00:00 Just looking ahead, you're right with the games coming up with Toronto is a big one
00:05 I think that's you circle and look at and say that's like a true test game.
00:10 That's going to be interesting with the lesser lineup.
00:12 But you know, how much do you think we should read out of the results of that game?
00:19 I was impressed by the Bruins last night, kind of avoiding any revenge talk and sidestepping
00:25 that whole thing and basically saying it's not going to change what happened last year.
00:29 As far as that game, and I just think at the end of the day, that win over Florida was
00:34 just their highest quality win of the season.
00:37 And the biggest win as far as sort of confirming and minting them as a true legit team, like
00:45 a legit quality team in the NHL, where they went up against so many Western Conference
00:50 cream puffs in the first few weeks.
00:51 And it was hard to say that, you know, when they were winning those games.
00:55 But I think that game against Toronto is another one that is going to be in the measuring stick
00:59 kind of like, you know, this is where this team is at.
01:02 This is the statement to the rest of the league that the Bruins are legit and for real.
01:07 Anything that you're sort of like looking forward to watching or reading into in that
01:12 game coming up, which is they're always entertaining and fun rivalry games.
01:16 Yeah, I mean, I think you look at obviously Toronto's, you know, their whole game revolves
01:21 around that offense, which is tough to corral.
01:23 So I think obviously seeing how again, the Bruins, I think I've done a good job.
01:26 You look at even like Detroit was flying high, they had a really strong power play.
01:30 They were over four in that game.
01:31 Like they've done a really good job at shutting down the strengths of teams, especially on
01:36 the offensive zone.
01:37 So I think again, easier said than done, but slowing down Toronto's offense via a big key
01:43 for them, even without a guy like McAvoy, we'll see if maybe again, Hampus Lindholm
01:47 played his best hockey last year when McAvoy was out of the lineup and he kind of was the
01:50 do it all guy.
01:51 So I think getting him going, especially in the offensive zone would be a huge plus for
01:56 them.
01:57 But I think for me, the biggest thing moving forward, and it's the, what we talked about
02:00 earlier on Joe is the, the ceiling of this team depends on how much offensive generation
02:04 they can get.
02:05 And you're still trying to see where those pieces fall into place.
02:07 I mean, it feels like every single game now Montgomery is shuffling up his lines that
02:11 I don't even know what are his lines right now in terms of, you know, what's the best
02:15 case or who fits where.
02:17 So seeing that continue to build, see where a guy like Patra settles in, whether they
02:21 think he's with Zaka and Pasternak, whether they think he's with Geeky, you know, all
02:26 those things, I think it's something worth noting.
02:29 And if guys like him, I think guy like Jake Dabrowski, you need to get him going.
02:33 You need that more five on five scoring punch.
02:36 Those are the things that I think are the most important thing.
02:37 I think we know night in, night out, you'll have the odd game, you know, maybe not as
02:43 disastrous as that Anaheim game, but you're going to have the odd game where they give
02:45 up three or four goals.
02:47 But I think the biggest thing is, you know, their defensive goaltending is going to be
02:50 pretty strong night in, night out.
02:52 It's whether or not the offense can continue to extend leads, build themselves some breathing
02:56 room, those things.
02:57 So I think that's where you have to watch moving forward, especially against Toronto
03:00 that I don't know what happened with Joseph Wall, but he's been, he's been unbelievable
03:04 out of the gate.
03:05 So, yeah.
03:06 And that's like, basically that's really what the Leafs needed, you know, and that's what
03:10 they were missing is something like that.
03:12 And that makes them a more complete team if they can have somebody that consistently can
03:16 just, you know, stand in there and stop pucks and, and, you know, do what needs to be done
03:21 and you know, be the backbone for that team.
03:25 Cause obviously they have the offensive firepower.
03:27 They've had that for years and it, it's going to be an interesting game.
03:31 I, I like you lament the loss of Luchich for that game.
03:34 I was looking forward to Luchich Reeves making a statement to each other in the first game
03:39 that they were going to play.
03:40 I think it's a classic though, like strength against strength you know, matchup offensive
03:46 firepower, dynamic run and gun hockey from Toronto defense and goaltending for the Bruins.
03:52 Yes.
03:53 They're going to be definitely missing a bunch of players.
03:54 I think a bunch of key guys but I still think they have the, you know, the ability to play
04:01 the way that they want to play.
04:03 It's going to be another Hampus Lindholm, probably 28 to 30 minutes spectacular.
04:07 Like it was in that game against Florida, he logged a lot of ice time, Carlo and a four,
04:13 but we're over 23 minutes too.
04:14 And that's asking a lot out of all of those guys, but you know, that's the way it's going
04:18 to go, I think until they get Grizzlik and McAvoy back.
04:22 So you know, I think that's going to be a really good game as far as the, the odd game.
04:28 Yeah, I agree.
04:29 Like you're going to have games like Anaheim, especially like when the schedule sort of
04:33 like hits you with the loss feel kind of game that you thought going into it, that was going
04:38 to be anyway.
04:40 I actually was impressed by the way that they played in that game.
04:43 Just given the situation, coming back from a West coast trip with multiple time changes,
04:49 first game back is usually a hot mess.
04:51 I thought it was, they almost pulled it off.
04:54 Exactly.
04:55 This came out in the last, like, you know, five minutes of the game.
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05:16 Against Detroit a couple nights later, they were pretty much in the exact same situation,
05:21 you know, and they're going to be in that situation a lot this year, two to one game
05:25 in the third period, they give up, they gave up the goal and all of a sudden Detroit is
05:29 really coming at them with, with everything they have feeling like they're going to be
05:33 able to do what Anaheim did.
05:36 And then Pasternak steps up and makes a few plays.
05:39 And you know, that's what you're going to need is something like that.
05:42 But I thought it was really important and encouraging that you saw the Bruins respond
05:48 in a totally different way.
05:51 The second time around against Detroit against another, you know, good team that's playing
05:55 really, really good hockey this year, and be able to win that game, and then find ways
06:02 to get through it.
06:03 Like I think that's, you know, the sign of a good team.
06:06 And I really liked just like at the end, the way Pasternak got rewarded for making the
06:11 right play off the boards to clear the puck net like exactly what Jim Montgomery had been
06:17 talking about the previous game that they were not doing and that they did wrong.
06:21 And that was a problem when the net was empty.
06:25 Instead, he does the right thing.
06:26 He clears the puck off the boards, banks it off the boards and like the hockey gods make
06:30 sure it trickles into the net.
06:31 Like that's getting rewarded for making the right plays and doing the right thing.
06:36 And that is really good to see.
06:38 And again, in the game, in the game against Florida, after the first period, they all
06:44 talked about it after the game was over, they made an adjustment.
06:47 You know, they were trying to do be too fancy going through the middle of the ice with the
06:50 passing and in the transition plays to try to get zone entries.
06:54 And they and it was very obvious to watch.
06:57 You could see it during the game where it just turned it into a dump and chase game
07:00 where they were just throwing pucks from deep in the neutral zone once they get over the
07:04 red line behind the Florida net and then just like attacking them with four checkers.
07:09 And it's, you know, meat and potatoes hockey.
07:11 It's boring hockey.
07:12 It's not like what they want to play, but you knew it was going to be effective and
07:16 it was the proper adjustment and the Bruins bought in and adjusted exactly the way they
07:21 were supposed to really the, one of the only times after the first period that they did
07:26 anything, you know, through the middle of the neutral zone, that was at all, you know,
07:30 fancy was a Zaka hitting posture neck on the, on the run, you know, when they went in and
07:37 scored on the McEvoy goal, that was one of the few times they even attempted that most
07:40 of the time they were just like blinders on throwing the puck cross corner dump and go
07:44 get it with the four checkers.
07:46 So like, I'm also, you know, I think Jim Montgomery this year is, is being forced to
07:52 do more coaching and forced as you, well, like you mentioned, changing up the lines
07:57 all the time, like making all these adjustments, like doing things a little bit differently
08:01 with the crew that he has.
08:03 And we're seeing even more, I think out of him from a coaching standpoint and, you know,
08:09 probably going to end up being in an even more Jack Adams where the effort that he's
08:14 going to put in this year than last year with the horses that he had you know, that he's
08:18 going to have to work behind the bench, but I'm even getting more impressed watching Jim
08:23 Montgomery this year in a much more challenging situation for him than he was put in last
08:28 year with that Bruins team.
08:30 Yeah.
08:31 I mean, you, you look at last year, how many times did he mention, you know, the opportunity
08:35 kind of was able to walk into a locker room that was commanded by so many guys that have
08:39 been there forever, like Bergeron and Marsha and crazy.
08:42 And, you know, he's mentioned Bergeron countless times for how he was almost an extension of
08:46 the coaching staff, right?
08:47 He was almost the, the go-to liaison you can kind of lean to in terms of getting kind of
08:52 the temperature of the room.
08:53 And it's hard to say that that is now completely gone and that, you know, March ends, closing
08:56 the door on these guys, but it's definitely impressive to see him, you know, switch things
09:02 up a lot more.
09:03 And I think adjust on the fly.
09:04 This is a team that I think Jim Montgomery wants him to play with pace, wants them to
09:08 be a lot more shot selective.
09:10 But when you've got a team that also maybe doesn't have as much finishing talent, or
09:14 you're still trying to find the cohesion, maybe it's about simplifying things, maybe
09:17 without just getting pucks on net and letting guys like James and Reams, like get, you know,
09:22 opportunities at the net front.
09:23 Like it's all about, you know, I think what makes a good coach is when you have a set
09:26 game plan, you have a way that you want your team to play, but it's also hockey shit happens
09:31 and you have to adjust it on the fly and work with what you have.
09:35 And hopefully you're able to have your team build into what I think your overall vision
09:40 is for that roster.
09:41 Right.
09:42 And that's what makes good coaches kind of envisioning that and getting to that product
09:46 made by the end of the year.
09:47 But it's always a work in progress for every single team.
09:49 So to have him do that and switch things up and, you know, maybe change, you know, and
09:55 stray from kind of the strengths of what he thinks his roster is just to get them to where
09:59 they are right now and incorporate that more and more.
10:02 Yeah, that has been really impressive in terms of how he's worked with the team that, again,
10:06 I don't think a lot of us expected them to be in a spot.
10:08 I don't think anyone expected 8-0-1-1, but he's definitely coaching a team that at the
10:14 very least, I think they're going to be right in the middle of the playoff picture this
10:17 upcoming spring.
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