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Therrien's Refusal To Play His Clutch Playoff Player Totally Baffling. |
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We discuss rumors a plenty and simulate both of tonight's game with creepy accuracy on the Buzzcast today...
I have seen enough playoff games over the past decade to know what Danny Briere means to a team in the key moments of a playoff series. He is money...plain and simple. And while no one will ever nominate him for a Selke, you don't sign Briere for his defense. You sign him for his offense, and more importantly you sign him for his extra gear. His playoff gear.
It has been obvious all year long Briere hasn't been in Coach Therrien's plans, because whenever fate would find Danny off the fourth line he would produce only to again find he was quickly moved back to the bench. Briere never complained publicly, because he too much of a professional but I am sure the frustration level was up there at points. For a French Canadian kid who came to live a dream in Montreal this has hardly been the way anyone would have scripted it.
I know it is hard to criticize a coach who finds his team in the second round of the playoffs, but remember this is a coach who previously was fired the year after he lost in the Cup Finals.
Facts are facts...
In 8 games Danny has 4 points and is a +1. That's as many points as Gionta and more points than both Desharnais and Paccioretty...and check this out..
Average Time on Ice in the playoffs.
Paccioretty 19:33
Desharnais 19:05
Gionta 18:41
Briere 10:26
Ten minutes and twenty-six seconds a game for a player who has 113 points in 116 career playoff games including 13 Game winners.
It is no secret that in the playoffs the Habs top scorers are doing very little at all. The team is being carried by one of the games top D-men, PK Subban, and one of the top goalies in Price. They were also aided by a hobbled first round opponent to say the least, but in this series they have battled tooth and nail with the best in East.
Last night, as overtime began, they flashed the stat that Briere led all players in the game with 3 playoff OT goals. "In the game." It was almost comical. Danny had only played 8 minutes last night and he never saw the ice in OT. In Montreal's OT win in game 1 versus Boston he saw the ice only once in the first OT, and once in the second OT, yet made the big play to get the puck to the point from a scramble that led to PK Subban's winner in the second OT.
It was typical Briere. Know this...Danny doesn't only score in the playoffs he scores when it counts and Sabres and Flyers fans will tell you he changes momentum and extends series. Trust me, or any other Flyers fan, when I tell you this. Therrien is being so foolish in his handling of Briere and last night it bit him in a game that would have given the Habs a commanding 3-1 lead. Somehow in this key match Therrien only found 8 minutes for Briere with spotted fourth line duty,
This coming after Briere played such a major part in the double overtime victory in his one double OT shift in game 1. After that great play, Therrien rewarded Briere with all of 9 minutes in game 2 and the Bruins won game 2. Gionta played 17 minutes in Game 2 and was a minus 3. So surely in game 3 Therrien would make an adjustment and teach Gionta a lesson and play his playoff star more, right?
Briere played SIX minutes and 8 seconds in Game 3, and on one if his few shifts made an unbelievable pass to Dale Weiss to spring him on a breakaway for the goal that gave the Canadiens a 3-0 lead. By the way, Therrien played Gionta almost three times as many shifts as Briere in game 3. Gionta ended with no points in nearly 17 minutes.
But Ok, Montreal won game 3. When you are winning such coaching mistakes aren't brought up by the media...and they won't bite you.
So naturally in Game 4 Therrien would find time for Briere..,Well, we already mentioned the 8 minutes last night coupled with the continued scoring drought of the Habs best players...last night Therrien's seeming attempt to make some point did bite him. And it bit him hard. it ver well may have cost him the series.
Beyond Nuts,
This is beyond bad coaching at this point. There must be more to this. This is either some personal issue Therrien has with Briere or an absolute fear of losing...which shouldn't play well with Hab's fans . As an NHL coach you simply have to find a way to get such a big game player into big games. Even if you are afraid of the occasional give away you simply can't "play not to lose" and be successful long term in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Both possibilities seem ridiculous to me. I mean if there is one person in the NHL who NO ONE has ever had a personal issue with it is Danny Briere. I know many reading this are shaking their heads in agreement. Many in Philly, Buffalo, and Montreal know Danny well and know there isn't a nicer or kinder person you will ever meet. And a harder working hockey player on the ice and off.
That's why I come back to "playing not to lose" as the only logical solution. Briere isn't a defensive stalwart but again....that is not why you got him. You got him to score the 1 goal in a 0-0 playoff tie game like last night. It's the goal we who have followed him have seen him score time and time again. But giving him 8'minutes of ice time and virtually no ice time down the stretch won't help you. Oh and by the way...Danny is a +1 in these playoffs.
I will end this rant with this simple statement to make a point. If Danny Briere had still been a Flyer he would have seen a ton of ice-time in game 7 of the Rangers series if for no other reason than the fact he has earned that respect and we know he will find a way to change the series. If he was still a Flyers I believe the Flyers would still be playing.
The Habs are still playing, they just aren't playing the right players in my opinion.
Thoughts?
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