Boston Bruins - Page 3 - Fantasy Sports Forums

4T2 · #21 03-27-2011, 09:33 PM

With a 2-1 victory over the Flyers, Bruins clinch a playoff spot. I'll try to post some thoughts tomorrow.

4T2 · #22 03-28-2011, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuk

So did you think the Chara hit on Pacioretty was dirty?
LOL... I kid, I kid. No need to open up that can of $@$#storm.
Good luck with the coverage.

I am actually interested in a few things:

With McQuaid, Kampfer and Boychuk on the roster and assuming that Kaberle resigns, how do you see these guys developing, partners and future point predictions.

Caron, Spooner and knight are all close to being ready so do you think that this playoff run is the last for Recchi, Ryder and some other vets?

Haha, yeah, I think we've beat the Chara hit to death. So I'll just tackle the other questions.

The Bruins blueline is set for the next couple of years. Without Kaberle, they have 6 NHL caliber defencemen signed through next season. Re-signing Kaberle would be a smart move as McQuaid is much better suited to being a 7th D-man than a 6th.

Partners are tough to make the call on. I know Chara and Seidenberg make a good pairing and I can see that one lasting for awhile. Chara will be a fixture on the top pairing for the foreseeable future as I don't see his skills dropping off anytime soon. Even if they do, his size isn't going anywhere.

So that leaves Kaberle on the 2nd pairing while getting top PP minutes. I don't think 40pts is unreasonable for him for a couple more years.

Chances are Boychuk will be alongside Kaberle. He has some offensive upside, but as long as Kaberle and Chara are ahead of him, I don't see Boychuk getting the minutes to get much higher than 30 points. The kid is just entering his prime (27) and on a lesser team, he has the talent to hit 40. Won't happen in Boston. He is defensively responsible though and becoming a fan favorite in Beantown. Hopefully he resigns before becoming a UFA after next season.

Kampfer is still young, 23, and he has shown that he has the potential to become a great 2nd pairing d-man. I have seen him make some bad defensive mistakes but he is still a rookie so you have to cut him some slack. He's a +8 so far on the season which means he is buying into the system. He's also signed to an entry-level deal for 3 more years, so he should have a spot on the bottom pairing for the next year or two before earning his keep higher up.

The Bruins have somewhat adopted the Red Wings philosophy in developing their prospects (other than Seguin). They are deep enough that, barring injury, they don't need to rush their young guys into the lineup. So I wouldn't get your hopes up about seeing Knight or Spooner on a full-time basis soon.

I can see Caron making the jump next year and having a similar season to Marchand this year. He will probably be on the third line and get bumped up if he develops some chemistry with Bergeron or Krejci. He's big and talented and ready for the big time.

Spooner needs to put some size on before he makes the leap. While I wouldn't rule out a cup of coffee, he won't make the Bruins until he adds a little bit of meat. While Knight already has the size, they don't need to rush him into a checking role. He needs solid top 6 minutes and there isn't any room for him to get those next year.

The only forwards the Bruins don't have signed through next year are Recchi, Ryder and Marchand. With $6.3m in cap space. Marchand and Kaberle will probably be re-signed. I could even see them keeping Recchi around if he helps the Bruins go deep this year. Ryder may have a place thanks to Julien but he would need to take a major pay-cut to make it work. I don't see it happening.

Sorry for the book, I hope I've answered most of your questions. If not, let me know and I'll try to be a little clearer.

4T2 · #23 03-28-2011, 03:43 PM

Marc Savard is not doing well. "Having real memory problems and he's quite worried about it." That quote comes from an anonymous source so take it with a grain of salt.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=359766

I hope he starts making some progress soon. It's a sin to see someone with so much talent get taken out in his prime.

4T2 · #24 03-29-2011, 01:32 PM

This morning's optional practice had the following on the ice:

Adam McQuaid
Gregory Campbell
Michael Ryder
Tyler Seguin
Steven Kampfer
Shane Hnidy
Chris Kelly
Tuukka Rask

Julien says he doesn't think there will be any different faces in the lineup. Also says:

Quote:

"For us right now it's about focusing on the moment...there's no room for complacency."

Good way to look at it, no point in getting ahead of themselves.

4T2 · #25 03-29-2011, 02:26 PM

Going to try a little something new for tonights game. Any feedback would be appreciated. If people like it, I'll try to keep it up. If they don't, I won't waste my time writing it in the future. Please let me know what you think either positive or negative.

Anyways, here it goes, being the eternal optimist that I am, I would like to present you with:

Why the Boston Bruins will win tonight:

Chicago Blackhawks (41-26-8) at Boston Bruins (42-23-10)

Goals Against per Game
Chicago - 2.68 (13th in league)
Boston - 2.31 (3rd in league)

This stat should be as much indicative of the defence as it should be the goaltending, however, when you combine it with the shots allowed per game, it tells a different story. Chicago allows an average of 28.7 shots per game, good for 7th in the league. Boston allows 32.9 shots per game, more than any other team other than Carolina.

Just another example of why the Bruins have some of the best goaltending in the league. Even with snipers like the Hawks employ, they should have a hard time getting anything past the Bruins, no matter who's in net.

Which leads us to...

Goaltending
The Chicago Blackhawks #1 goalie Corey Crawford sports a .918 SV% which is equal to that of Tuukka Rask, the Bruins back-up and doesn't even come close to touching Tim Thomas' .939 SV%. Throw Chicago's back-up tender in there since Crawford may be tired from last night and your looking at Marty Turco who can't even stop 9 out of every 10 shots he faces with that .897 SV%.

That's right, I said it folks. Give me the Bruins back-up tender over the reigning Cup champs starter any day.

Fatigue
The Blackhawks are coming off a tough game against the Red Wings last night. Their top players (Toews, Kane, Hossa) all played over 22 minutes. Going up against the grinding style of the B's isn't going to help. That line will be burnt out by the end of the first period. This will allow the Bruins to turn it up and dispose of the Hawks late in the game.

So there you have it folks, 3 reasons why the Big Bad Bruins will leave the defending cup champions in the dust tonight.

Let me know if I should try to make "Why the Boston Bruins will win tonight" a regular gameday feature or not. Any and all comments encouraged.

Dutch · #26 03-29-2011, 02:28 PM

I think the bruins will only win if the hawks are fatigued... The hawks in a hell of a playoff race, and I can see the Bruins prepare for playoffs already...

Dutch · #27 03-29-2011, 02:31 PM

don't get me wrong tho, I want the hawks to lose

4T2 · #28 03-30-2011, 07:44 AM

March 29 Game Notes

Wow, I knew the Hawks would be tired and I knew the Bruins goaltending would be the difference, but I never expected a shut-out. Great effort by the Bruins in this one. So let's get to a few thoughts on the game.

Tim Thomas
How can anyone argue that he should not get the Vezina this year? I hear people making a case for Price, Rinne or Luongo and while their stats are great, they don't approach Thomas' otherwordly performance this year.

He is currently sports a 1.96 GAA, a full .14 points ahead of his closest competitor in Rinne. He also has a .940 SV%. If he maintains that, it will be an NHL record beating Dominik Hasek's .937 back in the 98-99 season. Sidenote: Timmy's .933 SV% two years ago has him tied for second on the all-time list.

Thomas made 32 stops for his 9th shut-out of the year and 2nd in his last 3 games. Anyone in H2H playoffs right now with Timmy on their team is grinning from ear-to-ear including myself.

Mark Recchi
The ageless wonder assisted on Boychuk's goal to pass Paul Coffey for 12th on the all-time scoring list. He had the following to say after the game:

Quote:

"I thought I would be lucky to play ten years and I would have been very fortunate to play ten years, and here I am twenty-two years later and I’m still having fun and still enjoying myself."

He followed that up with, "I’m hoping we go on a long ride, it just makes it real easy for me to say see you later. We win and I say I’m gone. If we win a championship, I’m gone."

His play shows he obviously still has a lot left in tank, but I would love to see a future Hall of Famer like him go out on top.

Zdeno Chara
Chara picked up his 14th goal of the season and the eventual game winner. That gives him 11 points in the ten games since the Pacioretty hit. He's playing with something to prove. How many PIMs does he have since then? 2!!!! They came in the next game. Not good for us poolies, but it sure helps go to show he's not a dirty player. 9 games without a penalty for Chara which ties a career high set last year.

Johnny Boychuk
1 goal and 4 shots last night. I'm telling you guys, pick him up in your office playoff pools. You won't regret it.

Not exactly a barn burner
There were a grand total of 4 PIMs handed out last night. Lucic got nailed for holding and Marchand got two minutes for slashing. Everyone was on their best behaviour last night.

Shawn Thornton
My favorite lunchpail player took a skate above his eye last night courtesy of Fernando Pisani. It took 40 stitches to close the cut and he would not return to the game. The Blackhawks bench was chirping him as he left the ice covered in blood. Thornton tried to get at whoever made the comments, but the ref intervened. He wasn't very happy with them and had the following comments:

Quote:

"Obviously I can’t swear when I talk to you guys," he said after the game. "There was some stuff said that I am not happy about. I am going to find out who it was and I will deal with it in my own way."

"Those guys on their team chirp a lot. I don’t know if it is right when someone’s face is half across the other side of their face."

I'd hate to be whoever said that when these teams finally meet again. Here's a link to the play:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfPw7...layer_embedded

So that about sums up my thoughts on the game. Looking forward to hearing yours.

rainydrinkwater · #29 03-30-2011, 09:37 AM

Good write up 4T2.

Was wondering if I may pick your brain for some thoughts on Krejci. I drafted him years ago in a keeper and have been very happy, aside from some unlucky injurues, but I would like to get a better handle on him from some who watches his game far more frequently.

What do see his ultimate upside as? I belive that he can consistently be an 80 pt threat, so long as he plays a full season. Am I way off base here?

He seems to have great chemistry with his linemates right now. Are they playing above their heads, or will this line dominate for the forseeable future?

Most natural playmakers are guilty of sometimes giving a perfect shot to look for the perfect pass, but you think Krejci will ever have a season or two of 35+ goals?

Thanks in advance, as I know sometimes we all have things to do and it might take a while to respond.

4T2 · #30 03-30-2011, 10:17 AM

Krejci is a great talent and I look forward to seeing him in the Black & Gold for a long time. When they signed him instead of Kessel I was very skeptical but being able to look back on it now, I think it worked out very well.

I don't see Krejci as a consistent 80 point guy. That's not to say he won't ever hit that mark, I just don't think we will see it every year. I think he's more in th 70-75 point range when healthy.

Currently he sees a lot of time with Lucic and Horton and that line is doing great things. I don't think they are playing over their heads at all. They are right where they should be. They play responsibly and are scoring at a good pace averaging around a goal per-game (I believe).

I don't think you'll ever see Krejci get 35 goals in a season. He has the talent to do it but it's not the role that the Bruins use him in. He is there to get the puck to the big bodies at the net (Lucic and Horton) and let them put the garbage home. He scored 31 goals in 69 games for Providence a few years back and managed 22 in his NHL rookie season. I could see him getting back to the 20 goal mark on a consistent basis but I would consider anything above that gravy.

The Bruins don't play an overly offensive game. Julien encourages a well-balanced system and that will have to temper any expectations for offensive output as long as he's behind the bench. If it was a different situation, Krejci very well could be an 80-point threat consistently, but I just don't see it happening given Boston's style.

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