Game 5: Could have gone better
- Play 60 minutes.
- Have some confidence with the one-timers on the power play, AND SHOOT THE PUCK. You cannot spend that much time with the man advantage (or even 2-man advantage) and pass the whole time. No one will one-time it, they spend time getting it perfectly on their stick and by then the Bruins have filled the shot lanes so the only option is to pass. The receiver of that pass also doesn't shoot and it just goes on and on, with nothing to show for it except a whole lot of frustration.
- Play like you want it. Where was the hunger in that 3rd period? I get it, you're tired (I'll cover that in a sec) but now you're going to be more tired having to play another game.
- Please coach, please. Use other guys. It's apparent there's not a lot of confidence in Mike Brown, Todd Kennedy, or Nils Moser, but they're fresh legs that will give you a couple of shifts allowing the others to rest. The team has depth--use it.
- For the love of all things holy in this world Brock Sutherland, SKATE. I have been very disappointed in his playoff performance. Very.
- STAY OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX. Even though it is quite hilarious to see Habsheid's theatrics on the bench, crying about embellishing and whatnot. I've actually seen less embellishment this series than in the regular season. Whatever, stay out of the penalty box. And if you can't do that, then quit sucking on the penalty kill.
"It's disappointing," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller, whose team squandered a 3-1 third-period lead for the second straight game. "We have to stay assertive for 60 minutes. We want to play aggressively, but we backed off that in the third."Alright coach, isn't it your job to keep the assertiveness going? If they backed of in the 3rd the other night, did you not see it happening again last night?
"This was a good win," said Bruins coach Marc Habscheid. "We are starting to learn what it takes to win and this is a good starting point. We are going to go home and our goal is to come back here Tuesday night."
Once his team stopped playing chippy like they did in the 1st, it was a whole different game. The Bruins buckled down and got to business. The first half of that game was very different than the second half. And that's not just because I was up in a suite for the 3rd and OT and had a different perspective.
"We just didn't come out with the same aggressiveness that we did in the first two periods," said Tri-City defenseman Jarrett Toll. "It's bitten us twice. This is something we have to correct."Should have been corrected after the first time it happened. Jussayin. And I know it's easy for me to sit here and say it should be fixed, I get that. But I'm a fan who is passionate about my team, and frustrated when they don't play as well as I know they can.
"We didn't support each other on the power play," Hiller said. "Everyone wants to score and no one wants to do the dirty work. That was a big turning point in this game. Give their penalty kill credit."I've already discussed the power play. If that means giving the Bruin's PK credit, fine. They were able to spot the passing game a mile away and knew they could clog the lanes quite easily.
"The officials never gave us a break all night," Habscheid said. "We had one power play, plus 5 seconds tonight, and we had one for 55 seconds the last game. I've never seen that in all my years of coaching." (Herald)
Whiney baby-head. I tried to get a picture of him doing his diving motion bullshit, but didn't manage to catch it. Disappointed in myself for that one. At least he didn't pull out his diving-motion hand when Johnny was high-sticked in the 3rd and had to check if all his chiclets were still there. I would have had to shank him.
The one and only bright spot to the loss is that the boys will get to see Neal again when they're back up in Chilliwack tomorrow.
Ok, there was another bright spot or two--the play of Kruise Reddick and Brooks Macek. One of Brooks' best games and that Pokey just never quits. Ever.
4 comments:
My individual assessments:
#3 - Is playing as well as he ever has, but I see fatigue beginning to effect his mental game.
#4 - Played GREAT the other night and deserves more ice time.
#6 - Nice knowing ya?
#7 - Unfortunate that he's been paired with #39 because he's been having to clean up Suds' mistakes. I guess maybe it is fortunate then.
#9 - Has shown more spunk and moxie in one game than Brown has since he's joined the team. Deserves to play, or at least dress, if Hiller just wants someone to take up space on the bench.
#11 - Sucks. Never does anything right. Worthless. J/K. Only the hardest worker on the team and sets one heck of a good example. Scores goals too which is always a plus.
#12 - I dunno.
#13 - Has improved tremendously as the season has gone on. I have been really impressed with the defensive side he has shown so far in the ploffs.
#15 - Balls to the wall, throwing checks, finally shooting the damn puck. That falling down goal last night was kinda hot.
#17 - One of the few kids who would shoot the puck on the PP, unfortunately just about three feet over the top of the net. Has uncharacteristically taken some stupid penalties in these last few games, but has also been playing grittier. Props.
#18 - I so wanted him to score the OT winner last night. If anyone deserves it... He just never quits. He is a thousand times the player he was two years ago.
#19 - Must show more desperation to get it out at the blue line, but never gives up. Seems to play better when he is relaxed and isn't putting so much pressure on himself.
#20 - Nice to look at. No, he's been alright and definitely better as an occasional goalie than a starter.
#21 - Tough as nails and smart as hell. What else can you say?
#22 - Is a -2 in this series. Kind of disappointing. I know he is better than this. I don't see it as lack of trying.
#23 - Was very solid last night and has been better at keeping his trap shut. I appreciate the fact that he stands between the benches at the end of the periods, making sure no one starts shit with his teammates.
#24 - Was he ever not on the ice last night? I'm surprised his legs aren't mush. But hell, he's incredible. If he could get as cool-headed as Lazo and retaliate less often, I bet he would draw even more penalties, if that's even possible. He has also only taken one penalty in this series. That's a major improvement.
#25 - I haz a sad. :(
#27 - Showing why he was named Defenceman of the Year. On the rare mistakes he makes, he recovers quickly. Overall seems more focused.
#30 - Nothing to say. He's awesome.
#32 - He was good and played smart the other night, why isn't he getting to play? His size and grittiness would be a sight for sore eyes when the rest of the team starts running out of gas.
#39 - I feel like an American Idol judge when I think of Suds. "Man, dawg, I dunno. I mean, there were some parts that were okay, but I just didn't get it." Does he know he's a big kid? He needs to figure it out and use it to his advantage. I KNOW he can play better than this, I've seen it.
#41 - Just like #19, needs to be more desperate about getting the puck out at the blue line. Sometimes seems to think too long, but that could just be age. Overall has been as good as he was in the last half of the regular season.
I hope I didn't miss anyone. See you all in the live blog tomorrow night and hopefully not in person until next weekend, no offense.
I knew I was going to miss someone.
#10 - Playing beyond his years. Helping out offensively. Using his body better than some of the veterans. Proving he was worthy of such a high draft pick.
#13 - Sergei always seems to play better in tournaments and playoff games.
He has the highest +/- on the team (+6), and of the top scorers is the only one with no penalties.
Shaibu, Sergei!
Great post today! I don't need to add anything else to it. :)
Post a Comment