6/7 Isles @ Boston

Over Guapo Grande

panty merchant
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Nothing fancy today for the thread title or theme of the post. No Hall puns. No innuendo. Just keep it simple, like the B's should do tonight. No blind behind the back passes in the D-zone. No dumb penalties.

Most of all...win.
 

Zososoxfan

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Create lots of chances, bury the good ones. These guys aren't that good. They're physical and cheapshotters--get an early lead and they won't know how to respond between whistles. OFC keep your head up after the whistles. LFG!!
 

Salem's Lot

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I really want to know what Cassidy thinks that Ritchie will bring to the lineup other than slowing his line down or taking stupid penalties.
 

PedroSpecialK

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Kuhlman for DeBrusk is brutal.
Yep. I don't have a lot of bones to pick with Bruce generally, but I can't help but feel he's letting a couple months of net front PP1 time for Ritchie early in the year count for a whole lot more than he should.
 

cshea

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Kuhlman's 1 game:

12:36 TOI, 46% attempts, 38% shots, 33% scoring chances, 29% xGF%, 1-2 in actual goals.

Small sample size caveats apply, but to me, this is making a change for the sake of making a change. I don't think it's going to make much of an impact. Charlie Coyle is the problem but they can't afford to take him out of the lineup. Moving around the wingers is just window dressing. I would've left all of the bottom 6 in but made some adjustments:

DeBrusk - Kuraly - Coyle
Ritchie - Lazar - Wagner

Kuraly - Coyle worked in a brief stint post deadline. I think that's more likely to produce a positive impact than taking out DeBrusk for Kuhlman. If it doesn't work, they can basically bench the 3rd line and go back to 52 - 20 - 14.

They really need goals. They scored 3 in Long Island in 6+ periods. They have 11 goals this series, 7 of which came from the top line/PP. The remaining 4 are McAvoy, Hall (ENG), Coyle, Smith. There really hasn't been much outside the top line here. If they *had* to make a change, I would've rather they went for the hail mary. Put in Studnicka and maybe this is when it clicks for him. He got some playoff experience in the bubble last year and got 20 games under his belt early in this season. They are envisioning him as a top-2 center and he's put up 56 points in 71 AHL games. It may be boom or bust with him, but at least there's some evidence he could help them score. I like Kuhlman's game but goal scoring is not his thing. He has 7 goals in 70 career NHL games, including post season. In all honesty though, I'd rather just bet that Jake will find the net at some point than anyone else.
 

RedOctober3829

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Kuhlman's 1 game:

12:36 TOI, 46% attempts, 38% shots, 33% scoring chances, 29% xGF%, 1-2 in actual goals.

Small sample size caveats apply, but to me, this is making a change for the sake of making a change. I don't think it's going to make much of an impact. Charlie Coyle is the problem but they can't afford to take him out of the lineup. Moving around the wingers is just window dressing. I would've left all of the bottom 6 in but made some adjustments:

DeBrusk - Kuraly - Coyle
Ritchie - Lazar - Wagner

Kuraly - Coyle worked in a brief stint post deadline. I think that's more likely to produce a positive impact than taking out DeBrusk for Kuhlman. If it doesn't work, they can basically bench the 3rd line and go back to 52 - 20 - 14.

They really need goals. They scored 3 in Long Island in 6+ periods. They have 11 goals this series, 7 of which came from the top line/PP. The remaining 4 are McAvoy, Hall (ENG), Coyle, Smith. There really hasn't been much outside the top line here. If they *had* to make a change, I would've rather they went for the hail mary. Put in Studnicka and maybe this is when it clicks for him. He got some playoff experience in the bubble last year and got 20 games under his belt early in this season. They are envisioning him as a top-2 center and he's put up 56 points in 71 AHL games. It may be boom or bust with him, but at least there's some evidence he could help them score. I like Kuhlman's game but goal scoring is not his thing. He has 7 goals in 70 career NHL games, including post season. In all honesty though, I'd rather just bet that Jake will find the net at some point than anyone else.
I don't think any changes to the bottom 6 would have a big impact on the series. As it always does, it will come down to how much scoring the top 2 lines give. If they're absent like they were Saturday night, nothing Bruce does to the bottom 6 will matter. I would say that the injuries to the defense is a bigger deal than what the Coyle or Lazar lines are giving. I don't think they really have anyone sitting out right now that could improve those lines anything more than a fraction. The game will come down to whether they can bury their chances and give the defense a bit of breathing room. That points to the Bergeron and the Krejci lines doing their job. I actually don't think Coyle has been bad this series.
 

IdiotKicker

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What is the deal with Coyle? He has moments like the goal in G2 where he looks like he should be able to do whatever he wants, and then it seems like games pass where you don't notice him and he just drifts. Is it just an effort thing or is something else going on there?
 

Jordu

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Cassidy after Game 4: ““On their two five on five goals, we had major D-zone break downs. One we had a D behind the net [that would be Lauzon]. On the other, the winger dives down on Barzal. He has to hold his position until the center arrives. That’s basic D-zone coverage.”

The winger was DeBrusk. I thought Kuhlman would replace Ritchie, who can’t process the speed of this series, but forgetting basic D-zone coverage in a tied playoff game — that’ll get you scratched by Cassidy and Sweeney.
 

cshea

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Coyle's been bad all year. No idea what happened or what the root issue is. He had a 45.71% xGF% in the regular season, lowest on the Bruins among forwards with at least 600 minutes of 5x5 ice time. He was outscored 26-19 in actual goals, a 42% GF%. His playoff xGF% has dropped even further, down to 42% and the Bruins have been outscored 8-5 with him on the ice.

Do whatever you want with the wingers, but that line will not be better until they figure out what's wrong with Coyle.
 

kenneycb

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Cassidy after Game 4: ““On their two five on five goals, we had major D-zone break downs. One we had a D behind the net [that would be Lauzon]. On the other, the winger dives down on Barzal. He has to hold his position until the center arrives. That’s basic D-zone coverage.”

The winger was DeBrusk. I thought Kuhlman would replace Ritchie, who can’t process the speed of this series, but forgetting basic D-zone coverage in a tied playoff game — that’ll get you scratched by Cassidy and Sweeney.
DeBrusk has had a few breakdowns as well that I've noticed. Haven't led to goals but on a PK he did a lazy turn instead of a hard stop when challenging a d-man that led to an open lane and a high chance opportunity. The other was on a rush where he was on his man but didn't pick him up, if that makes sense, where the puck got through only his man wasn't able to corral the pass. I'm sure there are more but he's been noticeably struggling in that aspect.
 

Jordu

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The reason we were able to get Coyle from Minnesota for Ryan Donato and a 5th is that Coyle had the same long stretches of mediocre play there.

Maybe that’s just who he is. For a big strong guy with good hands, he spends a lot of time on the perimeter.

Donato, by the way, spent two years in Minnesota before the Wild traded him to the Sharks for a 3rd round pick. Donato had 6 goals in 50 games this year for San Jose.
 

Mystic Merlin

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DeBrusk has had a few breakdowns as well that I've noticed. Haven't led to goals but on a PK he did a lazy turn instead of a hard stop when challenging a d-man that led to an open lane and a high chance opportunity. The other was on a rush where he was on his man but didn't pick him up, if that makes sense, where the puck got through only his man wasn't able to corral the pass. I'm sure there are more but he's been noticeably struggling in that aspect.
Im not as tuned into the finer points of play as the mainstays here, but that’s what I’ve perceived. He’s also gotten pushed off the puck a lot on the forecheck, it seems like every dump and chase ends in nothing with that line if DeBrusk has to gain possession.
 

Cotillion

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Additionally to everything noted above, stop trying to pass the puck cross ice through 2-3 islanders. It’s just not working. Particularly in the offensive zone.
 

durandal1707

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DeBrusk is sitting because of bad defensive play. Okay. Why is Coyle still out there at C after he took a front-row seat instead of defending Palmieri?
 

Zososoxfan

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Cassidy after Game 4: ““On their two five on five goals, we had major D-zone break downs. One we had a D behind the net [that would be Lauzon]. On the other, the winger dives down on Barzal. He has to hold his position until the center arrives. That’s basic D-zone coverage.”

The winger was DeBrusk. I thought Kuhlman would replace Ritchie, who can’t process the speed of this series, but forgetting basic D-zone coverage in a tied playoff game — that’ll get you scratched by Cassidy and Sweeney.
Thanks for posting this--very informative. Maybe the needed shakeup is JDB sitting, but I'd also be curious if people here thought that moving Coyle to wing is worth a shot. Just looking at position listings, if you really wanted to shake things up you could move Coyle to Krejci's RW and have Smith center a bottom 6 line. This is mostly mental floss to pass the time BTW.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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I think the thing with DeBrusk is that they feel like he is the most likely to come back from being benched and play like his hair is on fire at least for one game. So if you can get his current poor play out of the lineup for one game maybe you can come back and slide him in for Ritchie in the next game and reap the benefits, theoretically. It is a dicey proposition with such high stakes, and you are still stuck with Ritchie tonight, but I feel like that may be part of the calculus.
 

Salem's Lot

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Thanks for posting this--very informative. Maybe the needed shakeup is JDB sitting, but I'd also be curious if people here thought that moving Coyle to wing is worth a shot. Just looking at position listings, if you really wanted to shake things up you could move Coyle to Krejci's RW and have Smith center a bottom 6 line. This is mostly mental floss to pass the time BTW.
Smith has never played center for the Bruins. They’re not going to through him in that spot in the biggest game of the season so far.
 

cshea

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Another tactical change Bruce could try is not burying the 4th line. Maybe give 52 -20 - 14 the OZone draws he's been giving the Coyle line. Sean Kuraly has had 1 Ozone start all postseason. I get why they do it but it also means they will pretty much never score.

I don't want to subtract the 1st and 2nd line's Ozone starts but maybe bury the Coyle line for a bit and see if the Lazar line can pop one in if given a fighting chance.
 

veritas

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Do I think DeBrusk should be sitting? No. Do I think there's more than a negligible difference between him and most of the rest of the bottom 6? Also no.

DeBrusk is a decent player, but no one should lose any sleep over him getting scratched for a game.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Another tactical change Bruce could try is not burying the 4th line. Maybe give 52 -20 - 14 the OZone draws he's been giving the Coyle line. Sean Kuraly has had 1 Ozone start all postseason. I get why they do it but it also means they will pretty much never score.

I don't want to subtract the 1st and 2nd line's Ozone starts but maybe bury the Coyle line for a bit and see if the Lazar line can pop one in if given a fighting chance.
Maybe with last change they can be more selective with regards to D-zone draws for the Coyle line. I too am tired of white knuckling through their shifts that have represented many a wasted opportunity to set something up in the offensive zone.
 

The Napkin

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Another tactical change Bruce could try is not burying the 4th line. Maybe give 52 -20 - 14 the OZone draws he's been giving the Coyle line. Sean Kuraly has had 1 Ozone start all postseason. I get why they do it but it also means they will pretty much never score.

I don't want to subtract the 1st and 2nd line's Ozone starts but maybe bury the Coyle line for a bit and see if the Lazar line can pop one in if given a fighting chance.
It really is amazing to me. I'm pretty sure we've had this exact conversation before but Cassidy flat out said after last year that it wasn't fair to those guys and he needed to do a better job of getting them some O-zone starts. And yet here we are.
 

cshea

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It really is amazing to me. I'm pretty sure we've had this exact conversation before but Cassidy flat out said after last year that it wasn't fair to those guys and he needed to do a better job of getting them some O-zone starts. And yet here we are.
Both Cassidy and Sweeney said it. It was part of the explanation for letting Krug and Chara go. "I think we get too usage oriented" /paraphrasing

I understand why they do it. They want to put the 1st and 2nd line is the best position to score. Makes sense. God knows how much I couldn't stand when Clode sent Paille - Campbell - Thornton over the boards after an opponents icing with 5 minutes to go in a tie/down by a goal game. Drove me nuts. But it's OK to pick and choose a spots here and there where you give the 4th line an ozone draw. With the Coyle line struggling so badly with a 60% ozone start rate, why not see if the Lazar line could make something happen if given the opportunity?
 

Zososoxfan

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Smith has never played center for the Bruins. They’re not going to through him in that spot in the biggest game of the season so far.
Didn't realize that. I do think Coyle's been better than Ritchie and JDB in the playoffs and was just thinking he might be better on a wing and how Butch might facilitate that. More than Coyle or JDB though, Ritchie's looked like dogshit to me.

The bigger picture here is that the Bruins have won when they generate chances and they've lost when they're close to even.

Bruins listed first:
Game 1 (5-2) - 40-22
Game 2 (3-4) (OT) - 42-39
Game 3 (2-1) (OT) - 41-29
Game 4 (1-4) - 29-34

I'll leave it to others who know more to comment as to why the shots were so much better in G1 and G3. I wanted to look at HQ shots instead, but I couldn't find those stats.
 

Ale Xander

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There is NFW that Ritchie is one of their best 12 forwards. Regardless, let's score more than the other team and win.
 

54thMA

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Has anyone heard that Rask is out tonight.........It was reported by a DJ on 94.1 out of Providence, I haven't been able to confirm this from any other source, not sure who this guys source is, but he reported it earlier today, then just reported it again a short time ago.

Anyone?

I hope to God he's dead wrong.

Maybe he heard he did not participate in the morning skate and somehow interpreted that as him being out?

Please let that be the case.
 
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54thMA

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Probably not, actually. They’ld keep it tight lipped.

We’ll find out soon enough at warmups.
Ok, thanks..............no clue who this guys source was, apologies for throwing it out there, but he said it twice, glad he was wrong.

The boob.