdated. They're still trying to win the 2011 Stanley Cup, even though it's 2015. The players have changed, the game has changed, the competition has changed. Tuukka Rask isn't as good of a goalie as Tim Thomas was in the 2011 playoffs. Few goalies are ever that good. Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg are 4 years older. And Mark Recchi is working for the Penguins. Everything has changed except the Bruins' approach. And that strategic stubbornness stems from the front office and extends to the man behind the bench.

To Claude Julien's interview with the efficiency experts...

Do the players listen to you? Do they do what you tell them to? Do you trust them? Why is Milan Lucic on cruise control 90% of the time? Why do the defensemen make so many mistakes? Why so many turnovers? Why does Bergeron shoot 7th in the shootout one night, then 1st another night?

Claude Julien's system is a good system. Claude Julien is a very good coach. But Julien's system and his coaching are no longer good fits for the Bruins. It happens. It happened with Terry Francona and the Red Sox. Julien was the right coach for 2011, but in 2015 the Bruins need to rebuild and reshape. Perhaps the Bruins could rebuild around Julien's system, but I don't see why that should be a necessity. There are other ways to win. Besides, Julien is no longer enough of a motivating force in the Bruins' locker room.

Now to the roster interviews...

Why have only 2 of you scored 20 goals? Why have only 4 of you scored 15? Why are only 2 of you in the top 100 in points? Why does Dennis freaking Wideman have more points than all but one of you?

Tuukka, why do you let in soft goals in big games?

Brad, does your antagonizing act still work, or does it just give opponents extra power plays? Why are you still acting like every team is as easily annoyed as the 2011 Vancouver Canucks? And why only 17 assists?

Milan, where's the fight? Where are the goals? Do you even have an identity anymore? Do you want to make an impact anymore? Why do you skate like Frankenstein's monster on valium?

Zdeno and Dennis, have you considered Florida for retirement? Lovely weather, no snow, and they have a hockey team with some fight. And they have Disney World down there. Better rides than Canobie Lake, Zdeno.

Torey and Dougie, how does it feel to be 2 of the best forwards on this team?

Adam, you're the third best defenseman on the roster. Isn't that scary?

Mr. Paille, why is it that when I see you have 6 goals, I'm shocked you have so many? Also, you're a defensive player, yet you're -9. Why? If you don't score, and you don't prevent goals, why are you here? Can't the scoring people score on their own? And can't the goal preventers prevent goals on their own?

Loui, why does Carl Soderberg need to be handcuffed to you for you to succeed? Does he go to the bathroom with you too? What about when you're in bed with your wife? Does he do work for you there too, Tyler Seguin style?

Carl, how many more goals would you and the team have if you didn't have to babysit Loui Eriksson?

Mr. Pastrnak, what does it feel like knowing that if you didn't miraculously show up mid-season, this team would be royally screwed? And what's it like being so young, yet so much more skilled than most of your teammates?

Chris, what's it like getting paid $500,000 per goal? Did you know at that rate, Alex Ovechkin would be making $23.5 million this year? Chris, what do you do here that couldn't be replaced by a 3rd or 4th line grinder who costs less than $1 million against the cap? What is it you'd say you do here?

This team has 9 games to provide answers to some of these questions. This team has 9 games to show it has a pulse.

Bruins Break Deadlock

Everything that had been even and level about this series was lopsided last night. The Bruins dominated in the faceoff dots, Rask was clearly better than Crawford, and special teams play heavily favored the Bruins.

The Bruins haven't lost on home ice since Game 5 of the Toronto series. That's 7 in a row. Home ice might be why the B's were so much better at faceoffs (40-16, 71.4%) in Game 3. The Blackhawks had previously been able to match the Bruins in the dots.

What truly decided this game was goaltending and special teams. Rask didn't need to stand on his head, just do his job. He really hasn't been straight-up beat for a goal by Chicago in this series. Meanwhile Crawford's glove side seems very vulnerable. The Bruins are targeting him high glove side, and that's where Paille beat him in Game 2 and last night.

The Bruins are also dominating on special teams. Not only has their power play scored twice, not only has their penalty kill shut down Chicago, their penalty killers are creating very dangerous shorthanded scoring opportunities. Chicago have adjusted their PP unit to focus on the area of the ice closer to the net, but they can't get anything set-up to execute that plan. Meanwhile, on the Bruins power play, Jagr and Bergeron executed a similar strategy to perfection in the 2nd period.

Chicago looked lost for most of this game. I don't think they're accustomed to playing without the puck this often. They seem to be trying to adapt, but last night the Bruins had an answer for them at every turn.

Game 4 Wednesday night. Let's hope the Bruins continue to avoid big mistakes, continue to win battles, and Rask continues to play like he's playing.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Splitting Up to Boston

In Game 1 the Bruins started strong, the Blackhawks finished strong. In Game 2 it was the Blackhawks who started strong, and the Bruins who finished strong.

The B's were fortunate to escape the 1st period only down 1-0. Chicago was beating them everywhere, on the boards, in front of the net, in the neutral zone. The Blackhawks outshot the Bruins 16-3 to start the game, and 19-4 in the period. If not for Tuukka Rask stopping 18 of 19 shots, and if not for Nathan Horton's back-checking potentially preventing another Torey Krug turnover from becoming a Chicago goal, the Bruins might have found themselves with a steep hill to climb.

Then the game flipped. Although the B's only managed 24 shots in the remaining 2+ periods, they held Chicago to 15. All the good chances were Boston's. Marchand hit the inside of a post. Jagr hit a post in overtime. This time Corey Crawford was making the big saves to keep the Hawks in the game.

Putting Chris Kelly, Daniel Paille, and Tyler Seguin together worked almost immediately. Seguin was sing his speed to make plays without the puck, and Kelly's goal was a product of Paille's maneuvering more than anything else.

Why did it take Julien so long to separate Kelly and Peverley? Both have slumped all season long, and both have to try to emerge from those slumps while playing with a slumping player.

This line would strike again in the overtime. And their contributions were the difference in the game. It isn't always the big names that win these games, especially when two talented teams meet. It's the role players and grinders that provide the separation between winning and losing.

Speaking of which, once either of these teams figures out their Power Play, that's going to be the difference in a game. It was almost the difference in Game 1.

There are reasons for Bruins fans to feel optimistic. The B's now have home-ice advantage, they've won in Chicago, they're a turnover away from being up 2-0, Rask has been great, and so on.

My cup isn't half full. Nor is it half empty. It's half. This series is dead even. 186 minutes of hockey and each team has 5 goals. The Bruins have the better goalie but the Blackhawks are getting more shots on goal. The faceoffs in Game 1 were 58-56. The Bruins had Chris Kelly in Game 2, the Blackhawks had Dave Bolland in Game 1.

The margin between these two teams has been imperceptibly slim. Every edge one team has is counteracted by an edge on the other. Mistakes (advantage Chicago so far), goaltending (advantage Boston), special teams (advantage Boston), scoring from defensemen (advantage Chicago), these are the factors that will determine the victor of the series.

Game 3 tonight in Boston.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Fourth Line to the Rescue

I really thought the Rangers were going to steal this game. Fans up here in Boston had been feeling cocky about the Bruins "beating" Lundqvist for 8 goals, when he actually hadn't played that bad. I thought maybe the players would feel a little too overconfident as well. Lundqvist came out and made some Vezinian saves, and this game looked like it would end as a 1-0 Tortorella special. It would have if not for the play of the Bruins' 4th line.

Some people, such as 98.5's Michael Felger, like to complain about the 4th line. And even I sometimes get annoyed when they're on the ice in a potential scoring situation. The fact is, they play their roles and occasionally add a little more. Thornton is the enforcer. Paille is a speedy penalty-killer. Campbell also kills penalties and is sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. Sometimes they go above and beyond their roles. Like last night when they generated 2 goals. Shawn Thornton's numbers speak volumes to their contribution...

6:42 time on ice, 11 shifts, 2 assists, +2, 2 shots on goal, 3 hits, 1 blocked shot

He only played in 11% of the game, and he did all that.

You never fail to notice that the 4th line is on the ice. Sometimes you don't notice Lucic or Horton or Peverley. But you never fail to notice the 4th line. And they won the game last night. So from me, and from the 4th line, suck it, Felger...

Tuukka Rask's play made it so the 4th line was in position to win the game. The goal Rask allowed in the 2nd possibly could have been saved, but apart from that he was flawless. His 3rd period right-pad stop on Rick Nash during a 4-on-2 breakaway when the game was 1-1 was the biggest save of the game. Bigger than any saves Lundqvist made. It was also a timely save. And it could prove to be the biggest save of the series. That save is probably the difference between a 3-0 series and a 2-1 series. And just like the ball-strike count in baseball, that's a huge difference. The Bruins now have a 3-0 count in their favor, and a green light to swing away.

Continuing the baseball comparison, Rask was like a pitcher who gave up a solo homerun in the 2nd inning, but retired the last 9 batters he faced, starting with striking out the side with the bases loaded in the 7th.

Rask was an Ace last night.

And let's not forget Johnny Boychuk, who scored his 4th postseason goal. That's second most on the Bruins (behind Krejci's 5 and tied with Horton), and the most of any defenseman in the playoffs. He has 10 career playoff goals in 55 games. That's not bad at all for a defenseman.

I do have a question to pose: if the Bruins get all their defensemen healthy, should they put Torey Krug on the 3rd line as a winger? Obviously this is not a serious question. Or is it? It isn't.

Or is it?

Game 4 Thursday night. Expect a desperate Rangers team to fight tooth and nail. It could be the hardest game of the series for the Bruins. Or maybe the Rangers will quit on their coach and get blown out 5-1.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Bruins Injury Updates

The Bruins have so many names on their injury report that we need a whole post to talk about them.

Patrice Bergeron, Adam McQuaid, and Max Suave (such a porn name) left Sunday's game with various injuries. The Bruins haven't released any details but Bergeron's currently listed with a foot injury. McQuaid has an "upper body" injury and Suave has a "lower body" injury.

Benoit Pouliot also has a lower body injury and seems to be day-to-day.

On the bright side, Andrew Ference returned to the lineup this weekend. Tuukka Rask seems optimistic that he'll be healthy for the playoffs. And Daniel Paille worked out with the team over the weekend.

Nine to Nil

Wow. 9 goals. 7 different scorers. 12 players with points.

One very typically Bruins aspect of this game was that the first three goals gave points to 8 different Bruins. This whole team contributes on offense and defense. And when it all clicks (and the other team surrenders as Calgary did early last night), the result is a relentless attack.

A big difference between this season's Bruins and last season's is their depth. They were already deep last year. This year, Seguin has become a full-time player. The Bruins are also getting significant contributions from Kelly (goal last night), Peverley (2 assists), and Pouliot (3 assists). They finally have a very good 3rd line, not just a collection of inconsistent and frequently slumping forwards (See: Ryder and Wheeler).

Last night Pouliot played on the Bergeron line, filling in for Marchand. And he had 3 assists.

There's another significant difference this year. Last year, when the B's took a 2 or 3 goal lead, they'd settle in, switch the cruise control on, and be satisfied. And they mostly won, but also lost a few times, or allowed games to get closer than they should.

This year, when the Bruins build a lead, they don't slow down. They speed up. They detect blood in the water and the frenzy begins. They see their teammates score, and they want in on the kill. They have a killer instinct this season. That's why they've scored so many quick back-to-back goals. That's why they've had so many 5+ goal games.

Paille's shorthanded goal is a great example. Down 8-0, the Flames casually passed across the ice, the pass missed its target, ricocheted off the boards, and a hustling Paille found it and scored.

Also, how about Tuukka Rask? His performance might be lost in the crooked number of goals. But he's only allowed 1 goal in the last 278 minutes he's been between the pipes. Wow.

Bruins host the Canucks Saturday afternoon. I don't think Luongo will be able to sleep if he saw what happened in this game.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Otta-yawn

This was a sleepy game. Both teams played the night before, both had to travel. Neither team played very well, nor with intensity. Both teams made mental errors. The decisive difference was that Tim Thomas is a much better goalie than Craig Anderson.

Timmy looked much more comfortable and poised than his last start in Columbus. He made some big saves, he moved across the crease with speed and grace. He faced 49 shots and stopped all but 2 of them. And the second one probably should have been blocked by Joe Corvo.

The Bruins scored some breakaway goals, taking advantage of Ottawa's mistakes. But they made plenty of their own. Thankfully the Bruins have Tim Thomas, and the Senators only have one Daniel Alfredsson and one Jason Spezza. If time of possession were kept as a stat, the Senators would have dominated the category. I don't mind short possessions that end in breakaway goals, but the B's didn't take care of the puck in their own zone or in the neutral zone, and often didn't even get the puck into the offensive zone.

But, we are in the middle of December, 30 games into a long regular season. It was a back-to-back game against an opponent that can be beaten with less than 100% effort. And ultimately, it was a win. The Bruins' 20th win. Which ties them with Minnesota for the most in the NHL. The B's are 9-2-0 in the Northeast Division. They're one of 3 teams with 100+ goals scored. And they've only allowed 61.

They face one of the other 100+ goal teams on Saturday, in a matinee against the Flyers.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bruins Win Third Straight

After starting the season 3-7, the Bruins have won 3 straight. They pummeled the Islanders 6-2 thanks to some hot streaks that were extended.

Horton scored twice, Krejci and Lucic scored, and Seguin scored a goal. In his last 7 games, Lucic has scored 7 goals and 5 assists. Sometimes Lucic goes through frustrating slumps. But when he pushes himself, when he skates, the goals come in bunches. And he leaves an imprint on the game.

Did you know Tyler Seguin is 7th in the NHL in scoring? He's scored 8 now, and has 69 games to score 3 goals in order to match his total from last season.

The Seguin-Bergeron-Marchand line was fierce last night. They were a few inches from scoring 3 goals instead of just 1.

And last night, the Penalty Killing was tenacious. Speaking of the PK unit, Paille's face will be examined by a specialist after he took a slapshot from Steve Staios.

The B's beating the Islanders shouldn't be much of a surprise. The Islanders kind of suck.

The Bruins have a slightly tougher test on Thursday when they host the Oilers, who lead the Northwest Division.

Photo Credits:
AP Photo

SEGUIN THE ASSASSIN

Have you caught your breath yet? The Bruins' 6-5 victory over Tampa had enough action to fill two games, with enough left over to start a third. So many big goals, big saves, big hits. And a little bit of luck for the Lightning. They got some favorable bounces, maybe even a few favorable calls and non-calls that helped keep them in this game. But also give credit to them for taking advantage of such opportunities.

Tyler Seguin is an assassin; an errand boy sent by grocery clerks. To collect a bill. He finally got a chance to play, and play with some skilled players. And it worked out. His speed, his skills, his shot. He's only 19, but he's the fastest skater and best shooter on the Bruins. He is simply a stud. Thank you, Mr. Kessel, wherever you are.

He was assisted by Michael Ryder, and he also assisted Ryder. Ryder was excellent in all three zones. His defensive play was actually better than his offensive play, even though he scored twice with an assist. I've never doubted Ryder's skill or his potential. It's just the inconsistent application of that skill. When he's motivated and focused, he's a top-flight player in this League. He just needs to maintain that effort and focus for an extended period of time.

David Krejci had one of his best games in a Bruins uniform last night. The stat-line shows that he scored and was -1. But he played over 24 minutes. And he played 24 tough minutes. He was called on to replace Bergeron on the Penalty Kill, and he did a good job of it. No other Bruins forward came close to him in ice-time (Lucic had just under 21 minutes, Horton was under 19, then Kelly had 16:28).

Lucic and Horton were keys to turning the Power Play around. Their net-front presence disrupted Roloson enough to allow that first PP goal. And of course Horton had a 3 point night.

Even though he allowed 5 goals, Tim Thomas had a good game. He allowed one or two softies, most notably a big 5 hole goal in the 2nd period. But he also stoned many Tampa Bay breakaways.

Tampa's first two goals came thanks to funny bounces. One off the boards, one off Boychuk. Tampa also scored a goal that rebounded off Timmy's face, which is why his sweater and face had blood stains on them for the remainder of the game.

I don't know the NHL's review rules by heart. But I do know that there are several things that can be reviewed "in theory." For instance, in review, a play can be deemed dead before a whistle was blown, if the reviewer deems that the referee "intended" to blow the whistle before it was blown. Also, goals can be allowed even if the goal slips off its pegs, if it's deemed that the puck would have gone in anyway, and the goal was dislodged by a defending player.

Typically, refs blow the whistle when a goalie's helmet comes off. And while the ref may have missed Thomas' helmet being removed, the replays showed that he was without a mask when the puck went in (after ricocheting off his face). Then again, I can't find any rule stipulating that a whistle should be blown if a goalie's mask comes off. Maybe there should be one as the unwritten rule has been enforced for some time.

The Bruins still struggled with neutral zone giveaways, although nothing on the level of Kaberle's in Game 1. Mark Recchi, of all people, seemed to be unable to get the puck deep into the Tampa Bay zone.

But the Bruins showed discipline in the post-whistle scrums. And I actually think they were unfairly penalized more than once when they held their temper. Ference, for instance, sprayed Roloson with some snow (which I've seen countless forwards do countless times in the playoffs), then he gets decked to the ice, but somehow winds up with a matching minor. Steve Downie blatantly antagonized Chara. Chara kept his hands down, until Downie face-washed him and Chara returned the favor. And to be frank, the fact that Downie survived the confrontation is evidence that Chara didn't intend any significant harm. But again, there were matching minors.

The Bruins did take some stupid penalties. Horton took an interference, and an elbowing call, that were both unnecessary. The B's are up against the best Power Play left in the playoffs. They don't need to be doing Tampa any favors.

One thing that helps is the penalty killing of guys like Daniel Paille. Paille only played 8 minutes, and 2:37 shorthanded. But what a 2:37 they were. His PK forecheck in the 1st was highlight reel material for true fans of the game. One man tying up a stellar Power Play for about 25 seconds. Contributions like that can be the difference between winning and losing.

Game 3 is Thursday night, and I can't wait. We saw the Lightning get a little flustered at times last night. We saw the Bruins pin them and the puck to the boards for extended stretches. The best way to stop open ice breakouts is to keep the puck and the opponent up against the boards. We also saw the emergence of Tyler Seguin as a weapon.

Photo Credits:
AP Photo

THOMAS' STAR SHINES ON IN CAROLINA

Two days after he got the Win in the All-Star Game, Tim Thomas won another game in Raleigh. While 2 goals allowed and 24 saves doesn't sound like a stellar night, Thomas once again was the biggest reason the Bruins won.

A few droughts ended, as Daniel Paille tipped in a Zdeno Chara slapshot, scoring his first goal since April 10th of 2010. He's found a suitable role on the 4th line. That line is more about possession, energy, and being a nuisance. With Marchand moving to the Bergeron line, Paille slots right in with Thornton and Campbell. Similar to those guys, he brings something to the table, namely speed, although he lacks the puck skills to do much with it. He's also an adept shorthanded player. He's this generation's PJ Axelsson.

Horton finally ended his goal drought with a nice backhander that beat Cam Ward up high. Hopefully, the confidence returns, and he starts playing less like Michael Ryder.

The Bruins were clearly the better team, but the last 6 minutes of the game did concern me. Once again, when opposing teams get desperate, the Bruins get sloppy. They're incapable of playing both fast and careful at the same time.

Against teams better than Carolina, that will be a problem. And in playoff games, those desperate minutes will come early in the 3rd period. I'm not sure if the B's are capable of withstanding that much pressure for that amount of time.

The Bruins host Dallas Thursday night.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

BRUINS PROVIDE EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT

The Bruins played Atlanta Thursday night, and they thoroughly dismantled them. The Thrashers came into the game with a powerful and aggressive offense, and the Bruins came in with no offense at all, an inept power play, a mistake-ridden defense, and a head coach in jeopardy.

And for a few days, the B's made their fans forget all about their struggles. Bergeron started the scoring with what must be his first breakaway goal since he was a rookie. Shawn Thornton scored a pair, thanks in no small part to Daniel Paille, who had his best game in a Bruin uniform. And Michael Ryder scored his 10th on a power play.

The exclamation point was a 3rd period brawl...



While I had no problem with Meyer's hit, it was good to see Ference stick up for his teammate, to see Horton drop the gloves, and to see Savard throwing down. Lucic was fined $2,500 for punching Meyer while he was being held by referees, and another $1,000 for an "obscene gesture" toward the Atlanta bench. There were no suspensions.

Speaking of Savard and Horton, putting them on a line together should prove fruitful. Horton could have scored 3 goals easily, if only he'd anticipated what Savard was doing with the puck. Once these two get some time together, and learn each other's mentalities, they could be very dangerous.

As great as this game was to watch, I've seen this all before. The Bruins struggle for 6 or 7 games, they hit rock bottom, then they have an effort like this and everything seems fine. But why did they hit rock bottom in the first place? More importantly, why does this up and down cycle constantly reoccur? Why can't this team put up a consistent effort for a dozen straight games?

The Bruins start a 5 game road trip tonight against the Panthers. After swinging down south, they'll have some big games against Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Philly.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo