Penalty kill...

[Eddie Jurak]

The Bruins have allowed 15 shorthanded goals through 13 games. Here is a look at our penalty killing defensemen with ice time and goals against:

1. Zdeno Chara: 10 goals against in 40:09
2. Kevan Miller: 9 goals against in 43:45
3. Adam McQuaid: 6 goals against in 29:19
4. Joe Morrow: 3 goals against in 10:55
5. Torey Krug: 1 goal against in 18:54
6. Tommy Cross: 1 goal against in 11:09
7. Matt Irwin: 0 goals against in 2:15
8. Zach Trotman: 0 goals against in 1:01
9. Colin Miller: 0 goals against in 0:11

The Bruins have been shortanded for just under 79 minutes, and the top 4 PK offenders have nearly 80% of their shorthanded ice time.

I thnk Chara's days of being a one-man defense pair are behind him. Saddle him with guys who can't do the job (KMiller, and to a lesser extent McQuaid) and the result is an awful PK.

Solve the problem by using Krug/Chara more, giving Trotman a look, and even think about bringing Cross back.

 

[RIFan]

Pairing Chara and Miller is a disaster. It's too immobile of a pair to defend against the way most PP are run today. They need a D that has enough quickness to at least put token pressure in the corners and disrupt the cycle. They need to coach up Morrow and get C Miller a chance on PK. I want to avoid Krug on the PK to keep his minutes from getting too high, but it's obvious that they are going to have to spot him out there especially against some of the quicker teams.

 

[The Long Tater]

Good data and table. The situation is really, really bad. Chara is just not what he was. Not even close.

 

[lexrageorge]

Unfortunately, the sample sizes are still small, so it's not possible to discern the optimal PK unit from the table. Chara, Miller, McQuaid, and Morrow all seem to be allowing goals at the same rate, and the Krug/Morrow disparity could be due to the sample size.

The D was known to be a weakness of this team going in, and there are unlikely to be any quick fixes. The Boychuck trade was extremely costly on a number of fronts.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Boychuck wouldn't be here anyways this season.

I think you're right about the SSS, but I am inclined to agree that Chara losing a step from elite to pretty good has forced the onus on the others to step up, and they might not have the talent to do so.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Unfortunately, the sample sizes are still small, so it's not possible to discern the optimal PK unit from the table. Chara, Miller, McQuaid, and Morrow all seem to be allowing goals at the same rate, and the Krug/Morrow disparity could be due to the sample size.

The D was known to be a weakness of this team going in, and there are unlikely to be any quick fixes. The Boychuck trade was extremely costly on a number of fronts.

Well, I'm with you on the idea that there is nothng definitive here. But if we're looking for PK problems, I think "who has been on the ice when all of these goals have been going in" is one place to start.

 

[cshea]

From an X's and O's standpoint, I think the penalty kill needs to be more aggressive. Pressure the puck some, especially when it's up at the points. From my untrained eye, they seem to be too focus on staying in the box that they're giving the puck carrier all day to make a decision. They can wait all day for the passing lanes and shooting lanes to open up. I'd rather the B's pressure the puck and force the opposition to react quicker. That could lead to mistakes and opportunities to clear.

 

[lexrageorge]

Well, I'm with you on the idea that there is nothng definitive here. But if we're looking for PK problems, I think "who has been on the ice when all of these goals have been going in" is one place to start.

And with the sole exception of Krug, the goals allowed are proportional to the ice time. Basically, they all suck.

 

[Dummy Hoy]

From an X's and O's standpoint, I think the penalty kill needs to be more aggressive. Pressure the puck some, especially when it's up at the points. From my untrained eye, they seem to be too focus on staying in the box that they're giving the puck carrier all day to make a decision. They can wait all day for the passing lanes and shooting lanes to open up. I'd rather the B's pressure the puck and force the opposition to react quicker. That could lead to mistakes and opportunities to clear.

Do they have the parts on D to do this? I don't want to see McQuaid lumbering out after some team's talented playmaker.