37 replies to this topic

[Dummy Hoy]

The B's are the third best team in the East this season, right? Feel good about them against everyone but Pittsbugh and the Rags, right? I'm not saying the B's can't beat those teams, or that they can't lose to Ottawa, but that's about what we're looking at this year?

I'll take that, and enjoy the run, see where it goes.

[Titoschew]

I hope they win another Cup so the bedroom set I bought in November is free from Jordan's.

[MoGator71]

It's pretty clearly the 3 Patrick Division teams and the B's, in some order. The Bruins are pretty fortunate in that one of the Flyers/Pens will be out in the first round, and if Florida can manage to knock off Jersey then another of the Pitt/Phi/NYR group gets knocked out in the 2nd. You guys should all be huge fans of Kevin Dineen's cats, at least for 1 round anyway.

[RedOctober3829]

Fuck that. If Timmy is Playoff Timmy then we r best in the East. Nothing much else needs tO be said.

[TheShynessClinic]

As a fan, I'm not afraid of Pittsburgh. Especially if they continue to suffer injuries (Letang is constantly in and out of the lineup, Crosby is one hit away from hanging out with the Meesta Meesta lady). Their performance over the last 5-6 games has been incredibly uninspiring, MAF isn't in god mode lately..I just feel like the Bruins could out muscle them in a 6 or 7 game series.

NYR's scare the shit out of me.

If Bryz doesn't come back, Philly is a non-contender. But if he comes back and plays like he did before the injury, they'll be a tough match for the B's,

I'd put the Bruins at #2 right now.

[The Four Peters]

I think the Bruins - Rangers would be an epic ECF. The Rangers would have to be the favorites, but it would be good old time hockey without a lot of the cheap/diving/histrionics we've seen with the Montreals and Vancouvers of the world. I'd be more than happy with that as an ECF and think the Bruins would have a reasonable shot.

Philly really doesn't scare me at all. Thimas owns them for some reason, and Bryzgalov or Bobrovsky are beatable, especially with Bryz hurt. Philly lives off being tougher and chippier than the opponent, but the Bruins can match up perfectly with that and manage to score with them. I'd be happy to face Philly (although it certainly wouldn't be a cakewalk like last year).

Pittsburgh is obviously very good and certainly a team to be worried about, but I think the B's can keep up with them. MAF has been human, Chara has been able to shut down Malkin before, and their defensemen really seem susceptible, especially if Letang keeps getting hurt. I'd put that series at about 50/50 to be honest.

Of them all, I'd rank the Bruins chances of winning as such:

vs. NYR - 40%
vs. Pitt - 50%
vs Phi - 60%

These are not exact calculations.

[jacklamabe65]

They out Rangered the Rangers last night. It can be done.

[FL4WL3SS]

So, the Bruins are locked into #2 seed, do they rest guys the last week of the season?

I think it would be a mistake to take the foot off the gas and want them to try and win the last 3 games and pick up the intensity as if it's a playoff game.

[redsoxcentury]

So, the Bruins are locked into #2 seed, do they rest guys the last week of the season?

I think it would be a mistake to take the foot off the gas and want them to try and win the last 3 games and pick up the intensity as if it's a playoff game.

Well at the very least they can give Thomas a couple games off. Maybe cut down on the minutes of some players too. other than that, they should be fine for the playoffs

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

They need to give Thomas some rest. I don't know where Rask stands in terms of rehabbing his injury, but I'd be in favor of getting Rask or Khudobin a game now because one of those guys has to be the playoff backup and neither has played at the NHL level in a while.

[AMcGhie]

I'd like to see the Bruins treat it like the 8-0 destruction of Tortonto on Mar 19:
http://espn.go.com/n...ameId=400047742
Every Dman played between 18 and 22 minutes, this keeps them fresh while not over-working them.
The 4th line got about 18 minutes, while all the other lines were just under 15 (with variances to appropriate people for PP/PK time).

Basically, give everyone some minutes, keep everyone fresh, but don't overly exert to win games, and definitely give Timmy 2 of the next 3 off.

[j44thor]

So, the Bruins are locked into #2 seed, do they rest guys the last week of the season?

I think it would be a mistake to take the foot off the gas and want them to try and win the last 3 games and pick up the intensity as if it's a playoff game.

I'd rather a healthy B's team that selectively rests guys like they did last year than going all out the last 3 games.
You can't duplicate playoff hockey in meaningless April games. Especially when the teams you are still playing (PIT/BUF) have a lot to play for. This isn't a young team with no playoff experience, I'm sure they will be ready to go come April 12th.

Obviously you don't go into games expecting to lose but I would be all for giving Bergeron and Chara a game off during the final stretch just like they did last year. I would also roll all the lines as equally as possible. They need to figure out who the healthy scratches are going to be in the playoffs so a little competition the last few games in the bottom 6/bottom 2 would be good.

[RedOctober3829]

Fuck that. If Timmy is Playoff Timmy then we r best in the East. Nothing much else needs tO be said.

Drunken post or not, this statement is true. If Thomas plays like he did last night, there isn't a team in the NHL the Bruins can't beat in a 7-game series.

[FL4WL3SS]

Except Lundqvist is better and the Bruins can't solve him 99% of the time. I don't care how good Timmy is, if they play NYR and Lundqvist is on, the Bruins are in trouble.

[RedOctober3829]

Except Lundqvist is better and the Bruins can't solve him 99% of the time. I don't care how good Timmy is, if they play NYR and Lundqvist is on, the Bruins are in trouble.

I don't care how well Lundqvist has played in the regular season this year. He has a 15-20 career postseason record with a very pedestrian 2.60 GAA. Until he plays at his current level in the playoffs, I'll take my chances with Tim Thomas.

[jmm57]

Yea, over the past 5 seasons Thomas has been better in the regular season and much better in the playoffs. If you want to say Lundqvist has had the better '11-'12 season I won't disagree, but to say he is the better goalie seems premature.

The Rangers might be the closest to having an advantage over the Bruins in net, but I will take my chances with Timmy.

Edited by jmm57, 02 April 2012 - 12:47 PM.

[FL4WL3SS]

I get what you're saying, but I think you're being a little blind. We've seen Thomas can carry a team to a Cup, but he's not the only goalie that can do that.

[ForceAtHome]

I don't care how well Lundqvist has played in the regular season this year. He has a 15-20 career postseason record with a very pedestrian 2.60 GAA. Until he plays at his current level in the playoffs, I'll take my chances with Tim Thomas.

His postseason numbers are not dazzling but they are also misleading. The Rangers have never been nearly as good since he's been there. He's made the playoffs five times with the following seeds: 8th, 7th, 5th, 6th, 6th. His team has never been good enough to even have home ice, let alone be the #1 seed.

Also, if you remove his wretched rookie season playoff performance (0-3, 4.41 GAA, .835 SV%), his postseason numbers improve to a very solid 2.44 GAA and .915 SV%. Lundqvist isn't necessarily a proven postseason commodity yet, but he hasn't exactly been given the best shot until now, either. I'd withhold judgment until after this season.

[TheStoryofYourRedRightAnkle]

Plus his career line versus the Bruins is actually better than Thomas's stellar playoff line from last year: .947/1.53 vs. .940/1.98. Basically, the Bruins make Lundqvist look like the Tim Thomas that carried his team to a Stanley Cup. That is a match-up I would prefer to avoid as it's the closest to an even match in all 3 zones as the Bs are likely to get coming out of the East.

[Greg29fan]

I don't think there's going to be an easy out in the East frankly. Whoever makes it between Buffalo and Washington have been very hot lately and Washington is getting healthy at the right time. The Sens and Pens have both been streaky, but if they hit on a good streak during the playoffs, they could both go on a big run. The Flyers have a load of talent, but the same old goaltending questions. The Devils are in the same boat, but Brodeur has won multiple Cups and can maybe pull out one more run. The Rangers and Bruins both play great defense and the Bruins are the champs until you take them out. Florida also is stout defensively and have a lot of guys with playoff experience from Chicago.

Edited by Greg29fan, 02 April 2012 - 01:26 PM.

[ForceAtHome]

Yea, over the past 5 seasons Thomas has been better in the regular season and much better in the playoffs. If you want to say Lundqvist has had the better '11-'12 season I won't disagree, but to say he is the better goalie seems premature.

The Rangers might be the closest to having an advantage over the Bruins in net, but I will take my chances with Timmy.

In terms of who has been better in in each regular season since Lundqvist entered the league, I'd give him the edge over Thomas in every season except those in which Thomas has claimed the Vezina.

2011-12: Lundqvist
2010-11: Thomas
2009-10: Lundqvist
2008-09: Thomas
2007-08: Lundqvist (close, but Hank gets the edge to volume)
2006-07: Lundqvist
2005-06: Lundqvist

Lundqvist's workload has always been huge, too. He's started "just" 60 games this year, which is still 11th in the league. He's likely to end this season with 61 or 62 starts. FWIW, Thomas once started 62 games in a season and had a 3.13 GAA and .905 SV%. Lundqvist's games by season from his rookie year until present have been as follows (bolded indicates went to playoffs): 53, 70, 72, 70,73, 68, 60. For once, Hank is entering the playoffs with a bit of rest. Biron has 8 post-ASB starts this year compared to just 2 last year, and that number is likely to rise.

[kenneycb]

Nitpick, but Lundqvist has been with the Rags since 2005 but has been a pro since 2000.

[j44thor]

Outside of the top 2 spots, the 6th seed is really where you want to be in each conference.

[ForceAtHome]

Nitpick, but Lundqvist has been with the Rags since 2005 but has been a pro since 2000.

Honest question: did I state otherwise anywhere? I know I referred to him as a rookie, but that's pretty much the standard. Ovechkin and Malkin, both of whom played pro hockey prior to coming to the NHL, won Rookie of the Year honors.

[RedOctober3829]

His postseason numbers are not dazzling but they are also misleading. The Rangers have never been nearly as good since he's been there. He's made the playoffs five times with the following seeds: 8th, 7th, 5th, 6th, 6th. His team has never been good enough to even have home ice, let alone be the #1 seed.

Also, if you remove his wretched rookie season playoff performance (0-3, 4.41 GAA, .835 SV%), his postseason numbers improve to a very solid 2.44 GAA and .915 SV%. Lundqvist isn't necessarily a proven postseason commodity yet, but he hasn't exactly been given the best shot until now, either. I'd withhold judgment until after this season.

Sure, let's remove everybody's worst performances and they would look good. I'm in no way knocking Henrik because he's playing his best hockey of his career this season, but thinking that the Bruins are in trouble just because they've struggled against the Rangers in the regular season is misguided.

Your point in another post about Biron playing well is spot on. I've watched the Rangers all season and Biron's improved play has afforded Tortorella to give Lundqvist more rest.

[kenneycb]

Honest question: did I state otherwise anywhere? I know I referred to him as a rookie, but that's pretty much the standard. Ovechkin and Malkin, both of whom played pro hockey prior to coming to the NHL, won Rookie of the Year honors.

Looks like I misread the 11th in the league part. Poor reading comprehension on my end. Forget about me once again.

Edited by kenneycb, 02 April 2012 - 01:37 PM.

[j44thor]

Florida also is stout defensively and have a lot of guys with playoff experience from Chicago.

FL is a -24 on the season, only 7 teams are worse and none of those are sniffing the playoffs. FL is arguably the luckiest team to make the playoffs in quite some time.

Post lockout the worst goal differential is currently 09-10 OTT at -13.

[ForceAtHome]

Sure, let's remove everybody's worst performances and they would look good. I'm in no way knocking Henrik because he's playing his best hockey of his career this season, but thinking that the Bruins are in trouble just because they've struggled against the Rangers in the regular season is misguided.

Your point in another post about Biron playing well is spot on. I've watched the Rangers all season and Biron's improved play has afforded Tortorella to give Lundqvist more rest.

Really? You don't see the validity of removing an obvious outlier to get a clearer picture of Lundqvist's talent? Look at his career numbers in the regular season and playoffs and find anything remotely similar to 4.41 GAA/.835 SV%. Is it possible that it's an outlier that doesn't hold much predictive value going forward? Especially when you consider he was a rookie playing in the playoffs for the first time? Heck, the Rangers started Kevin Weekes in game 2 of that series (he did no better). Lundqvist then wasn't remotely the guy he is now.

[FL4WL3SS]

Sure, let's remove everybody's worst performances and they would look good. I'm in no way knocking Henrik because he's playing his best hockey of his career this season, but thinking that the Bruins are in trouble just because they've struggled against the Rangers in the regular season is misguided.

Your point in another post about Biron playing well is spot on. I've watched the Rangers all season and Biron's improved play has afforded Tortorella to give Lundqvist more rest.

Well, it's not just because they've struggled against him (not what I said) - It's because they've struggled against him and he's a really good goalie (what I did say). He's a better goalie than Thomas, bottom line.

Your suggestion that the Bruins will win the Cup if Thomas gets hot is misguided because there are other goalies that can get just as hot. This isn't any knock on Thomas, I'd ride his coattails as long as possible, he's proven he can do it and when he's on he's nearly unbeatable, but I'd take a red hot Lundqvist over a red hot Thomas at this point in time.

Edited by FL4WL3SS, 02 April 2012 - 01:58 PM.

[ForceAtHome]

FL is a -24 on the season, only 7 teams are worse and none of those are sniffing the playoffs. FL is arguably the luckiest team to make the playoffs in quite some time.

Post lockout the worst goal differential is currently 09-10 OTT at -13.

Florida is definitely lucky to be in the Southeast this year, the weakest division in hockey right now. I was curious how the Panthers have managed to be where they are with a -24 goal differential and more losses (including OTL) than wins.

Overall, Florida's record is 37-25-17. However, the Panthers have been in a shocking 17 shootouts, winning 6 and losing 11. If you remove shootouts from the equation (as they are in the playoffs), the Panthers are 31-25-6, meaning that they have 31 wins and 31 losses. If you remove shootouts, they goal differential also drops to -19.

Florida Panthers Games by Goal Differential

Goal Diff	# of Wins	# of Losses
0 (SO)	6	11
1	11	11
2	13	5
3	4	8
4	2	3
5	0	2
6	1	0
7	0	1
8	0	1

They have been 11-11 in one-goal not shootout games. However, the real difference is just that they rarely win big and have had a few ugly losses. They only have won one game all season by more than 4 goals (6 goal win). However, they have lost four games by more than 4 goals. The goal differential on those four blowout losses alone is -25. The Panthers appear to be a surprisingly competitive team in 1 and 2 goal games, but rarely have the firepower to blow teams out (the Panthers are second to last in the East in goals scored). Removing shootouts from the equation in the playoffs and knowing that a 6-0 loss counts the same as a 2-1 win, the Panthers aren't quite cooked meat in the playoffs, although they won't be favorites. Being 24-16 in one and two goal games has to help, though.

Florida has definitely been lucky this season, but in some ways they've been unlucky. With a .500 record in shootouts, they'd have 96 points and be seriously contending for the 2 seed.

Edited by ForceAtHome, 02 April 2012 - 02:20 PM.

[Greg29fan]

All I said was the Panthers are stout defensively - they've allowed the fifth fewest goals in the East with 217, trailing the Rangers, Bruins, Devils, and Penguins. They are the worst team in the East in numbers of goals scored, though, which makes their goals for/goals against differential look bad. In the playoffs, though, with the way the officials have been loathe to call obstruction penalties and with how tight-checking I think they'll be, that may not matter much.

Edited by Greg29fan, 02 April 2012 - 03:41 PM.

[Dummy Hoy]

I would like to note that at the time I started this thread, it was not apparent that Bryz would be ready to go.

Philly with goaltending is scary.

[SoxFanInCali]

I would like to note that at the time I started this thread, it was not apparent that Bryz would be ready to go.

Philly with goaltending is scary.

They've given up 8 goals in 2 games.

[kenneycb]

Yeah Timmonen is nice but he's not a 1. Nor is GrossmanN. Pronger would put that team over the top but he's currently discovering what karma tastes like.

Love you Mo.

Edited by kenneycb, 14 April 2012 - 01:51 AM.

[Dummy Hoy]

They've given up 8 goals in 2 games.

I've watched the games too, thanks.

If you're telling me that Bryz's performance in the first two games doesn't make you a little more worried about Philadelphia's ability to win the Cup, I don't know what to tell you.

[TheShynessClinic]

I've watched the games too, thanks.

If you're telling me that Bryz's performance in the first two games doesn't make you a little more worried about Philadelphia's ability to win the Cup, I don't know what to tell you.

Any team that puts an effort into playing defense would be easily handling these two clown teams right now.

edit: Also - we'd be all over Thomas if he let up that weak backhand goal to Kennedy. That was awful.

Edited by TheShynessClinic, 14 April 2012 - 07:40 AM.

[SoxFanInCali]

I've watched the games too, thanks.

If you're telling me that Bryz's performance in the first two games doesn't make you a little more worried about Philadelphia's ability to win the Cup, I don't know what to tell you.

If their defense is bad enough for him to play that well and still give up 8 goals, then no, I'm not any more worried.

[Dummy Hoy]

If their defense is bad enough for him to play that well and still give up 8 goals, then no, I'm not any more worried.

I'll ask for forgiveness here. I was focusing more on the fact the Bryz was making big saves at key times, rather than on the fact that he's been a shitty goalie the rest of the time.

Philly is still a dangerous team, but you're right- that's been some putrid defense.