We are actually previous Thanksgiving, the standard NHL demarcation line that supposedly separates the haves and have-nots. If you’re within the playoffs by this time of yr, historical past tells us that the chances are in your favor that you simply’ll be within the playoffs come April.
That would counsel that the Bruins, nonetheless main the Atlantic Division by six factors, are safely ensconced within the post-season for a shot at redemption from final season’s failure. But one reasonably bigger query stays about this group.
Who and what are these 2023-24 Bruins precisely?
One factor they aren’t is a group that may outscore its defensive lapses. In their 14 wins, they’ve saved their opponent to 2 objectives or fewer. In their six losses (three regulation, three extra time) they’ve allowed greater than two. The final week was significantly ugly. In going 1-2-1, they gave up 17 objectives within the three losses.
We ought to have seen coming the misplaced weekend by which they allowed a dozen objectives in two video games. The terrific Jeremy Swayman/Linus Ullmark tandem has lined up some severe blemishes which have been evident on most nights this season. According to the Natural Stat Trick web site, they’ve allowed 173 excessive hazard probabilities towards, which ranks them a mediocre fifteenth within the league and never befitting a group that boasts a 14-3-3 report.
When their goaltenders have an off — and even a median day — issues can get ugly. The B’s began poorly within the Black Friday sport towards Detroit at Boston and the Rangers at MSG and, in these video games, the goaltending merely couldn’t bail them out. They fell down 2-0 in each events and by no means led in both of them. Against the Blueshirts, they allowed a season-high 19 excessive hazard probabilities towards. Though Ullmark didn’t have his finest sport, it’s spectacular that the Rangers solely scored seven with the expertise that they’ve.
Coach Jim Montgomery has harped on the group’s rush protection all season lengthy, to various levels of success. But on Saturday in Manhattan, he noticed different cracks within the armor.
“We’ve been giving up a lot of chances, right? But the east-west chances are something we hadn’t been doing as often,” Montgomery advised reporters in New York on Saturday.
Is it a time for Bruins followers to panic? No, not in the event that they went into this season with a clear-eyed view of what this group had misplaced, not counting the late-season acquisitions – two foundational centermen (Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci) and a 3rd pivot who match the B’s system nicely (Tomas Nosek), a pair of fine position wingers (Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno) and an excellent third-pair defenseman (Connor Clifton). All issues thought-about, the beginning they’ve had has been a credit score to, before everything, the goaltending and, secondly, to the group tradition of a robust work ethic. When both of these traits take a vacation like they did over the weekend, it’s not going to go nicely for the B’s.
While the B’s have to tighten up their group protection, additionally they want their finest gamers to be simply that. In the loss in New York, Charlie McAvoy was minus-3 whereas Brad Marchand has been preventing the puck the final couple of video games. David Pastrnak additionally acquired crushed again up ice on the Okay’Andre Miller’s back-breaking aim.
But they had been all the time going to be a work-in-progress all through this season. This previous week was an excellent reminder of that. …
Quick hits
Complaining concerning the Department of Player Safety selections is akin to complaining concerning the climate. It’s futile.
But it must be famous that the NHL’s supplemental self-discipline division lower Ranger defenseman Jacob Trouba an enormous break by giving him only a $5,000 superb for his two-handed baseball swing of his stick that landed on Trent Frederic’s helmeted head. There didn’t look like an damage however generally, as we’ve come to study, head accidents are usually not all the time acknowledged instantly.
No penalty was known as on the play, which is extra forgivable. The sport occurs quick. But how somebody in an workplace can watch the replay of this egregious high-stick infraction and never suppose it was suspension-worthy is past me.
Should it’s a prolonged suspension? No. But a one- or two-game suspension wouldn’t solely have been simply, it will additionally pressure the league to spotlight it in considered one of its Law and Order model movies. It is perhaps good to let the children comprehend it’s not OK to hit your opponent upside the pinnacle together with your stick. Instead, the league opted to deal with it as a nothing-burger. Nothing to see right here, people.
The B’s host the Rangers on Dec. 16. Let’s hope they circle that sport on the calendar for the correct purpose, which is to avenge a loss that in Charlie Coyle’s phrases was “unacceptable.” Looking for vengeance on Trouba could be a waste of time. The Panthers went into Wednesday’s sport on the lookout for retribution on McAvoy for his excessive, late hit on Oliver Ekman-Larson that earned him a four-game suspension. They delivered a few questionable hits on McAvoy however by the second interval, the Panthers didn’t have a lot left to provide and misplaced the sport.
But if a giant, clear hit on the Ranger captain presents itself, by all means the B’s ought to take that chance. God is aware of Trouba would. …
The B’s had been set to journey on Sunday to Columbus the place on Monday they’ll the Blue Jackets, who had been 6-11-4 going into their Sunday matchup towards Carolina. But it’s no time for the B’s to exhale. After some tough-love benchings of stars Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine by new coach Pascal Vincent, the Jackets had received two straight.
Source: www.bostonherald.com