Pastrnak for 'C'? Why hasn't the Bruins named a captain? Pasta a Hall of Fame trajectory- but does he need a cup? Bruins PBP announcer Judd Sirott joins!
00:02We're doing great. Are you, I think I heard you're in Ottawa selecting the Bruins Christmas tree like Michelle Wu was in Halifax yesterday. Is that right?
00:11Yeah, I'm actually, there's like some beautiful pines around here. So I'm just kind of walking around the neighborhood seeing what looks good.
00:18Well, listen, this hockey team amazingly going for eight in a row this evening. And from your vantage point, what do you think has been the primary difference?
00:28Um, good question. You know, I think other than the game that they played up here in Ottawa, they've been in every game every single night. But I think they've played to their identity. And that's one of the things that they talked about heading into the start of the season that if they felt like they could defend, if they could be a hard team to play against, then they would be in every game every single night.
00:53And I think the other thing that's kind of picked up is when you get Hampus Lindholm back into the lineup, that slots guys in better spots. The Bruins also changed who Charlie McAvoy's playing with. Nikita Zadorov elevates to play with him.
01:08Uh, and Mason Laura, who's back into the lineup and certainly playing better is playing on the third pair, but with a guy like Lindholm. So the Bruins have played 10 games with him in the lineup. They are nine and one with him there. I think the biggest surprise has been how much offense they've produced. I don't know if they're going to keep it at this rate for the entire season, but they are sixth in the National Hockey League.
01:29And I remember when we were all talking before the start of the season, the question was, well, who's going to score? Well, everybody's scoring on the team.
01:37Judd, when we talked to you last week, it was before they played the Senators. And I asked about the first time they faced them and how terrible of a loss that was and what they needed to do differently to get the win. They get that win in overtime. What was the biggest change between the first matchup, the second matchup, and what can they take into this third?
01:52Well, I think, you know, in that first one, Courtney, if I think about it, the Bruins were in a decent spot after the first period in Ottawa, but then they completely lost their details. I think I was having a conversation with Sean Corrale prior to the game against the Ottawa Senators. And he said that was a really, it was a, it was a cruel reminder that if you're not ready to go every single night, and if you're not going to play with details, that's what can happen to you.
02:21And I think that the details and being ready to go was there right from the drop of the puck against the Ottawa Senators. And as a result, they were able to crank out an overtime victory.
02:31So they've got a tough week here coming up ahead of what's going to be another difficult week right after that one. So they're going to play in Ottawa. They're going to follow up against Montreal, who's right in front of them on Saturday night.
02:44That should be a terrific tilt. Come home and play against one of the best teams in the East and Carolina. And then you got to head West to see Anaheim, LA, San Jose, and then you're going to play the Islanders on the way back.
02:55So between now and just before the start of Thanksgiving, the Bruins will really be tested.
03:00When you look at this team, it's almost a tale of two teams. You know, they have this six game losing streak. Now they're on a seven game winning streak. When you see them, are they closer to what we're seeing now?
03:13And that was just like, you know, started a season and kind of an anomaly and what the way they were playing at the beginning of the year.
03:20Well, yeah, are you, are you saying that they're six, seven really when it comes to streaks?
03:24Well, no, I'm saying that. Yeah. Are they six, seven or are they, are they are good? Are they a good team? Are they a so-so team? Are they a good team?
03:32I haven't figured out the six, seven team, but you know, if you look in the, in the three chunks, so the Bruins win the first three games.
03:38And I think Marco Sturm had mentioned, Wiggy, that maybe the Bruins felt it was going to be easier than it was.
03:44And then all of a sudden they go through a losing skid and they started to pick up their details.
03:49They started to defend a lot better. A lot more guys got involved.
03:52So I think what we're seeing now across the seven game winning streak is closer to the identity and what I think that they were built to play like than maybe earlier in the season.
04:05Marco Sturm compared David Pasternak to Alex Ovechkin postgame the other night.
04:12We were talking about it on the show. Why not just make David Pasternak your captain?
04:19We're, we're back to the captain thing. You know, I think, I think Greg, you know, again, I think they'd like someone to emerge.
04:28You know, when everybody gets named captain for different reasons, let's go back to the team that the Bruins just beat at TD Garden.
04:35And that was the Toronto Maple Leafs. So John Tavares was the captain.
04:40They actually took the seat off of him to give it to Austin Matthews.
04:44Now there could be a number of reasons that they chose to do it.
04:47I'm still a little bit perplexed why they did that.
04:49And I don't know if, if Austin Matthews is necessarily equipped to be a captain.
04:58Somebody there felt he was.
05:00Could David Pasternak be the captain of this team eventually at some point?
05:04Yes. I don't think there's any question about it.
05:06You know, and if you look into the bigger picture, David Pasternak is at, at the rate that he's going right now.
05:13He will be a hockey hall of famer. He's going to have the numbers. He's going to pass Johnny Busick, certainly at this rate, as the Bruins' all-time leading goal scorer.
05:22Will he have a cup to get him over the top? That's the only thing that I think he really cares about.
05:27But I think the way he plays, the way he's like in the room, he's definitely one of the leaders for this team.
05:33And the other thing that, that comes to mind, Greg, when Zdeno Chara went into the hockey hall of fame, one of the things that he referenced was Patrice Bergeron.
05:41And it wasn't as his alternate. It was as his co-captain.
05:46Even though Patrice Bergeron for years didn't wear the C, he was definitely as much a captain as Zdeno Chara was in that room.
05:54Judd, though, if Marco Sturm wants the captain questions to cease, why don't you just name one?
06:01Like, because this is going to be a story until...
06:03It's just weird. I know, like you say, I bring it up all the time.
06:06It's just weird to me that you can't find the captain for the hockey team.
06:08It's just, that's all. It's just weird.
06:11Uh, I don't know. I think differently, you know, and to your question, if he wants the questions to go away, you know, are the questions really bothering the Bruins at this point?
06:20They won seven straight and they don't have a guy wearing the C.
06:23Yeah.
06:23Right.
06:24So maybe they should never, maybe they should never have one ever again.
06:27Maybe.
06:28Captain by committee is the way to do it.
06:32Listen, at some point, they're going to put the captaincy on someone.
06:35I don't know if that's going to come out of the room.
06:37If the coach selects, if management gets involved, every team does it a little bit differently.
06:43At some point, someone's going to wear the captaincy.
06:45I don't know if it's necessarily going to be this season.
06:48I'd give it to goalie Bob.
06:52Goaltending excellence has been better this year as the Bruins have defended better.
06:55Yep.
06:55All right.
06:56Well, Bruins and Patriots both going for win number eight this evening.
07:02Is it colder in Ottawa or here this morning?
07:06Judd, what's the temperature?
07:07I haven't checked the temps in Boston, but I'm going to say here because snow is on the ground, which it wasn't when I left Boston.
Be the first to comment