Ty Anderson: Praised depth needs to show up for Bruins

The lack of secondary scoring is going to be a major concern heading into March and April. If the 3rd line can't get going on a consistent basis, I could see this team hovering around .500 during the two month stretch. That may be a bit overdramatic, and most likely is but they need to really adress the 3rd ling wing position. I would be shocked if Chiarelli didn't pull the trigger on a deal by mid March if that line continues to struggle.

When I watch Bourque play I just don't see an everyday NHLer. He is a good fill in and you can see he's trying out there, but I don't think he can consistently produce at an NHL level. It will be interesting to see who PC brings in via trade to help bolster the scoring. I have always liked Gagne in LA and maybe he could be had for a draft pick.

I'm sorry but if the lack of scoring is a surprise to you, then what team have you been watching? They will go through phases where one or two lines produce and then they will return to not producing at all. This happened last season going into the playoffs. The scoring dropped off and then was nearly non-existent in the series against the Caps. This is Claude Julien's system. The team focuses on defense first, second, and third and scores only incidentally.

And please don't tell me the problem is the absence of Benoit Pouliot. Pouliot's scoring was an abnormality along with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverly's success. He is an example of what Julien's system does to players. He leaves Boston and starts scoring. The same thing happened to Michael Ryder, who in his last two seasons in Boston scored 18-15 and 18-23. Then he goes to Dallas and scores 35-27. Blake Wheeler in his last two seasons with the Bruins scored 18-20 and 11-16 before being traded that season. Then he scores 17-47 for the Jets the next season.

The current state of the Bruins is not a problem for Julien. It's by design.

They seem to get burned a lot, clear goals just being snatched away, hockey gods are not currently favoring the Bruins despite their "success"

complaining about the third line's production when the pk is 94%. good times. that line has done it's best with paille on it (has happened twice so far). i'm sick of hearing how princess bourque can't play on the 4th line. flip these two while waiting for the newfie to come back.

I'm sorry but if the lack of scoring is a surprise to you, then what team have you been watching? They will go through phases where one or two lines produce and then they will return to not producing at all. This happened last season going into the playoffs. The scoring dropped off and then was nearly non-existent in the series against the Caps. This is Claude Julien's system. The team focuses on defense first, second, and third and scores only incidentally.

And please don't tell me the problem is the absence of Benoit Pouliot. Pouliot's scoring was an abnormality along with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverly's success. He is an example of what Julien's system does to players. He leaves Boston and starts scoring. The same thing happened to Michael Ryder, who in his last two seasons in Boston scored 18-15 and 18-23. Then he goes to Dallas and scores 35-27. Blake Wheeler in his last two seasons with the Bruins scored 18-20 and 11-16 before being traded that season. Then he scores 17-47 for the Jets the next season.

The current state of the Bruins is not a problem for Julien. It's by design.
- AlfredoSauce

how does that explain them being a top scoring team last year? Also, what do people expect from Peverley? He's an overpaid 3rd line center,
And while Chris Bourque probably played his best game as a Bruin the other night, isnt there anything else available anywhere?

If #48's last name isn't "Bourque" people wouldn't be jumping all over him. Give the kid a chance. He is also a local kid, nice to see you treat your own so (frank)ing well. Pouliot, over his career has had both consistency and attitude problems. To say that he was the key to third line is laughable. POOliot sucked out loud last year, GWG turnover in game 7 anyone?? In 10 games from now when POOliot produces nothing see how you feel then. How do you label him a bust but say he could be the missing piece/link to high-glass Peverly and Kelly's success?

Yes offensively they've started slow but Bourque and Seguin easily played their best game so far against Atlantipeg which to me a good sign especially for Seguin. Everyone needs to calm down.

i'm not a bourque hater, but he's too tiny to be a bruin. send him to the habs where he'd be one of their biggest smurfs.

i'm not a bourque hater, but he's too tiny to be a bruin. send him to the habs where he'd be one of their biggest smurfs.


- ron_mexico7

BS (although that picture is funny ) Remember this guy?

Brad Marchand
Right Wing
Born May 11 1988 -- Halifax, NS
[24 yrs. ago]
Height 5.9 -- Weight 190 -- Shoots L

Not putting them in same conversation talent wise. But Chris Bourque and his ability is still an unknown IMO at this point. His biggest problem is he needs to keep moving his feet and worry about making smart plays. I also think alot has to do with the puke inducing play of Peverly and especially Kelly. 10-15 games from now if its more of the same I will add a nice plate of Chris Bourque crow right next the life long bowl of crow I have been eating about Tim Thomas for the last 2 years and will continue to eat for the rest of my life.

The Bruins' issues with secondary scoring seems, to me, to be an issue of slotting that could fairly easily be resolved by Pete C if he is able to make a move for a top 6 forward. Right now the Bruins have Chris Bourque slotted as their third line winger, a role which, we have now seen, he is woefully unprepared for. Similarly, they have the ever-streaky and still-not-quite-right Nathan Horton slotted as a top line winger. When Horton is right he is a legit 25-30 goal player and worthy of that spot, but when he isn't right, as he really hasn't been this year, he is more of a third line caliber player. My point is that if Chiarelli can make a move for a true top 6 winger, someone like Iginla or Alfredsson, Claude can bump Horton down to the third line, and Bourque to Providence. One addition will vastly improve at least two lines by slotting players appropriately. A top line of Krejci-Lucic-Iginal/Alfie would be rock solid and certainly an improvement over the Krejci-Lucic-Horton trifecta, and the second line of Berg-Seguin-Marchand would remain amongst the best in the league. But the real benefit would be to the third line. Horton would slot perfectly there where he could, quite frankly, dominate second and third defensive pairings. Likewise, he'd create more space for peverely to use his speed, and the huge offensive upgrade from Bourque to Horton might take some offensive pressure off Kelly and let him get back to his game (strong three zone play and getting goals by crashing the net).

Basically, I think the Bruins have the pieces in place for a very strong and deep offensive roster, but they need another legitimate top 6 winger to maximize the effectiveness of how those pieces fit together.