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Boston Bruins Blogger •
After watching the Bruins suffer their second consecutive shutout, this time with a 2-0 blanking at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings, there are infinite options to choose from for those looking to rag on the team's anemic offense. Should I go with the milk carton reference, as the B's ability to find the back of the net has pulled a vanishing act? Or maybe a facepalm, to show my strong desire to keep my eyes from bleeding at the sight of another member of the Black and Gold failing to find twine?
Unfortunately jokes must be put on hold as the Bruins' offensive woes are no laughing matter. Their lack of production sans Milan Lucic and Marc Savard has been troubling, disturbing even. In fact, I find it downright offensive.
In the wake of injuries, any team needs it's supporting cast to help fill the void left in a star's absence. Instead of these particular players coming out like gangbusters, guns blazing, they've looked more like those hopeless folks who couldn't hit water if they fell out of a freakin' boat. That bad, you ask? Yes. That bad.
Consider this.....
* In the 7 games since Savard went down, the Bruins have scored a total of 12 goals (SO goal vs. Ottawa not included). That's 1.71 goals per game.
* In the last four games, Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask have allowed just 5 goals (1.25 GAA). The B's are 1-3 during that stretch.
* Michael Ryder (27g last season) has not scored in his last 6 games.
* Marco Sturm has now gone 11 games without scoring.
* 41-year-old winger Mark Recchi has just two goals in 14 games this season, with a total of four points. The future Hall of Fame inductee had 16 points in 18 contests with the B's last season. Did the fountain of youth run dry?
* The Bruins have the worst power play in the National Hockey League (11.5%). It was fun watching the Rangers play keep-away on the PK Sunday, wasn't it? I thought such thorough embarrassment was only possible in video games.
* Boston has given up half as many goals while on the PP (3 SHG against) as they have scored (6 PPGs).
* Did you catch that up above? 11.5%! So bad, it needed to be mentioned twice.
* The Bruins have scored the first goal of the game four times. They have allowed the first goal on ten occasions. In those ten contests they are 3-6-1.
I have to wonder: are there still fans who think this team can survive without Marc Savard? He is the straw that stirs the drink, the ice that keeps it chilled, the lemon that gives it an extra kick, the bottle it was poured from and the glass that holds it all together. This team is dead in the water without #91.
David Krejci has been giving it the ol' college try out there, but it's apparently not hip to expect more from him just yet. Hip, get it? Ah ha! No, seriously: how long before #46 becomes accountable for not putting up points? I'm not trying to start a rally here against him, as one self-described "True Bruins Fan" I'm conversing with at the moment assures me it's a little premature to start ragging on #46. I'm just simply asking where you've written "Krejci must have regained form by now" on your calendar.
How badly does this team miss having a game breaker around? Can anyone single-handedly generate offense shy of Krejci and the occasional rush from Sturm?
So what are we to take from this recent funk? Are the B's just snake-bitten? Are they running into red-hot goaltending or dominant defenses? Hard to really buy the latter when Chris Osgood entered last night's game with an .889 Sv%, with the Wings possessing the 3rd worst PK unit in the league.
Ideally, a healthy lineup would be far more dangerous than with bandaids like Trent Whitfield hopping over the boards for the Bruins. But what hockey club can't say that? So far, the highly acclaimed depth that Boston fans raved about after Phil Kessel's departure has been nothing but a mirage. Not a single forward has elevated his game to keep this team's head above water until it's sorely missed star center and bruising winger return. Outstanding goaltending performances are going to waste time and time again.
Enough is enough. Someone needs to step it up.
JC
ROCK THE VOTE: Fan Poll Friday: The Best Hockey Gift You've Ever Received
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS?: Email HockeybuzzBruins
ARCHIVE FOOTAGE: The HockeybuzzBruins Youtube Channel
FOLLOW ME TO FREEDOM: JC's Tweets
BOOKWORM: The Details of JC's New England Hockey Book in the Works
Unfortunately jokes must be put on hold as the Bruins' offensive woes are no laughing matter. Their lack of production sans Milan Lucic and Marc Savard has been troubling, disturbing even. In fact, I find it downright offensive.
In the wake of injuries, any team needs it's supporting cast to help fill the void left in a star's absence. Instead of these particular players coming out like gangbusters, guns blazing, they've looked more like those hopeless folks who couldn't hit water if they fell out of a freakin' boat. That bad, you ask? Yes. That bad.
Consider this.....
* In the 7 games since Savard went down, the Bruins have scored a total of 12 goals (SO goal vs. Ottawa not included). That's 1.71 goals per game.
* In the last four games, Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask have allowed just 5 goals (1.25 GAA). The B's are 1-3 during that stretch.
* Michael Ryder (27g last season) has not scored in his last 6 games.
* Marco Sturm has now gone 11 games without scoring.
* 41-year-old winger Mark Recchi has just two goals in 14 games this season, with a total of four points. The future Hall of Fame inductee had 16 points in 18 contests with the B's last season. Did the fountain of youth run dry?
* The Bruins have the worst power play in the National Hockey League (11.5%). It was fun watching the Rangers play keep-away on the PK Sunday, wasn't it? I thought such thorough embarrassment was only possible in video games.
* Boston has given up half as many goals while on the PP (3 SHG against) as they have scored (6 PPGs).
* Did you catch that up above? 11.5%! So bad, it needed to be mentioned twice.
* The Bruins have scored the first goal of the game four times. They have allowed the first goal on ten occasions. In those ten contests they are 3-6-1.
I have to wonder: are there still fans who think this team can survive without Marc Savard? He is the straw that stirs the drink, the ice that keeps it chilled, the lemon that gives it an extra kick, the bottle it was poured from and the glass that holds it all together. This team is dead in the water without #91.
David Krejci has been giving it the ol' college try out there, but it's apparently not hip to expect more from him just yet. Hip, get it? Ah ha! No, seriously: how long before #46 becomes accountable for not putting up points? I'm not trying to start a rally here against him, as one self-described "True Bruins Fan" I'm conversing with at the moment assures me it's a little premature to start ragging on #46. I'm just simply asking where you've written "Krejci must have regained form by now" on your calendar.
How badly does this team miss having a game breaker around? Can anyone single-handedly generate offense shy of Krejci and the occasional rush from Sturm?
So what are we to take from this recent funk? Are the B's just snake-bitten? Are they running into red-hot goaltending or dominant defenses? Hard to really buy the latter when Chris Osgood entered last night's game with an .889 Sv%, with the Wings possessing the 3rd worst PK unit in the league.
Ideally, a healthy lineup would be far more dangerous than with bandaids like Trent Whitfield hopping over the boards for the Bruins. But what hockey club can't say that? So far, the highly acclaimed depth that Boston fans raved about after Phil Kessel's departure has been nothing but a mirage. Not a single forward has elevated his game to keep this team's head above water until it's sorely missed star center and bruising winger return. Outstanding goaltending performances are going to waste time and time again.
Enough is enough. Someone needs to step it up.
JC
ROCK THE VOTE: Fan Poll Friday: The Best Hockey Gift You've Ever Received
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS?: Email HockeybuzzBruins
ARCHIVE FOOTAGE: The HockeybuzzBruins Youtube Channel
FOLLOW ME TO FREEDOM: JC's Tweets
BOOKWORM: The Details of JC's New England Hockey Book in the Works
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