It’s just two games, but Boston coach Claude Julien is concerned with his club.
In two games since the conclusion of the league’s near three-week Olympic break, the Boston Bruins have allowed nine goals in just over 120 minutes of play. “That’s not the way our team plays,… Julien said Saturday after the club’s second straight loss, 4-2, at the hands of the Washington Capitals.
Since late December, the Bruins have been lucky to skate by without the services of defensive defensemen Dennis Seidenberg (torn ACL/MCL), plugging guys like Matt Bartkowski, Kevan Miller, and even Zach Trotman into the lineup.
But with the trade deadline approaching, the hole dug by the B’s in the opening 22 minutes of today’s affair told you that yes, this team needs help on the point before the trade lines close.
Falling 0-2 behind by way of two power play bombs from Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin -- goals where B’s penalty killers were just nowhere to be found -- the Bruins’ own-zone efforts are coming up short. And there’s no shortage of blame for that in the Boston room right now.
“It’s got to be better, it’s going to get better every day. It doesn’t matter if we keep talking about it, today was pretty crappy again, just mental mistakes,… goaltender Tuukka Rask said of the club’s defensive effort. “You talk about certain things in their power play, you just give them those opportunities and breakaways and stuff like that, it’s just not our style. So we just have to be better.…
Frustrations with Boston’s efforts in their end didn’t end with their decision to leave the league’s only 40-goal scorer in 2013-14 wide open in his sweet spot (not once but twice), as the Caps’ other goals came on rather effortless breakdowns by the Boston blue-line.
On the Caps’ third goal, right off the faceoff, Joel Ward just broke right through the club’s second pairing of Johnny Boychuk and Matt Bartkowski. In the blink of an eye, and with almost no resistance from the Boston defenders. Olympic rust? Lack of awareness?
“You can always be better, especially when you lose. We gave up four goals tonight, so it’s uncharacteristic of us. We’ve just got to look at what’s going on and try to correct it,… said Boychuk, who also noted that the B’s decision making as a whole could’ve been a lot better on Saturday.
An easy go-to in this case could be the fact that the Bruins are rusty after a three-week layoff between games for most. Then again, so isn’t everybody. So what’s going on with Julien’s squad?
He thinks it could be a lack of emotional engagement for whatever reason.
“I think the emotion of our game has to be a little better. You know, I’m not sure after the first period — you know, I look at our stat sheet — we’ve got five hits. That’s not good enough for us,… Julien noted, adding, “And you know, I think a lot of that is putting more emotion into your game, and we need to pick it up and get better starts. That way, we won’t be battling from behind.…
Obviously, two games isn’t the ideal time frame for analyzing where your team’s at, but with the deadline next week, the clock is tickin’ on Peter Chiarelli’s window to improve this B’s club. It’s not as easy as just plugging a random veteran from wherever into the lineup. Especially when the prices are as high as they’re rumored to be. But something’s gotta give if this team wants to get to their third Stanley Cup Final in four years, and quickly (see: immediately, now, yesterday).
Left to tinker with their defensive pairings as of late, the Bruins seem almost guaranteed to roll with a top shutdown pairing of Boychuk and the 6-foot-9 Zdeno Chara. That leaves Bartkowski, Miller, Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton, and Adam McQuaid left to handle the rest of the defensive responsibilities for what the Bruins are hoping is a four-round adventure.
That’s asking a lot out of a fivesome led by McQuaid’s 220 games of NHL experience. That’s also assuming that McQuaid, who’s battled injury after injury this year, is 100%. Against a Pittsburgh squad that could be on the cusp of landing Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler, that’s a tall, tall order.
Though saddled with two straight losses, Boston’s even-strength play continues to be the backbone of their offensive success in 2013-14, and something that should give you confidence.
But I mean, you have to look at today as a realist: If the B’s decide to mix-and-match Chara and Boychuk on separate lines for balance purposes come playoff time, a Boychuk and Bartkowski pairing seems like the second pairing. And through two games, they’ve had a real rough go of it. And that’s been against the Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals, no less. Say it with me: Eeeeek.
Fortunately, Boston will have a chance to engage themselves physically in a Sunday night battle in New York City, as they wrap up their season series with the Rangers. The B’s have both won meetings against the Blueshirts in 2013-14, with Rask absolutely stealing the show in their Nov. trip to NY.