By S. Bradley
This is the first of numerous collaborations between TheBruinsBlog.net and Jon Jordan of Kukla’s Korner.
The Tampa Bay Lightning may be a bigger surprise participant than the Boston Bruins as an Eastern Conference Final participant and most pundits will undoubtedly give the Bruins the edge in the upcoming showdown between the two.
But these two clubs have followed an eerily similar path to get to where they are today.
Consider:
Identical regular season records of 46-25-11 for 103 points.
Seven-game battles in the opening round of the playoffs necessitating significant comebacks, with Boston down 2-0 to begin their series with Montreal and Tampa Bay having to rally back from a 3-1 deficit against Pittsburgh.
Clean, four-game sweeps of their higher-seeded second round opponents in Philadelphia for the Bruins and top-seeded Washington for the Lightning.
The stage, then, is set for breaking down a series between two teams that will each pose the biggest threat the other has seen to this point, with a shot to vie for the Stanley Cup on the line.
From a position-by-position view, to kick off our collaboration on the upcoming series, here’s how this one shapes up, in the eyes of myself on the Bruins’ side of things and Jon Jordan of Beasts of the Southeast at Kukla’s Korner.
Forwards
Tampa Bay
For the Lightning, the biggest strength up front so far this postseason has been the well-rounded contribution they have received. The big names have all done their part offensively, with Martin St. Louis leading all playoff scorers leaguewide with 13 points, Vincent Lecavalier just behind at 5-7-12 and Steven Stamkos proving to be a quick postseason study, coming through with a pair of key goals in the Washington series after a playoff debut against Pittsburgh that was uncharacteristically unspectacular, for the most part. But it is the play of several depth forwards that has defined Tampa Bay’s success in the playoffs to this point and just may define the rejuvenation of this franchise overall as well.
Sean Bergenheim’s seven goals gives him a share of the overall NHL postseason lead. Steve Downie ranks third in scoring for the Lightning with a pair of goals and 12 points and remains a nuisance for the opposition. Teddy Purcell ranks just behind Downie at 1-10-11. The two-way game of Dominic Moore is perfectly suited for playoff time and Nate Thompson has evolved into an effective, grinding shutdown center. Ryan Malone has showed a penchant for the clutch tally and Simon Gagne’s proven playoff prowess was just hitting its stride once again before an upper-body injury in game one of the Washington series put him on the shelf for games two-four. Adam Hall adds a veteran presence and is another workhorse in the Lightning stable.
Beyond the regulars, youngsters Blair Jones, Mattias Ritola and Dana Tyrell are ready to step in at any time and Jones did just that effectively when Gagne was lost, playing limited but impactful minutes for the Bolts. In total, Jones has dressed three times in these playoffs, Tyrell four times and Ritola once.
Gagne/By S. Bradley
Gagne is expected back for the start of this upcoming series, Tyrell is nursing what is believed to be a minor foot injury and Downie was given extra time to rest as the team returned to practice recently after some time off since eliminating the Capitals. Downie will go for sure but with Gagne back, Tyrell might find it difficult to once again crack the Lightning lineup, especially if Lightning head coach Guy Boucher goes with seven defensemen, as he often does.
Boucher has also been known to mix and match his lines quite a bit throughout any particular game, though during the playoffs, we’ve seen units staying together more consistently. Here are some combos we’ve seen in the postseason thus far, which is about as best we can do, in terms of what can be expected, given the likelihood of some ongoing alterations (this incarnation involves 11 forwards, to accommodate the expected extra d-man):
Ryan Malone-Steven Stamkos-Martin St. Louis
Simon Gagne-Vincent Lecavalier-Teddy Purcell
Sean Bergenheim-Dominic Moore-Steve Downie
Lecavalier-Nate Thompson-Adam Hall
Boston
After getting just a handful of points – although Nathan Horton’s two overtime goals were the types of plays that history are made of – from their first line in the first round against Montreal, the Bruins rode the hot hand of Horton, David Krejci and Milan Lucic past Philadelphia in the second round. That trio combined for 19 points against the Flyers. With Patrice Bergeron seemingly out for at least one game, if not longer, because of a mild concussion this line will have to handle the bulk of the offense and up its defensive responsibility. Krejci’s line has handled shutdown duties before, but obviously doesn’t tackle that task as well as Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi do when healthy and together.
When Chris Kelly fills in for Bergeron, that second line takes on a whole new dynamic. While he has produced four goals, seven points in the playoffs, Kelly doesn’t usually have the offensive bent Bergeron brings. So this line could become more of a shutdown line. That would leave it up to the third line to pick up the offensive slack. Michael Ryder and Rich Peverley cooled off in the second round but still created tons of chances they didn’t finish. Whether Tyler Seguin is ready for life in the NHL postseason remains to be seen. In a perfect world, he steps in and uses his speed and wicked shot to make the third line as productive as the second line was against the Flyers. However, his unwillingness to go in the corners or get his nose dirty in front of the net earned him his spot in the press box to start the playoffs. This line could really drop off if Seguin doesn’t bring the intensity.
Campbell/By S. Bradley
With Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton finally getting a regular left winger in Daniel Paille toward the end of the regular season, the Bruins once again had one of the league’s top fourth lines when the playoffs started. Campbell and Thornton struggled after Marchand was moved up the lineup and numerous players filled that left wing spot. Head coach Claude Julien used his fourth line sparingly in the first two series, but they had some important shifts – especially in games when Boston was protecting a lead. Their ability to dump pucks in and keep teams hemmed in comes in handy when the Bruins are up.
Despite Kelly’s emergence and Seguin’s insertion, the Bruins still lack the speed Tampa Bay boasts.
Boston’s going to have to use its size to win battles on dump-ins and in front of the net and try to get in Dwayne Roloson’s face as often as possible. Without Bergeron, it also remains to be seen how lines two and three will gel and produce offensively.
Expected lines (with Patrice Bergeron):
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Mark Recchi
Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley-Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
(without Bergeron):
Lucic-Krejci-Horton
Marchand-Kelly-Recchi
Ryder-Peverley-Tyler Seguin
Paille-Campbell-Thornton
Defensemen
Tampa Bay
The Lightning blue line has often been labeled an area of weakness but the group, as a whole, has done a fine job during these playoffs. Trade deadline acquisition Eric Brewer leads all Tampa Bay d-men in time on ice per game, eating up a shade over 26 minutes on average. Brewer also leads Bolts blueliners in scoring (1-5-6) and has been part of a shut-down pair alongside Mattias Ohlund that draws the opposition’s top offensive threats consistently.
Beyond that top pair, 20-year-old NHL sophomore Victor Hedman has shown signs of blossoming before our eyes during the playoffs, averaging nearly 22 minutes per game, playing in all situations. Hedman, like several other members of the Lightning, had a bit of a deer-in-the-headlights look early in the Pittsburgh series, but adjusted quickly and has been shining ever since.
Both Brett Clark and Mike Lundin play quieter, steady games on Tampa’s back end and each is a plus player through 11 games so far.
Marc-Andre Bergeron, who capped game four against Washington with the very booming point shot on the power play he was brought in for, can serve Tampa Bay well in that specialist’s role and the serviceable Randy Jones will probably continue to be called upon for spot duty in the absence of Pavel Kubina, who the Bolts will likely be without, at least for the start of the upcoming series, as he was lost to a likely head injury in game one against the Capitals and has not played or practiced since.
Matt Smaby lies in wait, in case of emergency, to step in on the back end for Tampa Bay.
Expect these defense pairings with regularity (and the regular rotation of Jones as that seventh d-man, if Boucher continues to go with that lineup tweak):
Mattias Ohlund-Eric Brewer
Brett Clark-Victor Hedman
Marc-Andre Bergeron-Mike Lundin
Randy Jones
McQuaid/By S. Bradley
Boston
The return of Adam McQuaid from a sprained neck, aided by the length break between the second and third rounds, should be a huge boost to a defense corps that already did a great job in helping goaltender Tim Thomas limit Philadelphia to just seven goals in four games (just two in the last two). With Shane Hnidy hardly getting any ice time and Tomas Kaberle having his minutes cut against a difficult matchup, the other four blueliners saw their minutes increase. Any drop-off in performance, however, wasn’t visible because the Bruins relied on their system once they got leads, especially in Game 3 and 4. Now with McQuaid, a solid stay-at-home defender with size and strength back, the Bruins should be able to tax their top four less and mix and match a little on the second pair to chase around whichever of the Lightning’s top lines they don’t assigned to Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. Don’t be surprised to see the D pairs tweaked a bit, as Johnny Boychuk or Andrew Ference could play with Chara if the Bruins decide they want Seidenberg on his own pair to slow down one of the top lines.
This group, minus Kaberle who didn’t arrive until February, handled the Lightning’s 1-3-1 well in the regular season. But if there’s a weakness in Boston’s D corps, it’s the ability to advance the puck without passing it, so the Lightning would be wise to make guys like Boychuk and Ference hang onto it and force them into quick decisions. The Bruins might up Kaberle’s minutes with the puck movement in mind, but that could weaken them a lot defensively, especially in Tampa with the first change. There’s no group of defensemen that plays better when the Bruins focus on their positional play and work together within the system. There has been a tendency for guys to get running around against quick teams like the Lightning.
Expected pairings:
Zdeno Chara-Dennis Seidenberg
Tomas Kaberle-Adam McQuaid
Andrew Ference-Johnny Boychuk
Goaltending
Tampa Bay
Roloson has had a moment or two of weakness amid an otherwise MVP-like run through the first two rounds for the Lightning. Given the impact of his overall body of work, those rare blips on the radar can be looked at as just that. By and large, Roloson has been exactly what the Bolts were looking for upon his acquisition from the New York Islanders on New Year’s Day. In the regular season, he stabilized a glaring area of need, with then-regulars Dan Ellis and Mike Smith unable to steady things in the Lightning crease with any consistency. And now, when it really counts, Roloson has stepped things up even further.
The word on Roloson before his arrival in Tampa Bay was that the ageless wonder brought a battle mentality to the goaltending position and, as that has been proven to be true, what more can a team possibly want out of a netminder at this most crucial time of year? Intangibles, of course, are one thing but Roloson has backed up his mental fortitude with NHL-best playoff numbers in both goals-against average (2.01) and save percentage (.941).
Smith awaits as Roloson’s backup should the need arise and the Lightning have renewed confidence in their former number one, who used a late season stint in the American League to simplify his game and was solid upon his return to the NHL level in spot starts down the stretch.
Thomas/By S. Bradley
Boston
What can you write about Tim Thomas that hasn’t already been written? The obvious Vezina Trophy favorite was actually better this season than he was in his Vezina year of ’08-09. He played with even more confidence and was as focused as could be. Should the Lightning – especially their bottom six forwards – get in Thomas’ face a little bit, they might be able to knock him off stride. But over teams have tried and failed all season. Thomas’ glove hand can be shaky and he’s had spurts of trouble with rebound control through the first two rounds. The Lightning like to shoot as much as they can, and that’ll be their best bet to try to solve Thomas.
If the unthinkable happened and Thomas was forced to the sidelines, thousands of New Englanders would dive into the Atlantic. But the Bruins trust Tuukka Rask, who suffered something of a sophomore slump but is still a goaltender many teams would want as their No. 1.
Power Play
Tampa Bay
Special teams are vital to playoff success, obviously, and with the Lightning clicking at a league-best 26.7% on the power play, their inclusion in the Eastern Conference’s final round starts to seem a natural fit. With the guns that this team has, opponents simply cannot afford to take penalties and put themselves at risk of game-changing momentum swings.
On the man advantage, Tampa Bay shows another side to its all-hands-on-deck trademark, with 13 different players having registered at least a point on the power play so far in the playoffs. The usual suspects in Lecavalier, St. Louis and Stamkos head that list at forward and Brewer’s four points leads all contributions by defensemen.
Ryder/By S. Bradley
Boston
You could get a laugh anywhere in Boston by telling a Bruins power play joke through the first two rounds. Somehow, the Bruins got by Montreal without scoring on the power play. And then they didn’t fare much better in the second round.
With slightly improved play over the last couple Flyers games, and an actual goal 5-on-4 goal in Game 7 (they scored a 5-on-3 goal in Game 6), the Bruins are hoping the jokes’ up. Again, Boston will miss Bergeron, a key playmaker off the half wall who can also move back and play the point when necessary (and sometimes does this in 5-on-3 situations). It looks like Ryder will slide in next to Recchi and Marchand up front on one quintet, which could give that group some grit but maybe not enough finish. Splitting up Chara and Kaberle (one plays with Boychuk and one with Seidenberg now) was a long-awaited and necessary move that seems to have opened up more plays for the forwards with there being more unpredictability at the points.
Krejci, Lucic and Horton heated up as a trio in the last round, and Lucic even scored the 5-on-4 goal. So if they can keep carrying over their even-strength play, the Bruins might click at a better than 5.4-percent success rate. It’s safe to say that if they don’t, the Bruins won’t get out of this series with the victory.
Penalty Kill
Tampa Bay
Much has been made about Tampa Bay’s penalty killers rallying around their leader, assistant coach Wayne Fleming, who continues to recover from brain surgery following the discovery of a malignant tumor – news that was only made public around the time the playoffs were to begin. While the work ethic of this group has never been questioned, they’ve more than done their ailing coach proud in cranking that up even further, killing off 51 of 54 opposition power play chances for an astonishing rate of 94.4%.
More than any specific technical aspect, that workman-like approach is the key to Tampa Bay’s success in killing penalties. As the old adage goes, a power play must at least match the effort and intensity of the shorthanded unit it faces and the Lightning, at a sheer minimum, make that a daunting task for the opposition.
Brewer/By S. Bradley
Were there a specific area, in terms of execution, in which Bolts penalty killers have excelled, it would have to be in keeping power play scoring chances largely to the perimeter areas. Even at even strength, the Lightning have allowed a significant increase in the shots against column during the playoffs but quality scoring chances against Tampa Bay, particularly when a man down, have been hard to come by.
Thompson, Hall, Moore and Bergenheim are your primary hardhat types to watch at forward when the Bolts are a man down, while Brewer, Ohlund, Hedman and Clark eat up the bulk of shorthanded minutes on defense.
Boston
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Bergeron will be missed when the Bruins are shorthanded. Led by Campbell, Paille, Marchand, Kelly and Peverley, the Bruins’ penalty kill still has plenty of talent. But no one plays in more key situations, wins more big faceoffs or blocks more important shots than Bergeron. Recchi and Krejci, who hasn’t killed penalties for a while now, could be asked to pick up some of the slack. But it’s vital for the Bruins, with or without Bergeron, to stay out of the box against the vaunted Tampa Bay power play.
Predictions
Jordan
In breaking down the end result of the Washington series, it became clear that very little technical analysis was needed at all. More than anything, the Lightning were a combination of a series of clichés used to describe a team full of heart. They wanted it more than the Capitals. They had “it”. They prevailed in all of the hard work areas, battled, kept focus and willed their way to four straight wins. All of those intangible qualities will translate well toward success against Boston.
But the Bruins are a different animal. They have every bit of the gusto that the Lightning do. They’re fantastically talented and have scoring depth. They get excellent goaltending. They are once again big and bad, as their ancestors from years ago were when making that a Beantown trademark.
But the special teams stick out to me here, especially if Bergeron is lost for any significant time. Strike that, actually, because as we all know, even a single game in the postseason counts as significant time and can be all the momentum swing a series needs.
Pair Boston’s power play struggles, their penalty kill without Bergeron and Tampa Bay’s league-best special teams on both sides of that ever-important postseason swing factor with the heart these Bolts have shown and picking against the hometown squad here for the third consecutive series has become impossible for me.
The locals won’t like it. They’ll call me the king of all jinxes. But, since the Lightning wouldn’t believe in that kind of hocus pocus, I won’t cave with what my gut is telling me now.
This one is going the distance but Tampa Bay has it in them to vie for the Stanley Cup. Now.
Lightning in seven
Kalman
Something happened after April 16 that really can’t be explained. After going down 0-2 to Montreal, the Bruins were supposed to be toast. They were too slow, not willing to pay the price and a giveaway machine on defense. Kelly was a waste of a second-round pick, Marchand was wilting under his first NHL pressure, Tim Thomas had lost his magic and Julien … well we know where everyone predicted he was headed once the series was done. Well, as The Heavy Sings: How you like me now?
Kelly/By S. Bradley
The Bruins have won eight of their last nine to reach the conference finals for the first time since 1992. Kelly is a two-way force, Thomas is nearly impenetrable and Julien tweaked his defense pairs so that there’s near-flawless synergy on the back end. With the first line joining the fray in the second round, the Bruins have lived up to every expectation general manager Peter Chiarelli ever expressed for his club.
Now along come the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite their statements to the contrary, I could see the Bruins taking the fifth-seeded Lightning a little lightly at the outset of the series. That’s just their nature. But unlike recently Julien-coached Bruins squads, this edition seems better at refocusing when the going gets tough. This year’s players seem to really trust each other and the system the way championship teams typically do.
The Bruins are going to have their problems working their way through the neutral zone and have a hard time solving Roloson. But the Lightning will have the same struggles against Thomas and difficulty getting out of their own end against Boston’s forecheck. The home-ice advantage and the lessons learned from the last two springs of disappointing endings will pay off in the end for the Bruins.
Boston in seven
Never mind the authorship comment. I see the collaboration note now.
JJ,
The reason for the lack of commenting is maybe that your analyses are excellent and often readers feel there isn’t anything to add. I can’t really supplement your analysis here but let me say that I’m a little more confident that the Bs can beat the 1-3-1 system after having done a little more research on the Xs and Os, and after having had a few things clarified for me here: http://www.thebruinsblog.net/2011/03/03/bruins-out-to-solve-lightnings-1-3-1-one-last-time-in-regular-season/ (who wrote that?)
I’m pretty sure that getting through Montreal’s neutral zone trap was much more challenging than it will be with TB, but you’re right in your assessment that the Bs have a tendency to take certain teams lightly. After the Flyers sweep, this is one of my biggest fears for the Bs. Who wouldn’t be in danger of over-confidence in their shoes?
My first and second biggest fears for the Bruins is the TBL penalty kill and PP, and not necessarily in that order. But in the end, given the inexistence of a PP for the Bs, coupled with their playoff record, it’s easy to be optimistic that if the PP does come back to life, they’ll be sailing.
PS: If you want more comments, you might want to add an “author” field to all the entries. People are more likely to communicate when they know who they’re communicating with
Brutha SanDog – good points about the value of that 1st and of Colborne etc… my point is simply that they are indeed value, and we may very well have ‘wasted’ those assets in large degree. Hard to imagine that Brewer was available and is kicking some butt.
You are also right that PC would have been tarred and feathered if he hadn’t made a bigger headline move than Kelly and Peverley.
Alas – our team is in place. Go Bs!
Greg:
You (or anyone) can leave a comment whenever they like – it just doesn’t seem to happen much over there, for whatever reason.
I wish that were not the case but, for the most part, they read and they stay mum. I know not why.
Perhaps I should be more riot-inducing in my writing…
JJ
agree with Bo its about skating. I don’t see any holes either. Wheeler is a nice kid but he was also a hole. he’s gone now. gee I sure hope Bergeron comes back and healthy too.
MCK – Ok.. I’ll give you that I’ve seen nothing special, but you’ve got to give me a bone on this: Playoffs are just as much about limiting mistakes as they are taking advantage of them. When I think about Caron or Seguin or Arniel in the line up… when I think about Kampfer in the line up I always come to the same thing. ‘I sure hope they don’t Futt up.’ Ryder hasn’t been spectacular, but he’s been more than solid. One of the great things about the Bs is that their four lines don’t have any holes when Bergy’s on the ice. They may run into match up problems (CHs lines vs. HuLK), but they don’t have holes and Ryder is filling his spot. I’ll take it!
I think folks are right to say we need to be careful to stay out of the box after what Montreal did to them, but I think that mindset was difficult for them to balance while still playing their physical game (its really all about skating). Tampa dives too, and it was hard for the Bs to figure out the refs and find the balance between playing with an edge and getting called for it in that first round. Gotta hope they’ll figure it out faster this go.
Good points San Dog. I wanted him to take some risks and he did. After that I just shut my mouth and support the new guys. Not an easy thing coming to a new team and environment. We didn’t get journeymen here. These were players that had made homes in cities where they were highly respected.
A little bit of a turnaround Bojangles hoping Kaberle is getting more and more comfortable I think he is. Most Bruins fans have been upset that PC didn’t make trades at the deadline the last 3 years and when you do you overpay a bit.
I looked up picks 25 through 29 since 1999 16 out of 50 contributed to their NHL team. Deadline trades are a gamble but PC is picking at #9 and Burke is picking at between 25-29. Colborne got passed by Knight, Spooner, Caron, Arniel and Sauve on the Bruin forwards depth chart I won’t look back neither should PC.
Everyone is a success if the duck boats are on parade. Bruins for life. This team will walk together ’till there last days. They have to think about winning the cup. Every team that has won it thought they would after the playoffs start. Beating thirteen teams that included young expansion teams was probable in 72. We all know it is tougher in this era with 29 other teams and more player movement. Like they say if you concentrate on your goal you won’t see obstacles.
I think the B’s 5-on-5 will offset the TB man advantage, Timmah will continue to dominate, the offense will figure Roloson out quicker than most expect, and the Bruins – barring any more significant injuries – will be able to abuse Tampa’s short bench (especially if/when Bergy returns).
Like most, I do feel that Bergeron’s injury has the potential to cripple this team’s chances. Despite his injury, the Bruins can last for a while and probably still nab a win or two out of the first 4 games. Beyond that, however, its a complete toss up if he isn’t able to return and remain effective. All I know right now is that this series is going 6 or 7 for sure.
The Bruins 5×5 is the best left in the playoffs. They need to stay out of the box more than ever
Ryder is a success because the team made it through two rounds of the playoffs? Interesting
Ryder has been far more defensively responsible than in the regular season, which isn’t saying a whole lot. He has also been making better plays, and allowing us better line changes. All of this is at the level of what I would expect from a 3rd liner. He’s not doing anything really special besides not being invisible anymore. He’s not making crap-your-pants plays anymore, but He isn’t making me jump out of my seat all that much either. He just isn’t sucking. If you want me to say he’s been doing good, that he’s been vital to our success as a non-interchangeable part, he’s had one game like that. But that’s all. Whether it’s him or another depth player like peverly, we need someone to do what he’s been doing. but not necessarily him. Give me more than that in the playoffs if you want to be called good.
Bruins 5×5 will offset the Lightning’s PP. beyond that I have no clue. with Bergeron in the lineup for any of the games and Krejci in all of the games I favor the Bruins.
the B’s have gone further this season than in 20 years. Ryder is part of that success. ‘fail’ you say mes amis?
I agree MCK, not every series comes down to the goalies (Detroit/SJ and Nash/Van series have not hinged on which goalie is playing better IMO). But this series could definitely be one where the goaltending will decide it.
Bojangles, I like the way Ryder has played in the playoffs as compared to his regular season performances. However, aside from 1 game in Montreal, has Ryder really done anything special in this year’s playoffs?
Got to agree with George here: Bergeron’s health, TB’s top 6, Bruins PK and Thomas v. Roloson. That is the series in a nutshell. Further simplified, I think it comes down to Thomas v. Roloson. Both teams will have scoring chances.
JJ, no comments section on Kukla’s Korner?
How do you feed the trolls?
I think the factors to the series are
How long Bergy is out/ any future TB top 6 injury
Can the Bruins handle TB special teams
Which goalie plays better
Maybe it’s a oversimplification of the series, but to me these are the biggest factors
Boucher’s 1-3-1 style is very difficult to play against.
I see Boston having many advantages in Goaltending, defense, toughness but I have no idea how Julien will be able to adapt to the system. He doesn’t seem to adapt much. He’s more of a “our way will eventually work” kinda guy.
I think the B’s could grind this thing out in six if the D plays smart, with no mental laspses. If they lose track of St Louis or Stamkos the puck will be in the back of the net. The B’s should play each game like a road game and grind out the wins.
MCK – you can spend all the time you like whining about the regular season. I only care about the playoffs. I agree $4million is too much, but again – right now contracts don’t matter. They matter in June. Ryder has shown up when it counts – period. We can discuss contracts and the rest come the off-season. For now – I like what we’re getting from Ryder, and if you are honest – you do too.
Stuey vs. Kaberle ? Could two players be any different? But for the make up of this club, right now, in these playoffs – I’ll take the uptic we get moving the puck out of the zone. Kaberle hasn’t bought us much, but we are much better getting out of our own zone then we were. Kaberle gets some of the credit. But – Kaberle is also one of the worst trades in Bs history by my assessment, and I’m so pissed that when the Bs win the cup, we all will be stuck with that bitter pill of watching another pick go to Toronto. Still so pissed that I switched camps on Kaberle. I once thought the idea of picking him up was ridiculous – don’t know what I was smoking to change that opinion – even for a short time.
Tyler has not earned his chance, but everyone has to understand it is hard for him to. If you were coach, would you really put him on one of the first two lines (that’s where his skill set is best utilized)? At this stage, he’s just no where near solid enough to bump anyone off one of those lines. That said – Can’t wait to see what he brings in this environment, though. What I fear most is him trying to be too much.
Great work guys. Really great article. I think the Bruins need Bergeron more then they think and Bergy will be missed for one or two games. But when he´s back we can take this one.
My only concern is the speed on Tampa Bay. I guess Boston might have some problems to forecheck and pinch and that´s the advantage Tampa Bay has in my opinion.
Hey Gang:
Looking forward to working with Matt throughout the series. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
For this particular piece, everything from the Lightning side of things came from me and, on the flip-side, everything Bruins from Matt.
Therefore, the Ryder thing… Well, yeah.
Personally, I would agree with Matt’s comment on Ryder – if finish and hands were all he had, he wouldn’t have much to hang his hat on. From an offensive perspective, he’s a player clearly on the decline, if only from a statistical perspective.
JJ
I think Tampa offers the same challenges that Montreal did. They do rely on their power play and they use a short bench. You have to lean on the guys with the heavy minutes and wear them down. Tampa doesn’t have Carey Price and Roloson can get rattled. I don’t see why they can’t be beat in six.
You have such a small sample size of Ryder. This whole backcheck thing you speak of, it is a recent phenomenon. He basically started doing that this April.
I look at a player getting paid 4 million to score goals and who scored less than 70 in three seasons. The crap he gets, and the crap Wheeler got, are entirely deserved. This newfound ability to play defense is a recent development.
I would rather have Stuart than Kaberle. Tyler has not been given a real chance.
I think fans get stuck in these player profiles. I’ve been watching Ryder, and while he’s not producing a ton of points, I have seen him make some seriously key plays on the back check – lifting sticks for take-a-ways, gaining position to force opponents off line… subtle things that aren’t on stat sheets or highlight reels. No two players have had a worse rap than Ryder and Ference IMO. Wheeler…? maybe just the wrong system or maybe it was deserved. I was never a huge fan.
Then look at Stuey. Fans loved him for the big hits, but he wasn’t very good (consistently good) in his own end. Lots of cough ups, lots of positions problems… Another one is Tyler. The teen-idol of Bs fans. That kid has such a long way to go, and so many fans just keep running Utube videos of his goals and don’t understand the rest.
Venting… thanks for the outlet.
There can really be no debate that Ryder’s time in Boston has been a fail
GR, if Ryder is supposed to have finish then he is a major fail. He does however work hard.
MK
I was looking at Manny’s corner and entourage the other day. All I could see spelled WINNING DRESSING ROOM ATTITUDE. and they carry themselves that way 24-7-365.
Enjoy the sport. It is going to be a good match up, I think. Better that Mosley’s anyways.
I also eat pork chops with more grit that Rydie. But I ain’t got his flick of the wrists showcase. He is a good guy for what wins championships and that is the players sanctuary: THE DRESSING ROOMS. The ones that BANGS together the most wins championship. Trottier, Gillies, Bossy, are enjoying togetherness with the rest of the squad nowadays still. It is a male binding thing. This winning together stuff is.
Have your glasses ready up in the freezer.
My prediction, Gloves onto the ice within the first 10 minutes. As soon as a non behaving punk starts jumpin’.
Chara will grant life to Vinnie for the third time. We will be undisciplined, too hungry, wanting to do too much. We will lose the first one and win the 4 following ones.
The lowest tide of the year is June 15th. Watch for Moses surfing on beer upstream around 22h30
Nostradamus says it, I don’t…. Boucher Scares me though…… he is poised all the time. Very clever guy this Guy guy. I think we are subpar in that dept. Sorry bros..Play Caron WTF??
Bergy may be missing for a game or two… but he also just gave this team the rally cry that will put them over the top.
Sorry… talent like Tampa displays may be highlight pretty to the naked eye, but I’ll bet on my team to black and blue that eye just a bit. Tampa’s riding over confidence after beating an overrated super-soft number one Washington. I think they get smoked early and never really get back into it – losing in six.
I defer to my long-winded comments on the previous post for all my analysis on this matchup.
Also:
“It looks like Ryder will slide in next to Recchi and Marchand up front on one quintet, which could give that group some grit but maybe not enough finish”
…this was obviously written by the other guy. The only thing Ryder is SUPPOSED to have is “finish”. Granted, he shows it in spurts, but I’ve eaten pork chops with more grit than Ryder.
In the end, special teams and clutch goaltending win two games for Tampa. Bruins in 6 (yes, I will knock on wood).