Round 1 - Florida

MiracleOfO2704

not AWOL
SoSH Member
Jul 12, 2005
9,528
The Island
For this series, I was really expecting Barkov to be more impactful than he has been (in relation to Tkachuk and Bennett who have been impactful - good or bad).
I'm not complaining of course, but for someone who is generally regarded by his peers as among both most complete and most underrated, he's been very quiet.
Gotta wonder if he's nursing an undisclosed injury.

https://www.nhlpa.com/player-poll/2022-23
I can’t access the stats from Natural Stat Trick I’d like to, but my semi-educated guess is Barkov is drawing a lot of Pastrnak. Like how Bergeron wouldn’t always light up the scoresheet because of his deployment, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s almost exclusively seeing 88 every shift, devoting his time to keeping him under wraps.
 

cshea

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
36,047
306, row 14
Barkov did get a lot of Pasta yesterday. Shots were 4-1 Boston, scoring chances 6-1 Boston when those two were on the ice.

Also, I think with Bergy coming back I'd reunite 63-37-88. I think Pasta has leaned a little too much towards playmaking rather than shooting and scoring the past few games.
 

MiracleOfO2704

not AWOL
SoSH Member
Jul 12, 2005
9,528
The Island
The way you deal with this is a quiet, clinical Game 5 win and prep for the winner of TB/TOR. These guys will stick up for each other, as they should, but no one should be risking suspension to run Bennett or Tkachuk away from the play.
 

Zososoxfan

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 30, 2009
9,209
South of North
This is starting to feel like a series best considered in the rear view mirror. Hopefully the Bruins can get an early lead and Florida gets somewhat naturally deflated by it all. Hopefully the refs pop Tkachuck and Florida proceeds to feel screwed by the refs as the game slips away.

What I don't want at this point -- however cathartic it might be -- is for the Bruins to engage this guy and get Florida all riled in his defense. Let McAvoy hammer him a couple more times with some good clean hits, score some goals, move to the next round.
You can't have both elements in the bolded statement lol
 

Ed Hillel

Wants to be startin somethin
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2007
43,559
Here
Bergy in a regular jersey.

No Ullmark though. Swayman and Bussi are the goalies. Probably not a great sign that they yanked Ullmark the other day and he went right down to get treatment of some sort and is now not practicing. We'll see what Monty says later, I guess it's plausible they just want Ullmark off the ice given the heavy workload.
Ullmark is there. Probably just taking a piss to start.
 

cshea

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
36,047
306, row 14
That is wild. I wonder when the last time Bergeron and Marchand played in a game on separate lines. Probably more than a decade ago.
 

LogansDad

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
29,053
Alamogordo
I feel like Chucky has a history of dirty hits. I remember he had the beginnings of a reputation as a head hunter a couple of seasons ago. Maybe he's cleaned it up since.
I think maybe you need to show your work here. I did a google search and from what I can tell he has been fined once and the Avs whined about him taking out one of tgeir guys who was fucking with the goalie. Not sure that's enough for me to call him dirty.
 

TSC

SoSH's Doug Neidermeyer
SoSH Member
Oct 25, 2007
12,280
Between here and everywhere.
I can’t say I hate those lines.

That third line could be a lot of teams top line.

Monty is a mad scientist with this shit, but it looks shocking competent.
 

Zososoxfan

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 30, 2009
9,209
South of North
I think maybe you need to show your work here. I did a google search and from what I can tell he has been fined once and the Avs whined about him taking out one of tgeir guys who was fucking with the goalie. Not sure that's enough for me to call him dirty.
Judging by everyone's reactions, I was offbase with my assessment of Mac--and I'm really happy about that. I follow the Bruins box scores and highlights during the season, but I'm pretty tuned in during playoffs. I recall some questionable hits early in his career (Anderson, Aho, Necas, etc.), but it doesn't seem like he has any reputation or real history of dirty play. Mea culpa.
 

TFP

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2007
20,380
I think maybe you need to show your work here. I did a google search and from what I can tell he has been fined once and the Avs whined about him taking out one of tgeir guys who was fucking with the goalie. Not sure that's enough for me to call him dirty.
He was also suspended for a playoff game for a headshot against Columbus.

I wouldn't call him dirty but he definitely lives on the edge.
 

IdiotKicker

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 21, 2005
10,784
Somerville, MA
I would switch DeBrusk and Foligno just because 63-13-74 gives you so much speed and possession, but it's a minor quibble. I think you could basically do whatever you want with the top 9 aside from putting Foligno with Bergeron and it would look good.
 

BostonFanInCanesLand

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 16, 2011
1,945
I can’t say I hate those lines.

That third line could be a lot of teams top line.

Monty is a mad scientist with this shit, but it looks shocking competent.
They really do look promising. And Marchy/Bergeron can still log pp & maybe pk time together.

Not sure about sitting Frederic. (Or still playing Forbort but…).
 

cshea

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
36,047
306, row 14
I would switch DeBrusk and Foligno just because 63-13-74 gives you so much speed and possession, but it's a minor quibble. I think you could basically do whatever you want with the top 9 aside from putting Foligno with Bergeron and it would look good.
71-18-74 has been really good. It's a small sample size but I think it's worth their while to keep them together. In about 25 regular and post season minutes with thoe 3 on the ice together:

Shots: 14-7 Boston
Scoring Chances: 18-9 Boston
High Danger Chances: 8-4 Boston
Expected Goals: 2.11-0.64 (77%)
Actual Goals: 5-1 Boston

I don't really love Foligno staying, I probably would've left Frederic there. He's been fine so far and he's more of a shooter than Foligno. The 3rd line of 63/13/17 features 3 guys who don't shoot a lot. Marchand has in the past so maybe this is a way to get him more aggressive in that area but Coyle and Foligno hardly every shoot the puck. The only regulars who shoot less are Krejci who doesn't shoot unless the net is wide open, Nosek who is burried with Dzone starts and Zacha who was trying to get the puck to Pastrnak the whole year.

Forbort is also a hill I will die on. He should not be playing.
 

durandal1707

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 18, 2007
6,131
As I posted earlier, Hall-Zacha-DeBrusk had an outstanding game on Sunday, albeit a very miniscule sample. To my eyes, it seems like a great line with outstanding speed across all three to hunt the puck, good possession skills, defensively responsible and DeBrusk is the type of guy who can finish the opportunities the other two create.

I wouldn't mind a 63-37-88 reunion, to be honest. I think it will allow Pasta to be more focused on shooting the puck, and not having to worry so much about his tendency to turn the puck over.

Bertuzzi and Coyle had good chemistry during the regular season. I'd prefer Frederic on the other wing there—I worry that the lack of skating ability between Bertuzzi and Foligno may be an issue there, but if Coyle is playing up to his abilities, he's probably the best to cover for them.

Fourth line has been doing exactly what it's supposed to do: take tough assignments to free up the other lines, and kill clock by suppressing opportunities and making the game a low-event slogfest.
 

cshea

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
36,047
306, row 14
In terms of the Pasta turnover thing...he's actually turning it over a lot less in the playoffs than in the regular season. 4.05 giveaways/60 in the regular season; 3.06 in the 4 playoff games so far.

Also I think it's a little overblown. The guys who are on the ice a lot and also have the puck a lot are the ones who turn it over the most. The top 10 of regular season turnover rate is a who's who of best players in the league. Malkin, Pasta, Panarin, Barzal, Draisaitl, Kucherov, Marchand, Marner, Jack Hughes, etc. Additionally, the Bruins are coached at times to try to make low percentage passes instead of the "safe" play because they would rather try to get it to a shooter in a spot where a shot would have a 15% chance of going in rather than safely moving the puck down the boards or taking a shot that has a less than 5% chance of going in. Essemtially they'd rather try to pass it to a high danger area, even if the odds of completing the pass are low, than take a no danger shot. Thus, more turnovers.

I do think that in Bergy and Krejci's absense Pasta has tried to fill more of a playmaking role which has made him look a bit off his game.
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
In terms of the Pasta turnover thing...he's actually turning it over a lot less in the playoffs than in the regular season. 4.05 giveaways/60 in the regular season; 3.06 in the 4 playoff games so far.

Also I think it's a little overblown. The guys who are on the ice a lot and also have the puck a lot are the ones who turn it over the most. The top 10 of regular season turnover rate is a who's who of best players in the league. Malkin, Pasta, Panarin, Barzal, Draisaitl, Kucherov, Marchand, Marner, Jack Hughes, etc. Additionally, the Bruins are coached at times to try to make low percentage passes instead of the "safe" play because they would rather try to get it to a shooter in a spot where a shot would have a 15% chance of going in rather than safely moving the puck down the boards or taking a shot that has a less than 5% chance of going in. Essemtially they'd rather try to pass it to a high danger area, even if the odds of completing the pass are low, than take a no danger shot. Thus, more turnovers.

I do think that in Bergy and Krejci's absense Pasta has tried to fill more of a playmaking role which has made him look a bit off his game.
I disagree, Pasta has really bad and boneheaded turnovers. It was pretty bad for a stretch in March, but agree he's been much better in the playoffs.
 

cshea

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
36,047
306, row 14
I disagree, Pasta has really bad and boneheaded turnovers. It was pretty bad for a stretch in March, but agree he's been much better in the playoffs.
I'm not saying he doesn't turn it over. He does. 2nd hightest turnover rate in the league. I'm just pointing out that this is what you get with high end elite offensive players. They have the puck alot and thus they turn it over a lot. That's reflected by the top 10 list.
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
I'm not saying he doesn't turn it over. He does. 2nd hightest turnover rate in the league. I'm just pointing out that this is what you get with high end elite offensive players. They have the puck alot and thus they turn it over a lot. That's reflected by the top 10 list.
Yeah I just don't think we should make excuses for it. He needs to be better. His turnover rate is unacceptable.
 

Red Right Ankle

Formerly the Story of Your Red Right Ankle
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
11,937
Multivac
I'm not saying he doesn't turn it over. He does. 2nd hightest turnover rate in the league. I'm just pointing out that this is what you get with high end elite offensive players. They have the puck alot and thus they turn it over a lot. That's reflected by the top 10 list.
Definitely true, but possibly incomplete, yeah? We don't have a metric for boneheadedness of turnovers yet.
 

Cotillion

New Member
Jun 11, 2019
4,926
I wouldn't mind the turnovers if they were being pressured by the D, but he's had a ton recently where it seems he just passes the puck to nowhere or directly into a Panther.
 

Red Right Ankle

Formerly the Story of Your Red Right Ankle
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
11,937
Multivac
Sort of like focusing on high danger chances/shots vs. net shot volume. Turning it over a bunch of times cycling down low is mostly harmless, passing it to the other team at their blue line is super dangerous.

In this particular case, it may not really matter - it's the playoffs, don't do stupid shit - but for a general evaluation of Pasta's play we'd want to know if Pasta has more of the dangerous kind of turnovers vs. his peer group?
 

Ed Hillel

Wants to be startin somethin
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2007
43,559
Here
Right now, Pasta is cherry picking a bit and receiving passes with little momentum and space. He’s at his best carrying it up in transition and making things happen alongside some of his brahs (See the Bruins 4th goal Sunday). That new line seems well suited for it, and hopefully pairing with those other 2 encourages a bit more backchecking.

He has a couple goals, but I think this series he’s been playing at about his personal C- level.
 

wiffleballhero

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 28, 2009
4,529
In the simulacrum
You have to have the puck on your stick to turn it over?

How important is GVA anyway?

IDK, team GVA seems like a less than revealing stat on its own and if that is the case, I guess I am not inclined to get too worried about Pasta or anyone else here.

https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/nhl-most-turnovers-2023-team

Notably, the top four teams (worst in this case) includes one of the worst teams in the league and three of the best. The bottom four (best) includes one 3 seed playoff team and three teams not still playing. one of the worst teams in the league and three of the best. (edit didn't read it correctly)
 
Last edited:

j44thor

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2006
10,961
I wonder if Monty is just mixing it up at practice. They had all those same players available for the stretch run and the lines were very consistent. I'll be shocked if he splits up Marsh and Bergeron, outside of the Sedin twins I can't think of a pair that has logged more time playing together.
 

cshea

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
36,047
306, row 14
Definitely true, but possibly incomplete, yeah? We don't have a metric for boneheadedness of turnovers yet.
We'd probably need to look at microstats that aren't really publicly available. They'd show where he is turning it over. It's one thing if it's lazy/sloppy passes around the permimeter, it's another if he's turning over low percentage passes to the slot/high danger areas. Ditto for trying to dance through a defender to get a breakaway/high danger chance or mindlessly doing it in the neutral zone. They'd also show the number of puck touches and percentage of completed plays and what not. That stuff is just not available publicly. Eye test picks up the bad stuff a lot more easily than the good. He could make 100 passes in a game and complete 98 but people will remember the 2 bad ones more than the 98 good ones. People seem to jump on Pastrnak for turnovers but nobody hays similar complatints about Marchand who turns it over at just about the same rate (4.06 for Pasta 3.73 for Brad).

Overall though, I think this is what you get with this type of player. 60 goal, 113 point players who also don't turn the puck over are basically unicorns. McDavid, Crosby are all up there in giveaways/60 among forwards.
 

Saints Rest

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
I wonder if Monty is just mixing it up at practice. They had all those same players available for the stretch run and the lines were very consistent. I'll be shocked if he splits up Marsh and Bergeron, outside of the Sedin twins I can't think of a pair that has logged more time playing together.
There has been a lot of talk in this forum about how Bertuzzi and Pasta need help defensively, so maybe Monty is thinking that putting the greatest defensive forward in NHL history between them will be the way to keep those two together without giving away the store at the other end.
 

PedroSpecialK

Comes at you like a tornado of hair and the NHL sa
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2004
27,164
Cambridge, MA
Guy is a fucking joke. Go on with your sub-.500 career coaching record

edit: lol "Maurice's 1,684 games coached are the fourth-most in NHL history. His 775 victories as an NHL head coach are the seventh-most all time"
 

wiffleballhero

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 28, 2009
4,529
In the simulacrum
It does seem like the Bruins are really in this guys head. Seems like such a petulant, loser type move when the competitive value of not being forthright is almost nothing.

Most of what it would seem to do is annoy the press who potentially -- if lucky! -- get to start end of season assessments and critiques in about 10 hours.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,057
Hingham, MA
It does seem like the Bruins are really in this guys head. Seems like such a petulant, loser type move when the competitive value of not being forthright is almost nothing.

Most of what it would seem to do is annoy the press who potentially -- if lucky! -- get to start end of season assessments and critiques in about 10 hours.
Eh I might have said the same about Berube
 

cshea

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
36,047
306, row 14
Guy is a fucking joke. Go on with your sub-.500 career coaching record

edit: lol "Maurice's 1,684 games coached are the fourth-most in NHL history. His 775 victories as an NHL head coach are the seventh-most all time"
I've never understood the NHL's fascination with Paul Maurice. He's been a head coach for 24 seasons and made the playoffs only 10 times, advancing past the first round 6 times. 3 of those happened more than 20 years ago. Yet, he never seems to last more than 5 minutes on the unemployment line.

Although I guess looking at his resume maybe he's just good a picking ownerships that don't fire coaches. He spent a lot of time with the Whalers/Hurricanes and they don't fire coaches often. Ditto the Winnipeg Jets (and he resigned as I recall). The only big market he's been in was Toronto and they canned him after 2 seasons.
 

Foxy42

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 1, 2002
3,654
nyc
Hoping for Swayman on Friday. Linus hasn’t looked like his regular season self and hasn’t played this consistently. Get the fresh goalie in and have a fresh Linus if needed for game 7.