5/31- Game 2 Islanders @ Bruins
- Thread starter cshea
- Start date
Game of wild swings. Bruins dominated the first, Isles the second, and Bruins again in the third. Then it was wide open in the OT ending with the Lauzon shit sandwich. I'm not versed enough to know if that's due to tactical changes, 1v1 battles, or just the elusive 'momentum' every shitty hockey broadcast harps on repeatedly. Either way, a total seesaw all night.
I think every NY goal was a bizarre bounce of a puck. But you know, that's hockey, right? The goal that ricocheted off a Boston player's skate...I mean, I don't even think that was a shot attempt, but rather an attempt to pass the puck in front of the crease.
It is nuts how many goals have gone in against Tuukka this playoffs that have been due to random bounces off people in front of the net. Of course, it probably speaks to a bigger issue of getting people out from in front of the net.
There's a difference between an offensive player intentionally tipping the puck to redirect it. That's a massive amount of skill (and some amount of luck, obviously). But when a player makes a pass in front of the crease and it deflects off a defender's skate past the goalie, when the offensive player isn't even trying to score, that's all luck.
You create that luck by having guys / traffic in front of the net though. More bad weird things can happen if you can't clear the net. Now some of the bounces have been sheer bad luck / nothing you can do about it but I can't say that for all of them.
I've got 7 of 15 goals against as tips/deflections. 2 were cross ice passes on the PP that went in off a Bruin. I've got 2 of 23 goals the Bruins have scored as tips/deflections (Ritchie PPG in game 1 against Washington and Marchand PPG in game 4). You could maybe add the Hall goal to tie game 2 and the Smith OT winner as "lucky" but I think these things kind of even out.
This is the kind of stuff that goes into the randomness of shooting percentages. Sometimes you get a bounce. Sometimes you pick a corner and the goalie makes a save. Just kinda have to keep shooting. The more volume, the better the odds one goes in be it clean or a weird bounce.
Couldn't bring myself to watch the replay of what happen, until now. Unfortunate (avoidable) bad bounce. Keep getting the feeling that the puck is going to fluke in with this team. Not sure if it's a product of the approach other team are taking against them, clogging the middle, Bruins keeping most of the chances to the outside. But, like others have pointed out, a large chunk of the goals have been on the wrong side of hockey luck. I just wonder if the increase in those types of chances are part of the opposition plan. Had a great time at the game anyway and I still feel good about the series. Said to the boys on the way out...at least we're not Leaf's fans.