Game 3 - Bruins vs Lightning

Red Averages

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Apr 20, 2003
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Frustrating given how game 1 went, but they are effectively where we expected them to be, prior to the series, heading into Game 4.

Win game 4 and this is anyone’s series.
 

RedOctober3829

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Jul 19, 2005
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I think it's pretty simple. Get a lead and then they can sit back a bit more to play a better brand of hockey. Defensively, it would make things easier and offensively they can play off of TB's aggressiveness and sneak out for odd man chances.
 

MiracleOfO2704

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Jul 12, 2005
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Analytics also give Benoit Pouliot a $20 million contract so I’m not ready to call them our overlords just yet.
It's like baseball's advanced statistics. If you don't use the whole dataset, you're going to miss something. Tonight's game is a great example of that. Even strength CF% favored the Bruins pretty heavily (57.1-42.9). However, the High-Danger Scoring Chances at even strength may tell the story better: 1st period, 7-0 Tampa, rest of game, 7-6 Bruins. In other words, even as the Bruins were tilting the ice with lots more shot attempts in the 2nd and 3rd, they were getting into prime scoring opportunities as often as Tampa.
 

RedOctober3829

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deep inside Guido territory
It's like baseball's advanced statistics. If you don't use the whole dataset, you're going to miss something. Tonight's game is a great example of that. Even strength CF% favored the Bruins pretty heavily (57.1-42.9). However, the High-Danger Scoring Chances at even strength may tell the story better: 1st period, 7-0 Tampa, rest of game, 7-6 Bruins. In other words, even as the Bruins were tilting the ice with lots more shot attempts in the 2nd and 3rd, they were getting into prime scoring opportunities as often as Tampa.
The high danger chances in the 1st were even worse. They were 10-1 Tampa. Boston D was hanging Rask out to dry on way too many occasions. They were lucky it wasn't 5-1 at the end of the period.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Aug 23, 2008
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Game 2 was the same way. Game 1 they were rusty after not playing for a week and it showed. Watch them defend and watch the Bruins defend. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think they have the talent on defense to win if Tampa plays well.
The one thing that gives me pause here is how many goals have been a direct or near-direct result of a braindead error rather than just straight up inadequacy. Maybe it’s a distinction without a difference, as they’ve also been pinned in the defensive zone with regularity in situations that haven’t always resulted in goals but certainly could have.

I do think they at least have the talent back there to be much better breaking out of the zone to (ideally) initiate offense than they have been. Some of it may be a matter of a game plan tweak, as they’ve looked unusually lost far too often just trying to string one pass together.

Chara looks to me like he does when he is playing hurt. An extra step slow, unusually weak on clearances, and shockingly unable to hold off forecheckers. Nobody’s at 100% at this point but I’d guess he’s farther away from it than most.
 

MiracleOfO2704

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That was all situations though. So the Bruins' lone high-danger chance in the first was on the power play. Also, there was no material change to the high-danger stats in the second and third. In other words, lots of possession, lots of shots after the first, but little threatening.
 

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
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Dec 2, 2006
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Tuukka's refugee camp
The one thing that gives me pause here is how many goals have been a direct or near-direct result of a braindead error rather than just straight up inadequacy. Maybe it’s a distinction without a difference, as they’ve also been pinned in the defensive zone with regularity in situations that haven’t always resulted in goals but certainly could have.

I do think they at least have the talent back there to be much better breaking out of the zone to (ideally) initiate offense than they have been. Some of it may be a matter of a game plan tweak, as they’ve looked unusually lost far too often just trying to string one pass together.

Chara looks to me like he does when he is playing hurt. An extra step slow, unusually weak on clearances, and shockingly unable to hold off forecheckers. Nobody’s at 100% at this point but I’d guess he’s farther away from it than most.
He was like that in Game 7. The comeback spared him from criticism for looking like a corpse and having a general inability to clear the puck out of the d zone.
 

gryoung

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TB is beating the crap out of the smaller defensemen (Krug/Grz) - plus, as has been noted, is being more physical overall. Seems like every play there’s some B’s player going down.

Big, fast, and executing their game plan - tough combination to beat.
 

tonyandpals

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Mar 18, 2004
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Thoughts the day after since I finished watching this AM.

Can't expect to beat a team as good as Tampa when you spot them two goals early.
Krug and Grz look over-matched. The Grz early blunder was atrocious...that just can't happen.
Man people love getting on Tuukka. My only issue with him is some of his decision making when playing the puck. Seems to put his guys in a tough spot with a pass along the boards at the knees when he could simply pull it off the boards and let them play it.
Do the Bruins win faceoffs clean out of the offensive end more than any other team? Frustrating when you finally get to stay in a draw and it splits the seam between the D.
PK was great, but they need to stay out of the box and start finding a rhythm and winning the 5/5 game.
Not happy with the zebras. What is a slash / high stick this series? Still, it's not on them.
Need a spark so I think we'll see Donato.
Pierre sucks.
Win game and make it a best of 3.
 

Dummy Hoy

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Jul 22, 2006
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Thoughts the day after since I finished watching this AM.

Can't expect to beat a team as good as Tampa when you spot them two goals early.
Krug and Grz look over-matched. The Grz early blunder was atrocious...that just can't happen.
Man people love getting on Tuukka. My only issue with him is some of his decision making when playing the puck. Seems to put his guys in a tough spot with a pass along the boards at the knees when he could simply pull it off the boards and let them play it.
Do the Bruins win faceoffs clean out of the offensive end more than any other team? Frustrating when you finally get to stay in a draw and it splits the seam between the D.
PK was great, but they need to stay out of the box and start finding a rhythm and winning the 5/5 game.
Not happy with the zebras. What is a slash / high stick this series? Still, it's not on them.
Need a spark so I think we'll see Donato.
Pierre sucks.
Win game and make it a best of 3.
 

edmunddantes

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Jul 28, 2015
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Yes... they need to do all that, but they also need some help from the refs. The refs aren't the cause, but they are also playing a big role in the team not being able to get into a rhythm.
 

Salem's Lot

Andy Moog! Andy God Damn Moog!
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Jul 15, 2005
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Yes... they need to do all that, but they also need some help from the refs. The refs aren't the cause, but they are also playing a big role in the team not being able to get into a rhythm.
They're also playing a big role in that one team is allowed to be more physical than the other.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Aug 23, 2008
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Just let the glorified rough-housing go for both teams, call the unmissable high sticks, blatantly dangerous illegal hits, and the procedure penalties like too many men, and otherwise stand aside and let the players play. It would be great.