Some Answers
Several of my readers have inquired as to the reason for the current Bruins malaise. Okay, so that's not exactly true. One person asked, and not as eloquently either. I believe the question was, "Why do the Bruins suck?"
Well, there are several reasons. Here ya go:
1. Defense.
As I mentioned here, the defense going into the season was a big concern. Injuries to Leetch and Moran haven't helped, though I'm not sure how much we actually miss Moran. I had been of the opinion that the Bruins should stick with the young guys, and while Dallman and Alberts and to a lesser extent, Jurcina (my guy) have shown they have what it takes to be legit NHLers, they have been terribly inconsistent. Nick Boynton has not played well and Gill has been Gill.
They've added Dave Tanabe, which may help and hopefully Leetch will be back soon. I don't think Tanabe is the answer though. Hopefully with Leetch coming back and the young guys gaining some confidence, things will turn around.
2. Discipline.
Or should I say a lack thereof? The Bruins take too many penalties and too many bad penalties at the worst possible times. Their last game showed a marked improvement in this area (3 penalties the entire game) so hopefully that trend will continue.
3. Goaltending.
It is very easy (and fun) to blame your goaltender. It is just as easy for poor defensive and undisciplined play make your goalies look bad. So, the chicken or the egg? Still, Toivonen who has looked better than Razor, has let in too many soft goals. Raycroft? I dunno. He just doesn't look confident. He's played okay, but has yet to really steal one or really play outstanding.
4. Coaching
It's time for Mike Sullivan to take the gloves off.
5. Leadership
Thornton has done okay numbers wise, but he needs to step it up in a big way. He needs to finish some checks and set the tone.
Finally, in looking at all these problems and trying to find the common denominator, Mike O'Connell has to take a good measure of blame here. He's the one who put the team together and planned to go into the season with a minimum of two rookie d-men slated for the opening night roster. I've said it before, in the new salary-cap era, good management gives teams a decided edge. Does that idea fill your heart with hope Bruins fans?
Well, there are several reasons. Here ya go:
1. Defense.
As I mentioned here, the defense going into the season was a big concern. Injuries to Leetch and Moran haven't helped, though I'm not sure how much we actually miss Moran. I had been of the opinion that the Bruins should stick with the young guys, and while Dallman and Alberts and to a lesser extent, Jurcina (my guy) have shown they have what it takes to be legit NHLers, they have been terribly inconsistent. Nick Boynton has not played well and Gill has been Gill.
They've added Dave Tanabe, which may help and hopefully Leetch will be back soon. I don't think Tanabe is the answer though. Hopefully with Leetch coming back and the young guys gaining some confidence, things will turn around.
2. Discipline.
Or should I say a lack thereof? The Bruins take too many penalties and too many bad penalties at the worst possible times. Their last game showed a marked improvement in this area (3 penalties the entire game) so hopefully that trend will continue.
3. Goaltending.
It is very easy (and fun) to blame your goaltender. It is just as easy for poor defensive and undisciplined play make your goalies look bad. So, the chicken or the egg? Still, Toivonen who has looked better than Razor, has let in too many soft goals. Raycroft? I dunno. He just doesn't look confident. He's played okay, but has yet to really steal one or really play outstanding.
4. Coaching
It's time for Mike Sullivan to take the gloves off.
5. Leadership
Thornton has done okay numbers wise, but he needs to step it up in a big way. He needs to finish some checks and set the tone.
Finally, in looking at all these problems and trying to find the common denominator, Mike O'Connell has to take a good measure of blame here. He's the one who put the team together and planned to go into the season with a minimum of two rookie d-men slated for the opening night roster. I've said it before, in the new salary-cap era, good management gives teams a decided edge. Does that idea fill your heart with hope Bruins fans?
posted by Brian at 10:15 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home