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2015-16 NCAA season, Boston Bruins prospects, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Matt Grzelcyk, Rob O'Gara , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Update: final stats JFK, Grzelcyk, O’Gara

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UPDATE 1 3/29/4:15 pm EST: TSP has confirmed that Rob O’Gara is signed and in the fold with Boston. Later this week, he will ink the ATO to join the Providence Bruins for the rest of the season. According to ESPN’s John Buccigross, Sean Kuraly is under contract as well. That would put the Bruins at 48  contracts (see update below), so it might be an indicator that Tanev is a bridge too far, so they’re getting Kuraly in the mix to start his pro career now. Also in play- the B’s could allocate their final contract spot on Matt Grzelcyk (more on him below).

Even more out of the box- Maxim Chudinov still technically belongs to the B’s but with the Russian Ice Hockey Federation holding the cards to a transfer of Chudinov to North America this late in the season, it’s a real long shot (h/t to friend Dominic Tiano for the connecting of the dots here). Just like Sweden did with Carl Soderberg back in 2013, the World Championship is coming up and Russia undoubtedly wants him for that event with Chudinov’s team out of the KHL playoffs. We’re not even sure Boston wants to sign Chudinov at this point (and I expressed my doubts about that in a previous post), but I guess we shall see. I wouldn’t close the book on Tanev just yet, but O’Gara is confirmed and with Kuraly appearing to be as well, that means there is one deal left- unless I got the math wrong, which is possible.

 

UPDATE 2 3/29/7:54 pm EST: Because of the ATOs, the confirmed contracts for O’Gara and Kuraly do NOT count against the 50-max limit for Boston. B’s currently at 48. Thanks to Dom for getting that information from someone in the know on CBA and contract-related stuff.

 

Original post:

Three more Boston Bruins prospects’ seasons ended in the NCAA over the weekend, with Boston University and Yale losing to Denver University and UMass-Lowell respectively.

Out of the NCAA tournament are BU Terriers Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson and Matt Grzelcyk. As reported on TSP yesterday, Rob O’Gara’s Yale Bulldogs fell in OT to UMass-Lowell and he should sign a 2-year entry-level deal with the Bruins real soon. What we don’t know yet is if the B’s will have him report to Providence to finish out the AHL season on an ATO (he won’t be eligible for the playoffs but can remain with the team to practice and work out with the minor league affiliate) but those details will follow.

Grzelcyk is in a similar boat: as a senior, his NCAA eligibility is exhausted, so he needs to be signed. Like Jimmy Vesey, he could opt for free agency on August 15 or sign with his hometown Bruins. TSP reached out to several sources about Grzelcyk’s status, but nothing solid has come back. In similar fashion to Sean Kuraly, the B’s can opt to wait on signing the BU captain until other contracts come off the books at the end of the season, but before the 15 August deadline to retain exclusive negotiating rights. The team could theoretically offer him an ATO to play in Providence, but without an NHL ELC in place, that would entail some risk on Grzelcyk’s part.

There has also been some below-the-radar buzz that the B’s were so impressed with JFK’s poise as a freshman that they might try to sign him right now (by right now I mean this offseason- not necessarily this week or next) and put him in the organization right away. That would be a tough loss to David Quinn’s Terriers, but if events of recent days are any indication, NHL teams might be forced to move earlier on prospects they feel strongly about rather than risk losing them to the existing NCAA loophole. Regardless, a decision on JFK doesn’t need to happen right now, so we’ll see how things play out in what is shaping up to be a very interesting offseason.

Don Sweeney and his team are still focused on trying to make the NHL playoffs, and given how much the Bruins were mocked at the 2015 NHL draft for what they were doing, they’re in a pretty decent spot as of right now. First things first, but signing O’Gara now makes sense and the team can afford to take a wait-and-see approach, especially with undrafted free agent Brandon Tanev still unsigned and the Bruins very much in the mix (though facing stiff competition from other serious suitors).

If Tanev signs along with O’Gara, that puts the Bruins at 49 contracts, so they might have to wait for the 2015-16 deals to expire before moving forward on anything else.

Here’s the final stats on JFK, Grzelcyk and O’Gara in the meantime. Since I covered him in depth in yesterday’s post, O’Gara’s writeup is a little thinner than the Terrier duo.

Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, C Boston University (HEA)

2015-16 final statistics:

Games played: 39  Goals: 10  Assists: 20  Points: 30  Penalty Minutes: 28  +/-  4

2014-15 stats differential (USHL)

Games played: -11  Goals: -5  Assists: -18  Points: -23  Penalty Minutes: -10  +/-  -6

Season in review: After being the 45th overall selection in 2015 (incidentally the same exact draft position as that of Patrice Bergeron in 2003 and Ryan Spooner seven years later), JFK opened a lot of eyes around the Hockey East with his smooth, poised and refined game as a freshman, playing all 39 of his club’s games. At least two NHL scouts told TSP at various times during the season that JFK was the top player on the ice in games they witnessed, marveling at his smarts and ability to play such an effective and complete 200-foot game. The Stockholm native who spent the previous two years with Omaha of the USHL (a big reason for the disparity in statistics between his last junior season and first NCAA campaign) finished third on the team in scoring behind accomplished seniors Danny O’Regan (Sharks) and undrafted free agent Ahti Oksanen, a former defenseman who converted to forward as a junior. More impressive than the numbers, however, was JFK’s defensive presence on special teams and a polished, veteran-like ability in the faceoff dot.

Outlook: It would be interesting to see the B’s lure the 19-year-old out of school so soon, but not all that surprising. With the possible (probable?) departure of enigmatic center and restricted free agent Alexander Khokhlachev in the offseason, the Providence Bruins would have room to accommodate another young and talented pivot. One thing that could keep JFK at BU is that he’s on the lower spectrum of his physical development at present. Although he’s about 6-foot-1, he’s still pretty light at under 190 pounds and has one of those body types that will be hard to keep weight on his frame during the season. He’s not one of those players who pushes the pace throughout a game- he’s a good skater with a rangy stride, but at times will slow the play down and be more deliberate in the way he operates. We’ve seen him drive defenders back on their heels, so the capacity exists for JFK to be a dangerous offensive table-setter when he wants to be. Right now, he appears to be well on his way to eventually making the Bruins as a third-line center with top-two line upside who can do a little bit of everything for his team. Forsbacka-Karlsson draws a lot of comparisons to Bergeron in terms of his cerebral approach and versatility, but you couldn’t heap more pressure on a kid by likening him to No. 37, so we’ll have to see where it all leads. For now, the first of two second-round selections as part of the trio of picks acquired from Calgary last June for Dougie Hamilton, appears to be on track for bigger and better things in the not-too-distant future.

Matt Grzelcyk, D Boston University (HEA)

2015-16 final statistics:

Games played: 27  Goals: 10  Assists: 13  Points: 23  Penalty Minutes: 36  +/-  17

2014-15 stats differential (USHL)

Games played: -14  Goals: even  Assists: -15  Points: -15  Penalty Minutes: even  +/-  -15

Season in review: It was a tale of two hockey seasons for the second-year captain and Charlestown native who was picked in the third round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by his hometown team. He missed the beginning of the year recovering from knee surgery last May and wasted no time making his presence felt, only to injure the opposite knee just six games into his schedule, forcing him to miss 12 total contests on the year. He tied his previous season high of 10 goals, including netting his first career NCAA hat trick against UMass. His assist totals dipped, but considering the number of games lost to injury, put him on a comparable pace to his junior year totals of 28 helpers and 41 total points. Offense was more of a challenge for BU this season, and that shouldn’t come as a major surprise given the loss of 2015 MVP and Hobey Baker-winning center Jack Eichel to the NHL. Grzelcyk gutted it out by playing through the pain associated with an LBI, and when speed is your bread-and-butter, that’s a significant challenge to overcome. He did it without complaint and aplomb, which is typical of his character and why his teammates elected him captain in a landslide. Twice.

Outlook: Although undersized, Grzelcyk has the speed, vision and hockey IQ to be an impact NHLer one day. The easy comparison in playing style is Torey Krug, but outside of the size, the two are their own defender. The former Belmont Hill and U.S. National Team star who led the Americans to a fourth-consecutive gold medal at the U18 championship in 2012 is a faster skater and plays more of a finesse game than Krug’s natural scrappiness. Krug is an aggressive shooter and despite his woes this season at finding the back of the net is probably the better finisher at the NHL level than Grzelcyk will be if he makes it. Both players can carry the puck out of their own zone and when the defender known as “Grizzy” has the time and gets it cranked up in his own end, he can effortlessly go coast-to-coast with the speed and puckhandling ability to beat defenses that try and stand up at the blue line. As mentioned previously, he has no NCAA eligibility remaining, so the Bruins have until August 15 to sign him to an ELC. Because the team is up against the 50 contract limit, they may opt to kick the can down the road until they get some breathing room at the end of the NHL season. Such a decision doesn’t speak ill of Grzelcyk, and where he fits into the organization’s plans going forward, but might reflect a desire for him to have a chance to get healthy and be fully ready to go for the 2016-17 season. Signing him now and sending him to Providence opens the door to the possibility of further injury; not sure the cost-benefit is there just to play a few pro games to close out the year.

Rob O’Gara, D Yale University (ECAC)

2015-16 final statistics:

Games played: 30  Goals: 4  Assists: 8  Points: 12  Penalty Minutes: 41  +/-  5

2014-15 stats differential (USHL)

Games played: -3  Goals: -2   Assists: -7  Points: -9  Penalty Minutes: +10  +/-  -10

Season in review: The numbers were down from what was expected a year after O’Gara posted his best offensive season with six goals and 21 points, to lead the Yale blue line in scoring. Even so, the senior logged consistent minutes in all situations and played a lot with Ryan Obuchowski (undrafted) as coach Keith Allain’s most trusted pairing. In bigger context, Yale is not an offensive team, but limits goals against and scores just enough to come out on top more often than not. Fixating on the statistics does not tell the entire story, even if the scoring totals were a step back for O’Gara this year.

Outlook: The former prep star and graduate of the Long Island Royals minor hockey program has the size (6-4/220) and smarts plus a top-shelf attitude to develop into an anchor-type presence on the Boston blue line. He’s not a flashy, top-end kind of defenseman but is a player you win with. He’s continued to grow and progress since the B’s took a chance on him in the wake of their Stanley Cup victory, but more seasoning and refinement for him in the AHL before he’s ready for primetime wouldn’t be a bad thing. At the same time, O’Gara has the maturity and physical attributes/experience to be a pleasant surprise at Bruins camp next year and challenge for an NHL job as early as 2016-17. Given that we don’t know what kind of offseason changes lie ahead, especially to Boston’s defense as a whole, trying to project O’Gara in the short term is premature.

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NHL needs to fix embarrassing replay problem

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The Boston Bruins lost their fifth consecutive game Thursday night. They followed a similar pattern of energy and solid play in stretches (Ryan Spooner even gave his team a short-lived lead- bay steps!) against the Florida Panthers but ended up with the same result- no points and their tenuous hold on a playoff spot even more in peril.

Like their contest against the NY Rangers the night before, the B’s once again found themselves in the middle of a controversy involving the NHL’s archaic replay/review system. For the second straight game, the B’s came out on the short end of the league’s decision, made by off-ice officials in Toronto.

Only this time, there is a much more convincing case that the NHL bungled this one.

There are two big issues with the league’s goal review process as it currently exists: the most glaring deficiency is the reliance on television networks to provide the various feeds and camera angles the NHL’s war room team uses to make decisions as to whether they uphold or overturn calls on the ice. The second is in how the rules are written- the language gives little leeway to officials and forces them to adhere to a standard that has been proven to have vulnerabilities in each of the situations the B’s have experienced with the Lee Stempniak no-goal on Wednesday and Patrice Bergeron’s negated tally (that would have made it a 2-2 game in the third period) against Florida. Dan Ryan/@bruinshockeynow has a good photo showing the Bergeron goal that wasn’t.  You be the judge. Bergerongoal

Colleague Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe has been critical of the replay and newly-instituted coach’s challenge this season, and after last night’s replay debacle, he’s got another thoughtful piece that is worth reading. It’s not just about the Bruins coming out on the short end here…your team might be next and it might be in a much more critical (and devastating) situation if the NHL doesn’t collectively pull its head out of its posterior and address what is an unacceptable flaw in an otherwise well-intentioned system designed to prevent what Boston has gone through with alarming regularity this season.

No, despite the passionate feelings of some B’s fans out there (we’re packing on the foil, coach!) there isn’t some grand conspiracy by the league’s leadership to hose the Bruins. However, folks aren’t wrong to point out that the way the NHL and its on- and off-ice officiating crews apply the rules is inconsistent at best. What may be a goal one night is inexplicably not a goal the next and vice versa. And when these faceless, unaccountable people can simply hide behind the nebulous “inconclusive evidence” canard to justify a decision that flies in the face of what your lying’ eyes are telling you, things are not going to get any better. It takes moral courage sometimes to act and do the right thing for the good of the game. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman needs to hold his hockey operations folks accountable and make them get to work on a solution. He needs to direct an honest effort into addressing some major vulnerabilities in the existing system and assign some smart people to come up with solutions worthy of the 21st century. Nothing in life is perfect, but what we’ve seen from the league the past two games doesn’t even come close, and the teams and fans who pay ever-escalating prices to see the sport, deserve better.

If you’re not a Bruins fan, you might even be a little bemused at what has happened to the club of late and let me be clear- Boston hasn’t lost five game in a row because of two questionable (in one case not even questionable) calls that have gone against them- they’ve lost because they simply haven’t been good enough. But if you’re snickering from afar, you might not have quite a sense of humor about it if your team is on the receiving end of this NHL-perpetrated farce…with a lot more on the line. Don’t believe me? Then go ask Buffalo Sabres fans about 1999 and see what kind of an answer you get. If you don’t think this could be your favorite team one day, then you simply aren’t paying attention.

Like another past issue- the defunct “in the crease before the puck” rule that threatened to steal the joy and integrity of the game away in the late 90’s before the NHL’s powers finally stood up and instituted some common freaking sense, the current video replay/review system needs similar attention. I already mentioned the Sabres and Brett Hull’s skate in the crease just before the Stanley Cup-clinching goal was scored. B’s fans might also remember P.J. Axelsson scoring the overtime-winning goal against Washington in the 1998 playoffs, only to have it overturned because the front of Tim Taylor’s skate was in the crease. Former Bruin Joe Juneau’s sudden death goal later on counted and the entire series turned on that outcome. It took a much more controversial goal at a critical moment that embarrassed the NHL to force them to take action. Bettman and company should know that waiting this out only opens them up for more embarrassment.

Back then, referees were forced to overturn perfectly legal scores because the words in a well-intentioned rule said they had to- it did not allow them to exercise the discretion and judgment the league pays them for. If the NHL isn’t willing to pursue meaningful change- whether it is to invest in the kinds of fixed cameras on multiple angles that the league would control- as Shinzawa offered, then maybe we should just go back to no replay and let the humans on the ice figure things out. If a puck goes through the side of the net and is ruled a goal at a critical stage, then so be it. You can’t be half-in on this kind of thing. Either do it right, or not at all, Mr. Bettman.

I know the league’s intentions are good when it comes to replays and coach’s challenges- it doesn’t want controversy surrounding games that should be decided in a straight forward manner each and every time. But, life doesn’t work like that, and whether we acknowledge it or not, we’ve got controversy that the NHL needs to address. It can start by taking a hard look at the rule book and determining whether allowing reviewing officials to exercise some common sense when determining whether to uphold or overturn a call on the ice is warranted. Building the kind of technical infrastructure to give the league a much better video vantage point than what they have now will take a little longer and require more resources, but it is worth it. To say the NHL’s intentions are sound and desire to preserve the integrity of the game genuine, is no longer enough.

After all, you know what they say about good intentions and the road to h-e-double hockey sticks.

2015-16 NHL season, 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Boston Bruins, Ryan Spooner , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Scouting Post founder on TSN 1260 Edmonton to talk Bruins & 2016 NHL Draft

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I was invited to go on host  on Edmonton-based Allan Mitchell aka Lowetide’s mid-day sports radio show on TSN 1260 yesterday.

Mr. Mitchell is a thoughtful guy with a lot of interest in hockey at all levels. Before the Oilers came along, he was a Bruins guy during their glory years of the early 1970s, so he’s been kind enough to have me on his show to talk Boston since 2011, when he got his own show and has developed quite a following. I do appreciate his kind words about the blog (and me) on his show.

Yesterday, I was asked about Boston’s youth movement (David Pastrnak, Noel Acciari), drilled down on Ryan Spooner’s progress, and an update on the Dougie Hamilton trade. I also talked Riley Tufte, Dante Fabbro and a New England prep sleeper for the 2016 NHL draft.

I hope you will give it a listen. I come on at the 6:55 mark of the SoundCloud clip for a 12-minute segment. And you can follow me on Twitter if you want more: @kluedeke29

https://soundcloud.com/lowdownwithlowetide/hour-2-31016-feat-kirk-luedeke-frank-seravalli

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B’s aren’t wary of the Ides of March

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Brad_Marchand

Brad Marchand…boss (Photo courtesy of Alison M. Foley)

In a month that is clearly the toughest of  all the Boston Bruins have had to face in the 2015-16 regular season, the team is off to just about the best start possible, going 4-0-1 and earning nine of 10 possible points.

If not for Torey Krug’s negated goal against the Washington Capitals last weekend, the Bruins might boast a perfect 5-0 record in March and own sole possession of first place.

As it stands, the team prevailed in a real battle Tuesday night on the road at Amalie Arena in Tampa, finally solving Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop 10 seconds into sudden death when Brad Marchand took Patrice Bergeron’s centering feed off a 2-on-1 break and whipped it into the open side for his team-leading 34th goal of the season. Every tally adds to Marchand’s career-best NHL season, one in which he’s not only scoring, but playing a more disciplined (save for the suspension he got for low-bridging Ottawa defenseman Mark Borowiecki) and mature game.

The B’s performance in earning their 38th victory of the season was not perfect, but they’ll take it. Skeptics will point to it as one more example of the team not putting together a full 60-minute effort, but that’s a convenient position to take on the heels of an emotional win. A year ago, there’s little doubt that the Bruins would have lost a game like this one- they weren’t able to get their offense out of second gear and the fight and grit that has been there for so much of the 2015-16 NHL season wasn’t quite there with the squad that missed the playoffs for the only time in Claude Julien’s 389-win tenure.

Boston’s scoring is currently third in the NHL behind Dallas and Washington after being down near the bottom in 2014-15. They’re getting a much more balanced attack and since Noel Acciari joined the team and Julien put together a stable fourth line with Landon Ferraro and Brett Connolly on the wings. It’s a rugged, but smarter and more capable unit now that Zac Rinaldo and Max Talbot are down in the AHL and allows the B’s to attack opponents with three capable lines (though the third grouping of Matt Beleskey-Ryan Spooner-Jimmy Hayes has not been able to get much going at even strength consistently throughout the season when they’ve been together). Last night, the goaltenders conspired to limit the offense, but the Bruins on the whole have been able to make up for their defensive deficiencies because they can put the puck in the net.

Backup Jonas Gustavsson was brilliant, earning a career-best 42 saves in his up-and-down NHL career. He stopped everything the Lightning threw at him and especially stood tall in the third period when the home team hemmed the B’s inside their end and prevented any shots on Bishop for about the first 10 minutes of the period. ‘Gus’ has given the Bruins everything that his countryman Niklas Svedberg was unable to provide last season. As Tuukka Rask sat on the bench last night, he had to genuinely enjoy seeing his teammate rob and stone the powerful Tampa offense…he deserved a night off and got one. That kind of a performance from Gustavsson will do more to motivate Rask to raise his game than anything else, and it just goes to show you why the Bruins did not throw an untested Jeremy Smith, Malcolm Subban or Zane McIntyre into the role this season. The B’s just needed Gus to be healthy and to give Rask a chance to not have to carry such a heavy load. He’s done that and more with his 11-5-1 record and .916 save percentage.

The defense changed a bit last night, as Joe Morrow came into the rotation for Zach Trotman and played a serviceable game. John-Michael Liles is not only playing like someone in his mid-20’s with his quick wheels and ability to make the long stretch passes to spring Boston forward and force opposing defenses to scramble, but his presence has stabilized the B’s defense on the whole. (note- Liles could face supplemental discipline for his extended elbow and head hit to Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov last night- we’ll find out today if a fine or suspension could be coming.) Torey Krug is a beneficiary, as he has someone else who can carry the puck out on his own and has a little pressure taken off him. He’s still not scoring goals like he has in the past, but he’s posted career-high numbers in assists and registered his 30th helper on the overtime winner last night.

Nobody is going to argue that the Boston defense is championship caliber- they’re giving up a lot of shots and the team has benefited from strong play in the nets from Tuukka Rask and Gustavsson. If we had mediocre outings from the goaltenders, we might all be signing a different tune. Having said that- the defense is playing a heavier, more physically punishing game to wear down opposing forwards and doing a decent job of funneling those players out and away from the higher danger areas. There is reason for hope that if Don Sweeney can add at least one younger No. 2 defenseman in the offseason, there is enough raw material on the roster and in the organization that the team’s Achilles heel might not be a vulnerability for too much longer.

In the end, there are still going to be those who don’t believe in the 15-16 Bruins and think the team should have burned it down to the water line. I would submit that is a video game mentality- and that the idea of being recognized as a “contender” or not being the driving force in making drastic maneuvers for better or worse- is simply not realistic. Sure, I was one of the voices that honestly thought moving on from Loui Eriksson made the most sense going into the trade deadline, but that was under the mistaken assumption that the veteran forward would be in demand and that teams would pony up for him. If we take Bruins president Cam Neely at his word, then that was not the case- so I think it was the right move to add guys like Liles and Lee Stempniak to the mix rather than just mail it in.

It would be one thing if the Bruins had been disinterested and lacked motivation this season. Clearly, they have character and have played hard for Julien and the staff, even if they don’t have the pure talent and depth to compete on paper against the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals. However, the 1-0-1 performances against both clubs, not to mention the 7-3 road thrashing of the vaunted Dallas Stars in recent weeks, has sent a message that when skating and competing, the Bruins are a better team than I and many others gave them credit for entering the season.

It’s simply not right to turn around after the players have sacrificed and done their part (for the most part) in a regular season to get in a prime position to make the postseason to then cut their legs out from under them for the sake of acquiring extra assets that you *might* be able to turn into that key defender in the offseason. The Bruins still have pieces and components to make that trade, but this version of the B’s has earned the right to see what they can do in the playoffs without the mixed messages of taking away a veteran like Eriksson and trading four picks for Liles and Stempniak.

Since the trade deadline, the B’s have gone 4-0-1 and the line of Marchand-Bergeron-Stempniak has posted 19 points- a combined 8 goals and 11 assists (per B’s media relations guru Eric Tosi). If fans ever wanted an example of a team answering the call of “show me” after a GM showed faith in the roster by adding to it, this club has done that. Marchand has already set his career standard for goals, and Bergeron is just three away from tying his best of 31 set way back when he was just 20 years old in the post-lockout 2005-06 season.

So, while the recent positive run doesn’t mean we can start planning the parade route or booking the Duck boats as some of the snarky, more sarcastic people who love to throw straw man arguments out there when their negative narrative is threatened, Bruins fans can breathe a little bit. No team is just entitled to win- it takes hard work and dedication. Right now, the 15-16 Boston Bruins are all rowing in the same direction and the guys who deserve to be here are on the roster and making it happen. The team has some options if injuries hit, as well- Frank “the Springfield Rifle” Vatrano is tearing it up in the AHL with 19 goals since he was returned to the farm in January.

Things won’t get much easier for the B’s: they have a three-game West Coast swing against three of the top Western Conference clubs: Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose. The team then gets to fly back to the East Coast and close out the roadie with a date in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. However, by beating Calgary, Chicago, Florida and Tampa since the calendar flipped over to March, the pressure for Boston to face must-win situations is lessened. They can’t afford to leave points on the table and will need to dig down deep to run the table in their schedule, but sometimes- we have to acknowledge that when playing superior clubs, victories are harder to come by.

All in all, there is reason for some optimism in Boston. The team seems to have drafted well in recent seasons and even when they haven’t, undrafted diamonds in the rough like Acciari and Vatrano have give the coaches better options than some of the more heralded and hyped draft picks have. It doesn’t mean that all is sunshine and unicorns with the Bruins, but fans should expect their team to do their best.

We don’t live in a perfect world, so their best might not be good enough for some, but for the rest of us- moving in the right direction is good news.

Bring on the Ides of March.

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Are You Not Entertained? Bruins recover to grab critical 2 points in South Florida

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The Boston Bruins blew a pair of three-goal leads- 3-0 and 4-1 to the Florida Panthers, but got a tremendous top-shelf snipe from Lee Stempniak to get out of the BB&T Center with a critical two points in a 5-4 sudden death victory Monday night. It marked the 388th coaching victory of Claude Julien’s Boston career, moving him past Art Ross for sole possession of first place in Bruins franchise history.

Stempniak’s 17th goal of the season was his first as a Bruin- he broke into the zone during 3-on-3 overtime play with Ryan Spooner, took a cross-ice dish from Boston’s third-line pivot and then wired the puck over Al Montoya to escape Southern Florida after the Panthers tied it late on Jiri Hudler’s second marker of the night.

Things started well enough for Boston- Patrice Bergeron, No. 37 in your programs, No. 1 in your hearts one-handed a feed from Brad Marchand into the Florida net behind starter Roberto Luongo to give the road team a 1-0 lead just 37 seconds into the game. On 3.7.2016. Coolness.

David Pastrnak went five-hole on Luongo after slipping past the Florida defense for his 10th strike of the year (equaling last season’s total in 46 games) to make it 2-0 and then Brett Connolly rushed into the zone after getting the puck from Noel Acciari (his 1st NHL point) and firing a shot past Luongo to make it 3-0 at 12:22, his ninth goal.

Third-year center Aleksandr Barkov ( he’s Finnish, btw) cut the Florida lead to a pair of goals when he jumped on the rebound of a Jaromir Jagr shot and ripped home his 20th. The Jagr apple moved him past Gordie Howe for sole possession of third place all-time on the NHL’s scoring list (he trails No. 2 Mark Messier by 37 points).

Bergeron restored the three-goal lead with his 28th goal of the season and second at 17:25 of the opening frame when he took a Stempniak pass and buried it on a rush.

It looked like the B’s would cruise, as Luongo gave way to Montoya to start the second period. The Panthers had other ideas and jumped on the B’s when they came out for the middle frame stuck in neutral. The game seemed to turn when Shawn Thornton fought Adam McQuaid after a heavy hit in the corner, and fired up his team and the fans. Of course, the Bruins skating like they were in quicksand might have had something to do with goals by Hudler and Jussi Jokinen to cut the lead to 4-3, while allowing the Bruins to get just four shots on Montoya in the entire period.

That set up a back-and-forth third, which started to click down to the wire when the B’s lethargy in the neutral zone caught up with them and Hudler pounced on a rebound of an Alex Petrovic shot to make it a 4-4 game with under five minutes left in regulation.

Tuukka Rask gave up a couple he’d like to have back, but faced 51 Florida shots (he’s 7-0-1 when the B’s surrender 36 shots or more) and turned aside 47 (for a .922 save percentage). It was Rask’s 27th win of the season and put Boston in position to jump past both the Panthers and Lightning if they can beat Tampa on Tuesday.

Every point counts- the B’s can’t afford to leave anything on the table and tonight nearly got away from them if not for Stempniak, who now has one goal and six points in four games since coming over for a fourth-round pick this year and a second in 2017.

Although it was an ugly win, the scoreboard don’t say how, just how many. And it also allowed the Bruins to take on a little swagger (just a little- they did blow a couple of three-goal advantages, after all) and head out of South Florida saying this:

Gladiator

 

 

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Happy 98th Birthday to Mr. Bruin- Milt Schmidt

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Milton C. Schmidt– No. 15 in your programs, No. 1 in your hearts- turns 98 today and is the oldest living NHL player.

Legends of Hockey profile on Milt Schmidt (posted ironically enough by SwissHabs- a Montreal fan)

His number hangs from the TD Garden rafters as the B’s  top star for his era and centerpiece of the famed ‘Kraut Line’ with Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer. For those who may not know, the trio earned fame in 1940 by become the first line in NHL history to finish the season 1-2-3 in scoring- Schmidt led the way.

By today’s standards, his numbers are nothing to write home about- he’s not even in the franchise top-10 list of all-time scorers (his 575 career points put him at 11th) but you can bet that had he not given up three full seasons in the prime of his career to serve in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War (all three members of the Kraut Line enlisted together), he’d have been much higher in Boston’s offensive annals. Ryan Spooner pointed out previously that he likes wearing No. 51 because of the connection it has to Schmidt’s 15. So, even the youngest generation of Boston Bruins players respect and appreciate what he means to the hockey club.

Schmidt did more than help the Bruins win two of the franchise’s six Stanley Cups (1939 and 1941) during his tenure, but as a general manager, had a big hand in the Big, Bad Bruins victories in 1970 and 1972 as well. Player, coach, GM- “Uncle Milty” did it all.

As a standout on the Kitchener Greenshirts junior team, Schmidt was snubbed by the Toronto Maple Leafs because of his German heritage (the legendary Conn Smythe allegedly called him a ‘squarehead’  and refused to take Frank Selke’s advice to sign him in what would prove to be a costly lesson in prejudice and bias) but Boston coach and GM Art Ross saw the promise and the rest is history. To be fair- the way Schmidt tells the story- Smythe was unimpressed because he didn’t realize at the time watching the young center that Schmidt was only 16. Either way- Toronto’s loss was clearly Boston’s gain.

Speaking of history, how awesome would it be for Claude Julien’s Bruins team to earn their coach his 388th career victory against the Washington Capitals (they’ve lost six straight to the Caps) in Boston to move him past Ross for No. 1 on the team’s all-time list on Schmidt’s birthday?

Chills and (as Mr. Schmidt would say) goose pimples!

I had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Schmidt in 2001- it’s hard to believe it was 15 years ago- for a “Where Are They Now?” story I was doing for New England Hockey Journal. The interview itself was amazing- I personally discovered what those who know him and have been able to meet him all well aware of- his grace, charm and humility are boundless. He had and still has- such a sharp mind and his recall and memory for detail was astounding. It was one of those rare moments where, as a person who grew up as a student of the game and its history, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

What struck me about the encounter though, as I look at the well-wishes pouring in for Mr. Schmidt on his 98th birthday, is what happened when I first called the number I was directed to phone for the interview.

A woman answered and I identified myself and asked for Mr. Schmidt.

“Oh, yes- he was expecting your call, but he’s downstairs working out. May I have him call you back when he’s finished?”

I provided my number and a few minutes later, as the gentleman he is, I got my call and about 30-45 minutes of his time. I never forgot that.

And today, I was reminded that he was working out at the tender age of 83.

83!

And if you had any questions about why Schmidt is still gracing us with his presence in 2016, this decade-and-a-half later, that should take care of it. Knowing he had a chance to witness one more Stanley Cup in 2011 was the cherry on top in the life of an amazing man.

How great would it be for this team to honor him with another one?

Happy Birthday, sir.

(Here’s his 95th birthday celebration in 2013- posted by the NHL)

 

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Big Boy Win

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The Boston Bruins just beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2. At home, even.

The B’s got goals from Patrice Bergeron (25), Brad Marchand (33), Ryan Spooner (12) and Loui Eriksson (24) to earn a crucial 2 points and move to 2-0 in March- their toughest month of the season.

Claude Julien was behind the bench for his team’s 36th win of the season which gives him 387 with Boston, good for a tie for the club’s top spot all-time with Art Ross. What a way to get there in style, coach!

More important- they move into a (temporary) tie with Tampa Bay at 78 points, who are currently leading the Ottawa Senators and within two points of division-leading Florida, down 2-1 early to Colorado. Every game, every point is important, as we all learned last year. The victory gives them a tiny bit of breathing room against idle Detroit, building a three-point cushion for third place.

The Blackhawks played last night and started backup Scott Darling, and he at times looked like the No. 2 in Chi-Town, but that should not take away from Boston’s effort- they were gritty, tenacious and overcame a bad goal to Tomas Fleischmann late in the second which cut the 4-1 Boston lead in half.

However, as he did most of the night, Tuukka Rask shut Chicago’s attack down.

Those who want to look for negative things will no doubt find plenty, but I have to say- John-Michael Liles has impressed in his first two games. He skates like his legs are 25 not 35, and he’s always got his head up, looking to advance the puck. He had two helpers tonight but none prettier than the aerial sauce pass he fed to Eriksson, who was chugging right up the middle of the slot to the net. Loui deftly redirected a shot through the wickets to put an exclamation point on the contest. He went from a team that was selling off parts at the deadline after making an admirable push, to a club that is firmly in the thick of things. Even if the Bruins aren’t realistically a contender this year, Liles is playing with the energy and passion of someone who thinks they are.

The B’s get to face the nemesis Washington Capitals next on Saturday, and they’ll have a tough row to hoe. At least backup Philipp Grubauer will be in net and not the “Holtbeast”- Braden Holtby, who truly has Boston’s number and has pretty much owned them since earning his first career NHL win against the Black and Gold.

All you want from a team is pluck…a willingness to get after it and not fold in the face of pressure. The B’s passed their first major test of many this month and the first half of April. They’ll get to take one again agains Chicago on the road before the regular season ends, but at least we know the team has a split.

Now, the Bruins need to bear down and steal some games against playoff-bound opponents and not play down to those looking up at them in the standings.

Like we said- every point is important. This is why they opted to hold onto Eriksson rather than take a less than optimal return. He showed everyone why tonight, but there is much more work ahead.

 

 

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Bruins hammer Penguins in decisive home win

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Are the Boston Bruins Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?

Are they a good team with clear shortcomings on the defensive side that sometimes make them look worse than they are, or a mediocre team that is able to pound opponents so decisively on occasion so as to fool the optimists out there who support them?

The answer just might represent a little of both.

On Wednesday night, the B’s completed a three-game series sweep against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which is a similar team in that it has been a perennial contender since the Sidney Crosby era revitalized the team’s fortunes, but this year has been a shadow of its former powerful self since squeaking into the playoffs at Boston’s expense last spring.

Like Boston, the Pens have a powerful 1-2 punch at center (though Evgeni Malkin was unable to return from injury to help his team at the TD Center last night), a leaky defense made up of game, but  often overmatched 4/5/6 types and a goaltender who can minimize the damage but can’t do it all himself in Marc-Andre Fleury.

As was the case in Dallas last Saturday, the B’s didn’t exactly dominate the contest, as the Penguins came at them early, hemming them in their zone. Tuukka Rask withstood a 13-shot opening period, not allowing any pucks by him, and David Pastrnak scored the third penalty shot goal of the season for Boston to make it a 1-0 contest.

Pastrnak (his eighth) and Penguins forward Tom Kuhnackl traded goals in the second period to set the stage for a critical third period with the B’s still smarting after getting zinged at home the other night against Columbus.

Jimmy Hayes, Landon Ferraro and Brad Marchand, who scored his team-leading 31st goal, tallied three goals on three shots in the final 10 minutes to push the score to 5-1 and give the Bruins a much-needed home victory.

Hayes finished off a brilliant rush by Ryan Spooner, who got the puck from Hayes after Adam McQuaid blocked a shot (after losing his helmet- no fear) and took off like a rocket up the ice, crossing with Matt Beleskey at the offensive blue line to gain extra space. He then approached the net from the left side and threaded a pass right to Hayes, who didn’t miss for his 13th marker.

Ferraro then broke away after slipping behind the defense and getting a home run pass from Dennis Seidenberg, beating Fleury with a top-shelf laser for just his fourth goal of the season. Ferraro also had an earlier fight with Scott Wilson and gave better than he got, showing off the kind of energy that has made him a capable bottom-line player since the B’s snatched him off the waiver wire from Detroit.

Marchand’s final tally was vintage No. 63, as he got the puck from Torey Krug, cut to the net and let a jumpy Fleury make the first move before going around the defender and sprawling goaltender to slip the puck in on the far side.

Rask, for his part, was magnificent in a 41-save effort- he gave up just the Kuhnackl goal, scored off the German forward’s skate after a fat rebound. This is the kind of game that the Bruins typically need from their one-time Vezina Trophy-winning netminder. The defense still gives up a good number of quality scoring chances, but when Rask is on top of his crease and in the zone, he’s as good as anyone else in the league. The problem is- when the B’s go up against clubs with better top-to-bottom roster depth, they have a tough time matching up against teams that have the speed and skill to employ an effective forecheck that disrupts Boston’s timing on the breakout and leads to defensive zone turnovers.

Pastrnak’s performance gives the team multiple reasons for optimism. For one thing, it’s been a tough slog for the 19-year-old, who burst onto the scene a little over a year ago when he was called up in January and then proceeded to become Boston’s brightest hope for the future. Beyond his obvious offensive talent, Pastrnak is an easy kid to get behind because he wears his love of hockey openly, with a wide, infectious smile that reminds everyone who watches him of how all of these pro players began their lifetime association with this sport. Pastrnak is also serious and hard-working. He’s not quite on the same level as Patrice Bergeron was at the same age, but he’s not that far off, either. Pastrnak made the NHL at 18 because he not only gave the Bruins something they desperately lacked, but also because the coaches saw his work ethic and desire to improve manifested at practice. Some people have to be taught by others how to work harder to maximize their natural gifts, but Pastrnak needed no such coaching, and was often the last player off the ice (and still is). Claude Julien and his veteran coaching staff saw that, and so even with the setbacks the second-year right wing has dealt with this season, they’re willing to stick with him and maintain the faith that he can become the regular scorer he’s shown the penchant for in flashes.

Where do we go from here?

The Loui Eriksson trade watch continues, and I’ve been intrigued by the polarized sides on Twitter and the Internet- the two camps that are clearly at odds with one another within the B’s fandom. I explained at length last week why the Bruins will trade Eriksson and try to leverage him into the assets that can allow GM Don Sweeney to more properly address the elephant in the room: the defense.

Although there seems to be a group of folks who believe Eriksson can and should be signed, I have yet to see any plausible explanation from that side on how it will work. Assuming his agent JP Barry wants to secure money and term from his client (and why wouldn’t he?), the Bruins would essentially be rolling the dice that the soon-to-be 31-year-old would be able to maintain his current level of contributions for another four years at least to make an extension worthwhile. While that’s not impossible, the odds are certainly not in favor of that. Eriksson has never been a dynamic skater, so if he loses a step over the next couple of years as many players on the wrong side of 30 tend to do, his production could essentially drop off a cliff. The B’s cannot afford to be shortsighted here- that thinking is what got them into salary cap jeopardy in the first place.

Loui is a fine man and teammate. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, and in the scope of the here and now, he obviously makes the Bruins a better team than they will be without him. But fans demand that their teams be in the winning mix year after year, and extending Eriksson puts that philosophy in peril. Sure- he’s one of the team’s most versatile and dependable forwards, but one can also make the argument that there are young players in the system that can capably address what Eriksson brings to the club given a little time. They won’t cost upwards of 5.5-6 million dollars a year (at least not right away) and dealing Eriksson gives the Bruins the much-needed coin of the realm: assets in the form of picks and futures that every team covets to off-set the ever escalating salary structures needed to retain the top talent across the league.

Should the B’s prove me wrong and hold onto Eriksson, either extending him or keeping him for the playoffs, we’ll revisit the implications of that when the time comes. Even if he’s not moved at the deadline, they can still flip him to a team that wants his exclusive negotiating rights before the July 1 free-for-all for a middling pick, which is not ideal but better than nothing. If they commit the term and dollars to him, then I think it works in the short run, but could have profound consequences by the years 2018 or 2019. I guess for those who like to live in the now, that may not be such a bad thing.

What we’re figuring out here is that making trades and acquiring the kinds of essential players needed to assemble a winning mix in the modern NHL is easy to talk about, much harder to pull off. It isn’t like Boston is bereft of young defensemen in the organization, but nobody is truly ready to step in and make the kind of difference this team needs right now with a goalie in his prime along with multiple forwards whose window might be closing by the time the B’s home grown blue line talent can make an impact.

Colin Miller has shown he can create offense, but he’s still got much to learn defensively. Rob O’Gara is having a down senior year at Yale but has size and mobility to become a bottom pairing staple after a little seasoning in the AHL. Matt Grzelcyk has the speed and offensive talent to be a two-way threat, but like Krug, will need some time to develop in the minors and will be a wild card in terms of what kind of role he can carve out for himself in Boston. Jakub Zboril, Brandon Carlo and Jeremy Lauzon were all drafted last June and are not realistic options to make a difference for at least another full season but likely two or three more years at the earliest.

That means Sweeney needs to add a key piece now or at least in the coming off season. You have to give to get, and Eriksson represents the kind of asset that can increase the GM’s options, not diminish them. Yes, fans may not be thrilled with the kind of return he brings back in a few days (assuming he’s dealt), but you have to play the long game here and realize that a trade made today could set up the even bigger haul tomorrow (or in about three or four months).

If we’ve learned anything about the recent wins over Dallas and Pittsburgh, it is this- the scores didn’t represent how close the games actually were. The B’s benefited from shaky goaltending play from their opponents, but in the playoffs, when every game’s intensity is ratcheted up a few notches and the better teams can make you pay for every mistake, this Boston club isn’t going anywhere far as currently constructed.

That means you have to live with the tough calls and some short-term disappointment in order to benefit from a potential sustained run of excellence. Ask Columbus fans how much fun it has been to cheer for a team that has always tended to fiddle around the margins rather than make bold decisions to build for the long term and you’re not going to like the answer. Teams like Edmonton and Columbus should serve as a reminder that picking at the bottom of the draft every year is no sure path to contention. The Bruins have the pieces to be a contender, but the team has to be smart about how they streamline the effort.

Making decisions based on emotion, loyalty and what someone did in the past versus what they will do is more of a recipe for failure than success. When it becomes time to come to grips with the fact that Bergeron, Krejci, Rask and Marchand can no longer do what Boston fans have enjoyed and come to expect for so long now, the team cannot afford to have multiple albatross contracts around the neck.

Digging out from that kind of hole could take years.

2015-16 NHL season, Boston Bruins , Leave a comment

B’s win ugly in Buffalo

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For once, it wasn’t the Boston Bruins surrendering a two-goal lead in a game.

Ryan Spooner started and finished the comeback against the Buffalo Sabres at the First Niagara Center Thursday night with a goal in the second period and the lone shootout strike to secure a 3-2 road victory for the B’s.

Evander Kane registered the opening tally after a bumbling sequence in the Sabres zone that saw neither of David Pastrnak or Kevan Miller make a play on the puck, allowing an odd-man rush the other way. With the B’s out of position in their own end, Kane was able to corral a loose puck to Tuukka Rask’s left and slip a shot into the net behind him for a 1-0 lead.

Sam Reinhart added to Buffalo’s lead just 47 seconds into the second frame when he deflected Mark Pysyk’s point shot past Rask to make it 2-0.

Spooner answered just 58 seconds later when he dug a puck out from Matt Beleskey’s feet and flipped backhander into the net on former Bruin Chad Johnson’s blocker side. It was Spooner’s 11th goal of the season.

Brad Marchand tallied the equalizer with his team-leading 23rd marker on a nifty rush and backhand shot that Johnson appeared to have the angle on, but was unable to stop from sneaking through him and over the goal line.

From there, Rask held down the fort. Even as the teams exchanged 4-on-3 power plays in overtime, neither squad was able to break through. Patrice Bergeron had the best chance to end it when he was standing just outside the crease, got his stick on a loose puck and fired it on net, only to be denied by Johnson’s glove.

That set the stage for Spooner’s quick cut and shot that beat Johnson and stood up as the winning tally in the shootout, giving the B’s the extra point.

As the old adage goes- the scoreboard don’t say how- just how many. This is a game that against a more skilled opponent, the Bruins likely don’t battle back from, but it moved the team into third place in the Atlantic Division and keeps Boston firmly in the playoff hunt as the 2016 NHL season enters the real stretch drive.

 

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Bruins split with Vancouver, C-Bus

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The Boston Bruins have gone 1-1 in their last two games at home, losing a 4-2 match to the Vancouver Canucks Thursday night and then giving up a two-goal lead to the Columbus Blue Jackets but getting a 3-2 victory in the shootout.

The loss to the Canucks served as a good reminder about what currently ails the team, as Vancouver’s forecheck and play along the walls created turnovers and prevented Boston from getting much going on the breakout. When Boston did have offensive zone possession in that one, they had a tough time working the puck to the middle of the ice and goaltender Jacob Markstrom had a relatively easy night.

Against Columbus, the Bruins took a 2-0 lead, with the first goal coming from the newly-formed line of Patrice Bergeron-Brad Marchand-Ryan Spooner (on the RW). Whether that was an audition to try and see what life might look like if Loui Eriksson gets moved in the near future or just a hunch by Claude Julien, the unit looked pretty good, as the speed/skill combo of Marchand-Spooner with Bergeron’s high-end vision and smarts gave Columbus all they could handle.

When David Pastrnak scored his fifth of the season with David Krejci and Eriksson assisting at 3:34 into the second period, it looked like the B’s might run away with it. As has been the case in the TD Garden far too often this season, the visiting team came back and scored two goals (Dalton Prout and Nick Foligno) to knot the score at two goals apiece.

That opened the door for Spooner and Torey Krug to score shootout goals and secure the extra point for the B’s. Krug’s goal went top shelf as he cut across the grain- it’s a shame he’s only managed to find the back of the net three times (no goals in his last 20 games) this season, because the chances have certainly been there.

Night of Jonas

Tuukka Rask was originally supposed to start, but he was “not 100%” according to Julien, so Jonas Gustavsson stepped in and played well in making 31 saves.  Gustavsson out dueled Joonas Korpisalo at the other end…he prevented B’s center Joonas Kemppainen from scoring any goals. All the while- winter storm Jonas did its work on the East Coast yesterday. Boston was spared the worst of the storm, which hit the Mid-Atlantic region hard and saw the postponement of several NHL games. Gustavsson played Prout’s band-angle shot poorly on the first goal he allowed and took ownership of the score afterwards, but more than made up for it in the final period when Columbus carried the play and generated some quality scoring chances that he all turned away. ‘Gus’ is now 9-3-1 in 14 games as the Boston backup. In contrast Niklas Svedberg had just 7 wins all of last season in 18 appearances, but interestingly enough- had a higher save percentage (.918 to .917).

Marchand surging

It took some time for No. 63 to get going after he returned from his three-game suspension, but his 19 goals  in 42 games leads the B’s. He’s not just scoring and using his speed, but he’s playing disruptive game, getting in on opposing puck carriers and pushing the pace every time he’s on the ice. It was interesting to see the way he and Spooner worked together Saturday night, as the Blue Jackets had a tough time containing their quickness and ability to handle the puck. I won’t jump to conclusions that the line combination was expressly rolled out to see if Spooner can handle duties as a top-two line forward on his off-wing in the event that Eriksson is moved before the trade deadline, but that strategy makes sense, and for one game at least, Marchand and Spooner looked like a good fit together.