Picking nominees for the Bruin of the Week this week is an impossible task.
The team scored one goal in two games, every defenseman committed at least one egregious miscue and the goaltender gave up at least two soft goals.
So what should we do?
Instead, this week I’ll ask you this:
Loading ...Feel free to get into specifics in the comments section. And cross your fingers next week at this time I won’t be asking you to pick the Bruin of the Playoffs because that would mean the the team’s run is over.
Published By mattk Sun. April 17, 2011 11:25 am EDT
Anyone ever stop to wonder how or why this keeps happening against this particular sweater, so often? How many times we see Boston as a clear and heavy favorite get beaten by whatever stiffs the Habs throw into their sweater. Then they call it a “new” defensive game where they bring in turds like Skrudland to water down the talent they could no longer rely on from Quebec. The “defensive player of the year” Bob Gainey. Right, more like the best clutch and grabber of the year. How so suddenly after 15 goals pumped into the Montreal net in the last two games in Boston, but the playoffs start, and suddenly, they can no longer score on this goalie. And our goalie, whom put up the best save% in the HISTORY of the game, suddenly plays like a total Byron Dafoe? How come it’s ALWAYS Montreal and never anyone else? These are the real questions to ponder.
I picked coaching because in a series you need to adjust period by period to the opponent to get results and I don’t see that. I see the Bruins still playing the Julien system and that isn’t gonna cut it. In fact it seems like the Habs knew exactly what they were gonna get by how the last two games started and then furthermore from how they played out from there.
I feel like defense could be a correct answer as far as a problem, but its a personnel thing, aside from Chara the rest of the defense isn’t that great, they aren’t 2nd or 3rd defensive guys on a great team. I don’t agree with how Rask blew up at some of them a couple of weeks ago, but I understand why he did.
The offense needs to jumble the lines. This team also could learn to shoot. I don’t mean just wrist it into Price’s belly, I mean either in the goal or low fr a rebound. They could stand to get in Price’s way and crash the net, kinda like a the Flyers do. Price is too comfortable and the B’s spend too much time on the perimeter trying to set something up.
I do think one defense for Chiarelli is the fact that we thought we had Savard, then we lost Savard and there just wasn’t anyone on the market that fit our cap space to replace him. I think instead he just went for a couple of reliable centers who can take face offs-there just wasn’t anyone available that could fill Savard’s shoes.
I still like Peverly better than Wheeler but I miss Stuart-mostly because I liked him as a player on and off the ice. I get that he was a casualty of cap space.
I do agree that the team has more than enough third and fourth line type guys and I hope that they will try to find a top six skilled player for a wing over the summer.
I don’t really begrudge PC for the decisions they made at the deadline. Once Savard went down, it made sense to try to make a big splash. They had their eyes on Kaberle…and with good reason. Many fans thought he’d make a big difference, too. There was/is pressure to win now, so Peverly was seen as a better option than Wheeler, and Kelly better for this year versus Colbourne. Stuart was an unfortunate loss, but right or wrong let’s not forget the guy was a healthy scratch.
So it’s not working out. I’m glad he is putting in the effort, and I believe he’ll make bold moves this summer as needed.
Lucic looked like he was chasing butterflies through an open airy field last night.
Headlight struck deer D-Squad when in puck possession.
Harry Sin’s den big bad Bruins hockey style legacy, now sported by offspring Neely, is nothing to cheer about for the future.
Bertuzzi fought the other night. Babcock said it was the first time one of his players had gotten into a fight ever since he took the team up 6 six years ago. I find that hard to believe. He probably meant an instigator 2min. Anyhow. We all know where the Wings stand in the hockey dpt. First. End of story.
Digger and that is another reason I voted coaching. I don’t think the system itself is a given loser, but I honestly think Julien is so wedded tot he system that he can’t adapt-he can’t do it to prepare his players and he definitely can’t seem to do it in game.
The Habs definitely have a game plan-get the lead, get it early and clog up the neutral zone so the other team can’t get anything through.
I also think Bruin’s specific-they have a “hit Krejci and hit him hard any time he is near the puck” game plan. Take Krejci out and Lucic and Horton are pretty much lost.
The Habs have our number and we can’t adapt so that we can pull off a surprise or two.
There are times when I am baffled by the coaching decisions Julien makes during the game. It’s almost like he thinks if he keeps pounding the dead horse it will come back to life rather than looking for a new horse.
His system can work, but it fails, if the other team has your number.
Offense is to blame more than all others combined
Coaching. At first I wasn’t giving the Habs any credit thinking the B’s couldn’t get out of their own way. Now I see it’s the Hab game plan.
Go back to last season: Gionta scored 1 minute into Game 2 against Washington and Cammalleri, 1:30 into Game 5, a victory at Washington. P.K. Subban, 4:30 into Game 1 against Pittsburgh. Tom Pyatt, 2:34 into Game 4 in Montreal. Cammalleri, 1:13 into Game 6 vs. Pittsburgh. Gionta, 32 seconds into that series’ Game 7. There is a pattern here and the B’s should be prepared for it. ( info from Puck Daddy blog)
Bergeron played his best game last night. Where was he the first game? Oh yeah. He won a bunch of faceoffs in game one. That’s what they call a long snapper in the NFL. I thought leaders show up for everygame. Someone get this guy mad around 7 pm Monday.
Krejc, Berg, March. Those are the only players who i can truly say are doing almost everything right. Peverley and Thornton are close seconds. These five forwards are the only hope for this team right now. I love Looch and Horton but Jesus where is their skill right now. No D are doing anything right and i hate Thomas’s play.
How about the Siamese twins from “Stuck on You”. That was hilarious. Pretty good boxers too.
I would agree with coaching being a big part and a lack of conect. Give me John Tortarelli from Rangers and you will see a suprise. Claude should retire before he has a stroke. Can we try just for one season to be an offensive minded team just one year it really can’t hurt. Find a 500 pound goalie who blocks up 95% of the net and send all five guys up the ice to SCORE!
The bruins have a lot of talent and great goaltending. Once again Juliens system is proving itself useless in a playoff series. His system only works til the opposition figures it out. So what does he do? Nothing! Same system, virtually same lines, same pp strategy….everything! Even his own players are clearly bored with it. I knew watching them all year this would happen in the playoffs again. I don’t even mind chiarellis work, I really don’t. It’s Claude. Players clearly don’t have faith it him anymore, and neither do we the fans. so frustrating! How do you blow a 3 nothing series lead and keep your job???? The worst choke in NHL history! The flyers figured him out, and once they did the players clearly felt it was over. It’s exactly what happened this year. Martin and his boys must think it’s a joke.
I was concerned about keeping Julien after the collapse. It would be like Custer surviving Little Big Horn and he’s commanding a new regiment. C’mon boys they’re just over that hill. It’s a little village. Should be home by supper. Boys?
Can we vote for the Canadien of the week?
I picked coaching, although I think you should include organization-cap management, trades and the like in as well.
I think there are definitely some issues with the team that need to be better when it comes to players, but I think you give this coach different players and you will see the same result-a pretty good regular season team but the inability to win when it matters.
The power play has stunk all year but especially in the last couple of months. I don’t think it stinks because Kaberle or any one player sucks, I think it sucks because it is poorly coached and the players stand around too much (and if the players are being told to move and make quick passes but aren’t doing what they are told then the coaches should put somebody who does listen on the PP-so it goes back to coaching).
You can’t win the play offs if your power play can’t score.
So my vote is coaching, although there is plenty of stink to go around.
Rene Rancourt more energy than the whole team combined
My pops is a big Habs fan and I’m a big Bs fan. We always talk out playoff scenarios, and when the Bruins and Habs meet we usually decide correctly who will win and in how many games. This year we both picked MTL because the Bs, as he and I have been talking about all year, don’t have a reliable offense. They don’t have a spark offensive player and it’s costing them. I also don’t think you can blame a lack of defensemen to compensate. Hindsight is always 20/20; there was no way to expect that the most resilient D-man would befall a freak ailment. I called MTL in 6, he said in 7. We’re both probably going to be wrong; now I’d put all my money on 4.