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00:00Hotline, Fluto Shinzawa from the Athletics, been on the Bruins beat for many years.
00:04Sabres and Bruins tomorrow night, Bruins and Leafs tonight.
00:07So we've reached you on a game day here.
00:10Thanks for your time.
00:11Yeah, you bet.
00:13Can I close, Bulldog, this 1983 Sabres-Bruins hockey reference box score page on my browser?
00:19Are we done with that?
00:20I don't know. Something could come up.
00:21Fluto, there's, of course, plenty of playoff history between the Sabres and the Bruins,
00:26most of which tends to haunt me.
00:29But, hey, look at the standings today, and this could very well be a first-round matchup.
00:33I think it would be if the season were over.
00:36Tell us about this Bruins season so far.
00:39Well, that would be wild on multiple levels, just given what expectations were like heading into this season.
00:47If you look at it from the Bruins side, hey, they're no sure thing at this point.
00:54It's probably a coin flip, but they're in pretty good shape.
00:59The goaltending has been tremendous.
01:01It's probably the number one story here in terms of Jeremy Swayman just being a game changer.
01:07He stole them a couple points in Detroit, massive two points in Detroit.
01:12So, you look at where the Bruins have come from.
01:16They were terrible last year.
01:18Fifth worst in the league.
01:19Trade their captain, the guy whose number is going to be up in the rafters.
01:23Trade a whole bunch of other folks.
01:27And then have some bad luck, actually, in the lottery to drop to sevenths.
01:32But you look at the way that they have put some foundational pieces in place, starting with a new coach.
01:38He's been Marco Sturm's A-plus job.
01:41I'm getting so much above expectation performance pretty much across the board in terms of where you look at the
01:49roster.
01:49And credit to management for bringing in players that fit Marco's vision.
01:56So, again, they could fall flat on their face here in their last, I think they have 12 games left.
02:05But regardless of what happens from here on out for the Bruins, I think this has been a very good
02:12step in terms of returning to where they want to be.
02:16I'm glad you started here because I think, you know, for us, just a little background here at Fluto, we're
02:22wrestling with a fan base that has been pretty detached here.
02:26I mean, 14 years not in the playoffs.
02:27I mean, we've never called on you before.
02:29You've been on this beat for 20 years.
02:31You know, we've just been sort of at arm's length with the Sabres.
02:35And I bet a lot of our audience, if they weren't closely following the league, would have just expected the
02:40Bruins were in the playoffs every year here.
02:43But last year was kind of a bottoming out, and that's what makes this year such a surprise.
02:48Other than the goalie, how have they really done it?
02:53Power play.
02:54It's taken a little bit of a hit, but consistently top five all year.
03:00So, that's Pasternak.
03:03That's Geeky.
03:06That's been McAvoy at the point.
03:08I think that's a big one.
03:10I think they've also, at five-on-five, they've scored significantly above expectation.
03:19You can look to Geeky again.
03:21That's a player.
03:23And part of it has been playing with Pasternak, but that hasn't been a line combination that's been regular this
03:31season.
03:32In fact, Morgan's been on their third line while David's been on their first line.
03:35So, they really haven't spent that much time together, but yet, Morgan, here he is with the career-high in
03:40goals.
03:41He's hit the wall here a little bit, but that's a player that is shooting way above expectation.
03:48You've had former Buffalo guy, Casey Middlestad.
03:52He's really made a 180-degree turn from where he was last year from when the Bruins got him from
03:58Colorado.
03:59So, their second line with Casey, Pavel Zaka, Victor Arvidsson, that's been probably their most consistent three-zone line.
04:08So, I would say goaltending, number one, power play, number two, number three, in terms of just performing above expectation
04:17when it comes to goal scoring,
04:18and just an overall fight in terms of their attitude, never out, and that reflects so well on the coach.
04:29So, again, perhaps a little bit of a head-scratcher in terms of you look at how they've played versus
04:38their expected metrics in some of these categories.
04:42It's been better than expected, so good on them.
04:46Fluto Shinzawa, our guest from The Athletic.
04:48Mike Schoep and the Bulldog here, you mentioned Middlestad, not the only former Sabre in the mix in Boston.
04:54I saw Nikita Zdorov's goal in Detroit.
04:57That was a big one.
04:58That's not what he's, you know, about, but still.
05:02And Yoki, how are you in and out?
05:04Fluto, what's his status?
05:06Henry has been, yeah, he'll be back in tonight.
05:09He'll be playing with Zdorov.
05:12So, he's been kind of the, pretty much regularly the seventh defenseman here.
05:18Andrew Peek has been mostly Nikita's partner on that third pair.
05:25Henry, it's been hard for him to gain traction.
05:27I think there's been a little bit of a mismatch here in terms of his strengths versus what they want
05:35him to do
05:36and how they want their defenseman to play.
05:39He likes to play with the puck.
05:41He's got some skill there, but he's not physical.
05:45He's not really in the mix in terms of really digging for pucks and playing stout in D-zone coverage
05:53and being there boxing out.
05:55So, I don't know that it's been the ideal fit for Henry here.
06:01But on the flip side, Nikita's been, he's, again, that's another player that really struggled at times last year as
06:09a first-year Bruin,
06:10taking way too many penalties.
06:12And now here he is.
06:13He's been very good.
06:15He's been one of their three best defensemen and a shut-down guy who will fight, will go up in
06:23the rush.
06:24He's a great skater at his size.
06:27It's just you can't contain Nikita Zdorov when he's at full speed.
06:33So, some, you know, positive and negative when it comes to those two ex-Buffalo guys.
06:40You mentioned here that the Bruins still have work to do to make sure they get in.
06:44So, they're not made here.
06:46But assuming they get this home and they make the playoffs as a, most likely as a wild card,
06:52I guess they're tied in points with Montreal.
06:54So, third is still on the table for them, maybe even second.
07:00Do you think it's sticky?
07:01Like, did they bottom out last year and sort of spring back?
07:05Like, are there building blocks here for them to kind of keep going?
07:09Or is this sort of maybe a fluky one-off type year?
07:12No, I think this is a good first step.
07:14And I think they're trending upward.
07:17I was just in Providence today, this morning, with James Hagans.
07:22Right.
07:22It looked like he, at times, he might have been gone first overall last year.
07:26But he goes seventh.
07:28And he plays out his sophomore year at BC.
07:32He's a natural center, but he played mostly on the wing, which is where he'll start as a pro.
07:37So, who knows?
07:38He's going to start in the American League, but it might be temporary.
07:41Just because, like, assuming he makes that NCAA to pro transition well,
07:48like, this is a player whose skill set would be needed here in Boston now for this stretch run.
07:55So, maybe he stays the rest of the year in Providence.
07:59Maybe he doesn't.
07:59Maybe he comes up and helps out the varsity.
08:03But that's a foundational player.
08:05That could be a top-line center for a long time.
08:10And they still have three foundational players, Pasternak, McAvoy, Swayman.
08:17Now, Pasternak, he's, let's see, he's a 96.
08:20So, he'll be 30 in May.
08:23So, okay, but he's still performing at elite level.
08:27Charlie's a 97, so he's a year younger.
08:30And Jeremy, also, I think he's a 97.
08:33Maybe he's a 98.
08:34But, like, those are three players that you can build upon.
08:39So, beyond that, Higgins is coming up.
08:43Minton, former Leaf, has been playing very well.
08:47Kustin Dinoff from Minnesota last year, the acquisition.
08:52Like, these are, they've got some players here, but they still have some picks to go.
08:57Like, they still have Toronto's first-round pick, which is top-five protected.
09:01But, let's say Toronto finishes sixth-worst.
09:05And they get that, that's a pick that could play right away.
09:09So, yes, it's not done, but it's a good first step in the right direction.
09:15They did this with McAvoy a few years ago, didn't they?
09:18Signed him, he went to Providence, played a little bit, and then eventually came up and played in the playoffs,
09:22right?
09:23Correct.
09:23The plan was for him to finish out, same thing, sophomore year, BU, reports to Providence.
09:30And the plan was for him to stay the rest of the run.
09:33But then the body started falling left and right on defense for the Bruins then.
09:39Brandon Carlo, Adam McQuaid, maybe Torrey Kruger, I can't remember.
09:43But he was needed.
09:45They needed a player.
09:46And he was ready.
09:47And up he comes.
09:48And he's playing with Zdenochar on the top pair.
09:51And then there's no turning back.
09:53So that's kind of an exception.
09:56I don't, I, that's, that's hard to expect a player like Hagans, but that was, yeah, that's, there's a precedent
10:03there for, for American League stay that, that didn't stay, that didn't last very long.
10:09And that extra pick is Carlo from Toronto.
10:12Right.
10:12That's a tough one.
10:14Yes.
10:14I mean, to, you know, push like they did last year and then not get there, losing to Florida, now
10:21having this season off of it when you don't have your number one.
10:23I just read a piece from Toronto with the Athletic, which is where our guest is, does his work on
10:29the Bruins beat, about that trade and like how, you know, the state of mind, they were winning the division,
10:34like we're loading up for the playoffs, let's go get a big, mean, tough defenseman.
10:37Oh, sure, a number one pick in this prospect, we got to do what we got to do.
10:41And holy cow, a year later, it looks bad.
10:44How about that, Fluto?
10:45Last year, in March, the Bruins making that move.
10:48I mean, good, good on them.
10:50We've had plenty of experience there with the trade deadline, just get what you can get.
10:54The Sabres, however, last year did a little bit differently, even though they were near Boston at the bottom of
11:01the division, signing Jason Zucker, for one, trying to kind of make a statement, send a message that we want
11:10to keep players who enjoy playing for the Sabres and build from the team we have instead of just, you
11:15know, selling off pending UFAs all the time.
11:18And, wow, I mean, we're stunned.
11:21Who isn't by the Sabres season so far?
11:24How have you, what has been your perspective on them?
11:27Yeah, it's hard to believe.
11:30You keep saying, oh, maybe this is the year, this is the year, this is the year, and it never
11:33is.
11:34And you look at it from outside, that just, and I know this is a long time ago, but just
11:44that stink of losing that year to try and get McDavid and not doing it, like, I have to believe
11:52that just seeped into the organization, right, for so long.
11:58And it just takes so long to dig out from under that.
12:03So, but, hey, it's, like, I can remember some of those games when they were relevant, when Miller was there.
12:13And you had some hard players, good players, Pommenville, Gostad, Regeer.
12:20This was, those are some real headbutts that Buffalo and Boston used to have.
12:27And it's nice to see.
12:31It's really nice to see.
12:33And the people there have had a hard time for a long time and good on them for getting rewarded.
12:40Yeah, I'll bet you'll see a building if, I assume you're traveling here tomorrow, Fluto, or are here on your
12:45way already.
12:47Honestly, it's very different.
12:49The last Bruins-Sabers game I was at, I mean, we're used to Toronto fans and Canadian fans in general
12:54piling into the building for Montreal and Toronto, like I said.
12:58I was overwhelmed by Bruins fans the last time I went to a Sabers-Bruins game.
13:02And I'll bet there'll still be a smattering, but the fans are back, so it's a different scene here.
13:07You know, in the course of this, Mike mentioned this playoff history that the Sabers and Bruins have.
13:12And so much, it's a whole different era, of course.
13:15But we both kind of grew up with the Sabers and Bruins butting heads, and it was often very physical
13:21and often felt like the Sabers were on the receiving end all too often from a bigger, tougher, stronger team.
13:29You know, we saw Tampa roll in here a couple of weeks ago.
13:32I don't know, most of the hockey world paid some attention to that game, that 8-7 game from a
13:37couple Sunday nights ago.
13:38Tampa very much looked like, we're going to try to push you around.
13:42And the Sabers reacted in kind, and we're up to it.
13:46And, you know, thinking about the Bruins and even about a potential playoff matchup,
13:50I'm wondering if the Bruins might have some instinct to see if they can push Buffalo around.
13:57Are you ready to be in the playoffs?
13:59It's been 14 years.
14:00Are the Bruins capable of playing that kind of game successfully at all at this point?
14:07Yes, and you can tell in their penalty minutes.
14:10It's too high for their liking.
14:12They take a lot of stupid penalties.
14:14But a lot of those penalties are from the five-minute kind.
14:19Castellic, tough as they come, will fight anybody.
14:22Janot, he's a little bit banged up, but that's why.
14:25You don't want to mess with that.
14:27That is as good of a fighter as there is in the league.
14:32Zdorov, always willing.
14:34So, yeah, those three will take on anybody.
14:40Aside from that, there's not really, in terms of fight stuff,
14:48but you don't want to mess with any of those three characters because, yeah,
14:54they're willing to go.
14:56What a season so far, Fluto, in the Atlantic Division alone.
15:00Our colleague Joe DiBiase pointed out on Twitter a couple of days ago maybe how,
15:05I mean, as stunning as the Sabre season has been,
15:08they're not just leading the division, they're leading like the best division ever.
15:11When you look down the list, I mean, you've got Boston and Detroit and Ottawa
15:16right there, 4-5-6, and, you know, having really good seasons.
15:20Not everybody's going to make it here.
15:22What's your perspective on just, like, this division and playoff outlook as a whole?
15:28It looks pretty flat to me.
15:30I mean, here we are with the Sabres likely to make it.
15:32Who do you want to play?
15:33I don't know.
15:34Like, everybody's about the same.
15:35I'm not sure how much of a reward there is for first place.
15:39Yeah, there's a lot of high-performing clubs right now.
15:42Like, you look at Ottawa, that's a team that deserves to be in the playoffs,
15:47but they've gotten no goaltending.
15:49If you get average goaltending, they're in, just given the pace and the skill that they have.
15:57I saw Detroit the other night.
15:59They should have beaten the Bruins just because of how many quality chances they've gotten,
16:04but two leaky goals against Gibson and none against Swayman.
16:10So, there's a difference maker in Montreal.
16:13I think there hasn't been a line that I've seen lately that's better than Suzuki, Caulfield, and Soskowski.
16:21That's a dynamic, dominant first line that I've seen.
16:26So, and then, of course, Tampa and, yeah, Florida, they ran out of gas.
16:32So, otherwise, they would have been right in the mix, too.
16:35So, yeah, pick your poison when it comes to this division.
16:40There's been a lot of quality coaching, a lot of quality systems, high-performing players.
16:47So, yeah, it's exciting.
16:50You mentioned that about Ottawa.
16:51I was watching them last night about a lot of hockey fans that don't really care that much about Ottawa
16:55or the Rangers were watching it because it was the only game that was featured in the league.
16:59Tonight there'll be 15 games.
17:01But I was watching Ottawa last night and learned that they're allowing a league-low 24 shots on goal against,
17:09but their save percentage overall is 32nd in the league, which is, that's an insane combination.
17:14Like, if you're, to be limiting chances, I mean, I don't know about goals above expected or any of that
17:21stuff.
17:21I mean, I don't have it at the tip of my fingertips here anyway.
17:25But, man, that's stark to only give up 24 shots a game and be last in save percentage is tough.
17:30Well, it goes back to the goaltending.
17:32Like, the former Sabre, former Bruin, former Vesna Trophy winner, if Linus plays to his level, they're in.
17:42But he's had the mental health issues.
17:45Who knows what else is going on?
17:48Like, he hasn't, it's not even close to his level.
17:51So, again, you just never know with goaltending.
17:56It's just so random and so fickle.
17:59And guys that are great one year, they're just, they fall flat on their face the next.
18:04And you just, it's so hard to project that kind of performance.
18:09Like, how many years did we see Alex Lyon kind of, you know, run out of gas after playing great
18:17for a long time?
18:19And then you realize, okay, this is why that he's never really been an ace.
18:24But then some years, it's just, it just, it works.
18:28So, yeah, who knows?
18:30But, yeah, Ottawa, they have all the skill.
18:33But the goaltending has really let them down.
18:36You would have seen Alex Lyon up close there for his only playoff experience, I believe, to start that series
18:42against the Bruins three years ago, right?
18:45Gosh, that does sound familiar now.
18:48Yeah, I like Alex a lot.
18:51Nice, nice guy.
18:52Cerebral, takes his craft very seriously.
18:57But never really gained traction, right?
19:01Because, geez, I remember interviewing him when he came through with Detroit and just wondering, okay, is this guy ever
19:08going to stick and really sink his teeth in?
19:13I wasn't, I didn't know that he, it was going to come for Alex, but great, great for him.
19:18Well, one more before we let you go, Fluto.
19:20So, on that topic, the Sabres have been, I mean, just one after the other after the other, like a
19:27perfect rotation, the two goalies here, for quite a while.
19:31And that's not usually what you get in the playoffs.
19:34That'll be maybe one of the, well, surely one of the more interesting topics around them going into the playoffs
19:40is whether they'll keep that rotation up.
19:42Do you have a sort of a philosophy when it comes to that?
19:44Would you think that would be the right move just in a vacuum or what they might do?
19:49Dependent.
19:50I remember it was an issue here a few years ago with Swayman and Allmark.
19:55And I really thought that they could have gone one to the next and just flip-flopped the whole way
20:02and it would have made sense.
20:04They didn't do that.
20:05They ended up, geez, it seems so long ago.
20:08I think it was Linus that started and then they eventually turned to Jeremy.
20:12So, yeah, absolutely.
20:13I totally, I can see that.
20:16I think some team will eventually just go to a pure rotation if the goalies are equal, if they see
20:25that it promotes high performance in terms of mental and physical rest, just to have that kind of rhythm.
20:33And I think just seeing it here in Boston, it was ideal, ideal for both Linus and Jeremy to have
20:41that kind of partnership.
20:43And they got along and they pushed each other.
20:45But to have, like, it was just, it worked out so well for both of them and their growth.
20:52Obviously, it worked out for the organization.
20:54And Linus goes on to get a great deal in Ottawa.
20:58Jeremy gets his deal here in Boston.
20:59So, yes, I believe in rotations.
21:02Is it right for Buffalo?
21:03I don't know.
21:04I don't know that well enough.
21:06But I'm all for it.
21:08I'm with you.
21:09If you're making the trip tomorrow, decent day, low 50s, we'll take it.
21:13Right, Bulldog?
21:14I mean, we'll always take low 50s in March.
21:16So, if you do end up coming to Buffalo, enjoy yourself.
21:19And maybe you'll be doing so quite often in about a month.
21:22So, if you do end up coming to Buffalo, you'll be doing so quite a bit.
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