6/9–Bruins at Islanders Game 6–Not Done Yet

scottyno

late Bloomer
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Dec 7, 2008
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Second guessing obviously, but does anyone think if Halak was the active backup all playoffs instead of Swayman he would have seen a lot more time in games 5 and 6? Much easier to go to the backup when they aren't a rookie with 10 total games played.
 

MiracleOfO2704

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Jul 12, 2005
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Second guessing obviously, but does anyone think if Halak was the active backup all playoffs instead of Swayman he would have seen a lot more time in games 5 and 6? Much easier to go to the backup when they aren't a rookie with 10 total games played.
The fact that Halak was healthy and didn't dress anyway should put paid to that. They thought Swayman was better than Halak. I don't think 41 dressing changes Games 5 and 6.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Second guessing obviously, but does anyone think if Halak was the active backup all playoffs instead of Swayman he would have seen a lot more time in games 5 and 6? Much easier to go to the backup when they aren't a rookie with 10 total games played.
Halak stunk this year, stunk in last years playoffs and is on his way out the door.

so no
 

Ferm Sheller

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Mar 5, 2007
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Second guessing obviously, but does anyone think if Halak was the active backup all playoffs instead of Swayman he would have seen a lot more time in games 5 and 6? Much easier to go to the backup when they aren't a rookie with 10 total games played.
This makes no sense. They dressed a back-up they were hesitant to play over a guy they'd be more likely to play?
 

Steve Dillard

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Oct 7, 2003
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The other way hasn’t worked so may as well try something different.
What's the other way? Drafting skill guys like Seguin, Kessel and Hamilton but having old school guys like Neely decree them too soft so we trade them for grinders for the playoffs, and sign dirty grinders like Backes, and draft plugs like Frederick? And then it turns out playoffs require some skill, and even soft guys like Pasternak can score, while plugs can't?

Maybe try something different and fire Neely and his blockhead mentality, and get a team going for speed? Like Tampa drafting Point, and free agent speed guys like Johnson?
 

scottyno

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Dec 7, 2008
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This makes no sense. They dressed a back-up they were hesitant to play over a guy they'd be more likely to play?
Well they went with the guy who didn't look close to healthy over the backup that had looked great in limited play this year for some reason. Presumably, a large part of that reason is that Swayman had never started a playoff game and only started 10 games total, which you can't say about Halak.
 

jk333

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You guys yearning for the Bruins to go get some bangers are ignoring the 15 year pattern of the Bruins getting called for more penalties than their opponents.

You can’t go out and hit guys if you know the game will be called biased against you.
If you keep hitting, they’ll stop calling them eventually. The Blues series showed that.

The bottom 6 just provided absolutely nothing from skill to grit to even speed. The D is young and was hurt.

2015 draft is a disaster but not sure there are other big draft issues.
 

Salem's Lot

Andy Moog! Andy God Damn Moog!
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Jul 15, 2005
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I look at that 2015 draft board and get sick to my stomach.
They had 6 picks in the first 52, including 13,14, and 15 overall, and all they came away with was 1 second pair defenseman that can’t stay healthy, 2 borderline NHL defenseman, a winger who had one good year, and now isn’t good enough to see the ice in the playoffs, and 2 complete busts. Everyone involved in that draft should be gone immediately.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Well they went with the guy who didn't look close to healthy over the backup that had looked great in limited play this year for some reason. Presumably, a large part of that reason is that Swayman had never started a playoff game and only started 10 games total, which you can't say about Halak.
Yes, but Halak stunk this year.
 

Jordu

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Cassidy didn’t get out-coached. Trotz’s players played their system well and executed their game plans. Cassidy’s didn’t. And once Carlo was out, Trotz had the superior D corps.
 

monty10

New Member
Nov 16, 2006
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Red Mentions the series changed on the Carlo hit. I believe this to be true. Changed all the match ups. Exposed the bottom line defensemen. The Bruins do need to draft better. But the injury luck just has been a nightmare. Never seem to make it to the playoffs with a full roster. Carlo and Rick Nash. If I remember correctly Carlo has been concussed in twice? Or just before playoffs. Concussed should not be used as another name for injury prone .NBC slipped that one in League/Players Union must step up and do more to Having players of that caliber out of the any game/series are changers.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Aug 23, 2008
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I love David Krejci. Love him. But he is 34 and can’t manipulate time and space like he used to. I know there is the question of who you replace him with, and if you get him on a 1 year bridge contract then whatever, but the big thing they have going for them outside the top line is pretty good cap flexibility. They have to figure out how to maximize that any way they can. I personally don’t think bringing back mid-30s Rask and Krejci for real money are a starting point for making that happen.
 

MiracleOfO2704

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Well they went with the guy who didn't look close to healthy over the backup that had looked great in limited play this year for some reason. Presumably, a large part of that reason is that Swayman had never started a playoff game and only started 10 games total, which you can't say about Halak.
If they thought that valuable, they would've dressed Halak tonight, knowing that Rask was functioning on one leg. They stuck with Swayman.
 

jk333

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Feb 26, 2009
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Chasing physicality will only make them worse.
It definitely did not work with Ritchie.

They need to rework their role players though. Ritchie and Kuraly need to be re-evaluated and they need to assess where Wagner fits overall.

Some general thoughts:
I’d like to see Frederic in the bottom 6 regularly.

Studnicka looks better at center. So does Coyle though he can be an ok wing.

Hall doesn’t shoot so much, pair him with Pasta to even scoring?
 
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lexrageorge

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Jul 31, 2007
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They had 6 picks in the first 52, including 13,14, and 15 overall, and all they came away with was 1 second pair defenseman that can’t stay healthy, 2 borderline NHL defenseman, a winger who had one good year, and now isn’t good enough to see the ice in the playoffs, and 2 complete busts. Everyone involved in that draft should be gone immediately.
Hard to criticize Sweeney for drafting Carlo; there's no way to predict he's going to be targeted at the head and get concussed every playoffs. He's great value for where he was drafted. And it's too early to call Vladar a bust. But the rest of that draft is a huge missed opportunity.
 

8slim

has trust issues
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Injuries clearly hurt the Bs immensely, but the Islanders have been without Lee for months as well. Didn’t their O fall apart after he got hurt? Somehow they recovered.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Agreed. The NHL does not reward slow skating teams in the playoffs, no matter how much "grit" they supposedly have.
There are guys who can skate relatively well and relatively fast and hit people hard. Plenty of Islanders seemed to have no problem connecting with our guys on a regular basis.

It doesn’t require an identity change. It just requires having your big players able to handle and dish out some physicality. Speed and grit aren’t mutually exclusive.
 

Salem's Lot

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Hard to criticize Sweeney for drafting Carlo; there's no way to predict he's going to be targeted at the head and get concussed every playoffs. He's great value for where he was drafted. And it's too early to call Vladar a bust. But the rest of that draft is a huge missed opportunity.
I was referring to Senyshyn & Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson as busts. And Carlo was the only pick that keeps those first 2 rounds from being a total shit show.
 

monty10

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Nov 16, 2006
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Hard to criticize Sweeney for drafting Carlo; there's no way to predict he's going to be targeted at the head and get concussed every playoffs. He's great value for where he was drafted. And it's too early to call Vladar a bust. But the rest of that draft is a huge missed opportunity.
Never meant to say the Carlo pick was wrong. Really some bad luck. Injury wise. When on ice a total game changer. At least from my watching. Some other picks I shall leave to the rest.
 

lexrageorge

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I was referring to Senyshyn & Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson as busts. And Carlo was the only pick that keeps those first 2 rounds from being a total shit show.
I can forgive the JFK pick if for no other reason that 2nd rounders are always a crapshoot; plenty of 45th picks amount to nothing. However, we're in violent agreement that Sweeney totally fucked up the opportunity of having those 3 consecutive first round picks. He picked 2 of the worst players of the round, and another who's just been a disappointment given his draft slot. And that is not just hindsight; the consensus at the time was that those 3 players were all drafted higher than they should have been, and in Senyshyn's case far higher.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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I was referring to Senyshyn & Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson as busts. And Carlo was the only pick that keeps those first 2 rounds from being a total shit show.
Bruins have a Cup win or at the very least are set up much better if Sweeney loses his phone connection on draft night and the TSN Big Board autodrafts for us. Amazing.
 

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
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Dec 2, 2006
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What's the other way? Drafting skill guys like Seguin, Kessel and Hamilton but having old school guys like Neely decree them too soft so we trade them for grinders for the playoffs, and sign dirty grinders like Backes, and draft plugs like Frederick? And then it turns out playoffs require some skill, and even soft guys like Pasternak can score, while plugs can't?

Maybe try something different and fire Neely and his blockhead mentality, and get a team going for speed? Like Tampa drafting Point, and free agent speed guys like Johnson?
You think the Bruins are a blockhead team? The issue is their end of the roster guys have no speed, skill, nor grit. I think a combo of grit and skill is the easiest to find on the cheap. Speed and grit probably next easiest. The fourth line worked pretty well for the Islanders. The Bruins fourth line does some of those things but none well enough. Of course you draft Point and Johnson but that doesn’t really solve their bottom six issue. It’s a balancing act, not an either or.
 

kenneycb

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Red Mentions the series changed on the Carlo hit. I believe this to be true. Changed all the match ups. Exposed the bottom line defensemen. The Bruins do need to draft better. But the injury luck just has been a nightmare. Never seem to make it to the playoffs with a full roster. Carlo and Rick Nash. If I remember correctly Carlo has been concussed in twice? Or just before playoffs. Concussed should not be used as another name for injury prone .NBC slipped that one in League/Players Union must step up and do more to Having players of that caliber out of the any game/series are changers.
Guys can out themselves in vulnerable positions that make them more prone to get injured. Carlo didn’t take a great angle to the puck and left him more susceptible to bad things happening than being snug against the boards. Like goals, you can “make” you own bad luck.
 

Cotillion

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Jun 11, 2019
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They need to institute a 100K fine for every between your legs no look pass in your own D-zone that goes to no one or the other team...
 

lexrageorge

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What's the other way? Drafting skill guys like Seguin, Kessel and Hamilton but having old school guys like Neely decree them too soft so we trade them for grinders for the playoffs, and sign dirty grinders like Backes, and draft plugs like Frederick? And then it turns out playoffs require some skill, and even soft guys like Pasternak can score, while plugs can't?

Maybe try something different and fire Neely and his blockhead mentality, and get a team going for speed? Like Tampa drafting Point, and free agent speed guys like Johnson?
Neely wasn't running hockey ops when Kessel was traded, and it was due to a cap crunch of Chiarelli's making. They at least got Seguin and Hamilton out of it. Hamilton's issue was more contractural than Neely wanting him moved. Jim Benning pushed Seguin out the door, and Chia was the one that blew the trade (other teams were willing to offer more).
 

Strike4

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Jul 19, 2005
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I just fucking hate the fact that the season is over.
Also out of all the local teams it looked like the Bruins were really going to be a bright spot in terms of competing and expectations. They made moves that positioned them for the playoffs and after the Caps series and the first two games against the Isles, it really looked like they had that playoff hockey magic that settles on a few teams every year. They weren't the most talented or toughest or had the best goalie but they executed really well. A friend who is not a Bruins fan said "they are a joy to watch". Wheels came off pretty quickly.
 

Norm Siebern

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I agree with those who point to the Carlo takeout as the turning point of the series. I'll go one step further and say it was intended. The Isles are a dirty team that targeted Bruins D up to and including the elbow to the face of McAvoy last night. A high elbow like that is intentional, not a mistake, and it accomplished its goal to knock McAvoy out for a good portion of the game. Fuck the Islanders. I hate 1990s NJ Devils style hockey, it's boring as hell, and I hate dirty teams. My only solace will be to learn that TB blew that shit team out in four straight.
 

Myt1

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I agree with those who point to the Carlo takeout as the turning point of the series. I'll go one step further and say it was intended. The Isles are a dirty team that targeted Bruins D up to and including the elbow to the face of McAvoy last night. A high elbow like that is intentional, not a mistake, and it accomplished its goal to knock McAvoy out for a good portion of the game. Fuck the Islanders. I hate 1990s NJ Devils style hockey, it's boring as hell, and I hate dirty teams. My only solace will be to learn that TB blew that shit team out in four straight.
There was literally nothing wrong with the Carlo hit, and the Bruins hit as many people in the head this series as the Islanders.

And McAvoy was hit with a shoulder, not an elbow. Still dirty and intentional, but come on.

The Islanders weren’t a particularly dirty team this series.
 

Dummy Hoy

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Jul 22, 2006
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The Carlo hit was fine.

I think the hit on McAvoy was borderline suspendable, but I agree, overall the Islanders aren't a dirty team.
 

barclay

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Jan 27, 2006
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The Carlo hit was fine.

I think the hit on McAvoy was borderline suspendable, but I agree, overall the Islanders aren't a dirty team.
I too think it was borderline suspendable. But, at the very least, its a fine. It may be too early in the day but the fines to Ritchie and DeBrusk were leveled the next morning before noon. Its now almost 2 pm and I have not been able to find any evidence that Palmieri was fined. I will say this: if there is no fine then its confirmation that there is something deeply, deeply amiss in the high bureaucracy that makes up the "NHL." As if we needed such confirmation.
 

Haunted

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I too think it was borderline suspendable. But, at the very least, its a fine. It may be too early in the day but the fines to Ritchie and DeBrusk were leveled the next morning before noon. Its now almost 2 pm and I have not been able to find any evidence that Palmieri was fined. I will say this: if there is no fine then its confirmation that there is something deeply, deeply amiss in the high bureaucracy that makes up the "NHL." As if we needed such confirmation.
Why fine him? McAvoy isn't playing and the Bruins are no longer a problem for the NHL. It's an issue they feel worked itself out,
 

barclay

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Why fine him? McAvoy isn't playing and the Bruins are no longer a problem for the NHL. It's an issue they feel worked itself out,
If in fact your reasoning is also the one "they" have adopted then you have answered my query.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
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The Carlo hit was fine.

I think the hit on McAvoy was borderline suspendable, but I agree, overall the Islanders aren't a dirty team.
The "hit" on McAvoy wasn't a "hit". It was a reverse elbow to the head independent of any hockey play. That was a total cheap shot.
 

barclay

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Just to be clear, I’m in no way disagreeing with you.
Yes, I get that, and thank you for it. Let me expand a bit -- without getting too deeply into philosophical and legal ethics, my argument is a principled one -- if you act in a way that breaks the rules, then you pay for it. Period. The argument that you have suggested that the league has adopted is purely contingent and arbitrary. If one strays from a consistent application of the rule book then those watching wonder what factors went into an arbitrary application of them -- if I may be political here, its as if Trumpland has invaded the sport itself. What is the unholy cabal that is running the show? Most of us think that sports is a space where at least some form of justice and purity is applied. Especially since game 5 of the SCF, it has become increasingly clear to me that such is not the case. It's an affront to the hockey gods that created the sport (through human intermediaries of course!). If Palmieri gets away with no fine its simply another example of it because it was so obviously a head shot. If he gets suspended it would impact the next series with TB.
 
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