We thought this marking interval had, oh, one other seven weeks to go. How fallacious we had been.
Hockey is hockey and something can occur, however this Bruins staff gave each indication that it may buck the Presidents’ Trophy curse and go on a long term. Nope.
Despite the truth that GM Don Sweeney appeared to have deliberate for each contingency, there’s solely a lot you are able to do when your prime two facilities and elite goaltender pull up lame on the most inopportune time. When the B’s blew a 3-0 sequence result in the Flyers in 2010, that staff was nonetheless on the rise and gained the Stanley Cup the subsequent 12 months, instantly eradicating the stench of that loss. With a cap crunch and doable retirements of stalwarts Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, this one may depart a mark on the franchise that might take a very long time to take away.
Here are the playoff grades:
Forwards
Brad Marchand, B: Yes, a minus-6 is a minus-6. But Marchand elevated his recreation with the highest two centermen out and led by instance. The common season was at instances a battle for him as he labored his manner again from double hip surgical procedure, however he had key contributions early within the sequence and his four-assist Game 6 mustn’t have gone for naught.
Pavel Zacha, B: Perhaps one of the best factor to come back out of this debacle is that it seems the previous Devil is able to taking part in in a prime six centerman position. When the highest two facilities had been out, Zacha stepped in and did a superb job. He’s additionally confirmed to be each invaluable and malleable. He will be plugged into any of the 12 ahead positions and he’d thrive.
Taylor Hall, B: Hall was superb by way of the primary 5 video games of the sequence, when it ought to have been over and achieved with. He was superb in Games 3 and 4 in Florida and had the tying objective within the third interval of Game 5. He was shut out in Games 6 (when he performed lower than 13 minutes for some motive) and seven, which damage, however Hall confirmed up for this sequence.
Jake DeBrusk, B: DeBrusk had 4-2-6 totals within the seven video games, the sort of output you’d anticipate from him. It would have been good to see him on his common line with Marchand and Patrice Bergeron in Game 7.
Tyler Bertuzzi, B-: He’s one of the best net-front presence on the ability play the B’s have had in a very long time and he did draw six penalties. But his tendency to make drop passes and comfortable performs at each blue strains didn’t assist chopping by way of the Florida forecheck or set up O-zone time. Tough to see the staff making a robust pitch to maintain him, given the wage cap crunch.
David Pastrnak, B-: Thanks to a shoulder damage he suffered early in Game 1, he didn’t make an affect till Game 6, when he scored two objectives however was stopped on a breakaway when the B’s may have taken a two-goal lead. He scored the go-ahead objective in Game 7 that ought to have held up because the GWG, and he hit the shaft of Sergei Bobrovsky’s stick in OT. So near being the deciding issue within the sequence, however he wasn’t. Like Bertuzzi, he drew six penalties.
Charlie Coyle, B-: He was superb in Games 1-4, particularly when he was requested to bump as much as play in a prime six position. Still, with simply 1-1-2 totals, you’d wish to see him use his brute power to take the puck to the online a little bit extra.
Nick Foligno, B-: Playing for the primary time since leaving the lineup on Feb. 28, Foligno was sluggish out of the gate however performed effectively in Florida. You need to surprise if he may have made a distinction in Game 7.
Tomas Nosek, C+: Nosek was higher than 60 p.c on the faceoff circle, however the penalty kill, which was one of the best within the league within the common season and an enormous a part of Nosek’s worth, killed at simply 75 p.c and was an enormous motive the B’s couldn’t shut out the sequence.
David Krejci, C+: Krejci missed three video games with an undisclosed damage. He wasn’t in a position to do a lot in Games 1, 2 and 6, however he reached again in time for a robust Game 7. Just wasn’t fairly sufficient.
Patrice Bergeron, C-: It was robust to look at him not be the participant he may very well be. The captain was taking part in with a herniated disc in his again when he returned for Game 5 and the B’s accountable for the sequence at 3-1. They didn’t win one other recreation and Bergeron was a minus-6 in three video games. He did rating a power-play objective in Game 5, and he was nonetheless sturdy on faceoffs (70%) however that was it.
Garnet Hathaway, C-: He was not as a lot of a bodily presence because it was hoped he’d be and he had a key blue line turnover in Game 7. In equity, he didn’t have a lot of a chance to affect the sequence. He solely cracked 10:00 in three of the seven video games.
Jakub Lauko, C-: In minimal motion, Lauko was tagged with a pair of minor penalties within the pivotal Game 5, the second of which led to a objective towards.
Trent Frederic, D: Frederic made big strides this 12 months, however he couldn’t bury quite a few possibilities on this sequence. In the common season, you’re taking the optimistic out of that and construct on it. In the playoffs, these possibilities need to go in. He was additionally victimized on the identical Game 7 objective on which Hathaway turned it over.
Defense
Brandon Carlo, B: Carlo was his largely strong, defense-first presence however he did handle to select up 4 helpers within the sequence. If the B’s had been in a position to lock down Game 7, he would have had the first help on the GWG. He loses a grade for the PK underachievement.
Dmitry Orlov, B: Orlov happened six inches away from ending Game 7 in regulation however he hit the crossbar. As it was, he had eight assists within the sequence and pushed the tempo. If the B’s transfer out contracts to make room for any UFAs, this is able to be the man to do this for.
Charlie McAvoy, B-: McAvoy imposed his will on the Panthers in Games 3 and 4, however couldn’t tamp down the chaos of Game 6 and had the late equalizer go off him in Game 7. Bad break, however it counts.
Matt Grzelcyk, C+: Grzelcyk was largely good, however he was on the ice for each extra time objectives towards. He was not a lot at fault on the Game 5 one when Linus Ullmark gave the puck away, however he was a part of a bunch of Bruins beside the online who couldn’t clear the puck on Game 7 sequence winner.
Hampus Lindholm, C: If Lindholm had the identical stay-at-home profile as his associate Carlo, this is able to be a better grade. But he was within the Norris Trophy dialogue all season for the way in which he was in a position to transition the puck from offense to protection. He was tentative to begin and appeared to worsen because the sequence progressed. He completed with 0-0-0 totals, and that’s with power-play time.
Derek Forbort, D: After taking part in so effectively in final season’s brief playoff run, Forbort simply didn’t have it after lacking the ultimate month and half of the season. The rust was actual, and the PK – on which Forbort makes his bones – by no means regained its shutdown identification within the sequence.
Connor Clifton, D: Clifton set himself up for a pleasant payday this offseason along with his greatest common season, however he had a completely disastrous, minus-3 Game 6.
Goalies
Jeremy Swayman, B-: Given the state of affairs, he carried out fairly effectively in Game 7. He even made two Grade A stops in extra time earlier than Carter Verhaege silenced the Garden.
Linus Ullmark, C-: We could by no means understand how restricted Ullmark was within the postseason and the truth that he wasn’t pulled earlier within the sequence isn’t his fault. But there’s no getting across the .896 save proportion and three.33 GAA.
Coaching
Jim Montgomery, D: Line combos that didn’t work, questionable goaltending choices and the shortcoming to determine the Florida forecheck tarnished a terrific inaugural season for Montgomery and spelled doom for the winningest common season staff of all time.
Source: www.bostonherald.com