00:00Andrew Razor-Raycroft, great stuff.
00:02And I bet you love those 2 o'clock endings, don't you?
00:07So lucky.
00:08Just so fortunate.
00:11It's really hard.
00:13I mean, it's actually impossible to ever complain about what I'm kind of doing
00:19for a living.
00:19It's hard to say that talking about hockey, but that one's a grind.
00:24I got to tell you guys, this week, and especially last night,
00:27it almost, almost, almost feels like work.
00:31You know, Razor, the Frozen Frenzy thing that the NHL did is such a cool idea,
00:35but they fumbled it so bad because a lot of people didn't even know
00:39what was happening until last night.
00:41The NHL just kind of dropped the ball on it.
00:45I know, because it is amazing.
00:48Guys, I mean, listen, everybody on this phone call absolutely knows
00:54what everybody's talking about in the middle of October.
00:57And unfortunately, it's not the NHL.
01:00So I understand they want to do it early in the season and get it out there,
01:06but I also wouldn't mind seeing this happen kind of middle of December
01:12when at least college football is all done because the rest of the nation
01:16dialed in on that as well.
01:18But again, it is awesome.
01:20It's really cool.
01:21And if you did catch it, it's a cool night.
01:26Hey, Razor, just thoughts on Frazier Minton being moved up from the third line
01:30up to the second line with Paterka and Kuznusov.
01:35And just your thoughts on him being moved up,
01:37and what are you seeing from him that you like?
01:40Well, he just keeps developing.
01:42He keeps maturing.
01:43He keeps proving that he is a top six player in this league.
01:49And I think, again, so much has been made about Marco Sturman
01:53and how great of a coach he's been for the Bruins since coming in a year ago.
01:58And he hit the right buttons this past week again, moving the lines around.
02:03And this feels like it could stick for a while, win or lose over the next few days
02:09with putting the centermens in place with Zaka Minton and then Elias Lindholm.
02:14Elias Lindholm's done an unbelievable job with James Higgins and Casey Middlestad as well.
02:19Those guys are on a three-game point streak.
02:20So, of course, you're not going to get points from Frazier Minton and Elias Lindholm every game.
02:26But it really looks like everybody's slotted really well.
02:30And a lot of credit goes to Frazier for being able to take that next step up the lineup.
02:35If Frazier can get to 20, I think my hopes for 620-goal scores, Razor, is a possibility.
02:41I believe they haven't done it in 15 years.
02:43Are you with me?
02:44Could we have Pasta, Geeky, Paterka, Zaka, Lindholm, and Minton, 620-goal scores?
02:51Yes.
02:52Yeah, that seems very, very reasonable.
02:57And within the grasp.
02:58But especially, of course, goal scoring's up.
03:00The Bruins have been scoring like crazy.
03:03Again, they're not going to score 6-5-6 on a weekly basis.
03:08But yes, I didn't know it had been that long.
03:11But that 620-goal score should be absolutely attainable and almost expected.
03:18Can I say expected?
03:19Oh, absolutely.
03:20I like it.
03:20Lock it in.
03:22Yeah, I do.
03:23I would lock it in.
03:23I don't know where the...
03:24I'm sure you can...
03:25Like everything else.
03:27Where are we going?
03:27I don't know where it is.
03:29You know, but I don't condone that.
03:33I don't...
03:34You're not getting paid for that.
03:36Dude, LeBron James is endorsing a betting company.
03:40We should get Razor a helicopter.
03:41Yeah, let's get you one of those Fanatics helicopters.
03:43You can go back and forth to Nesson.
03:45So Razor, it was awesome last time we were talking to you.
03:48I believe my exact phrase was, why the hell can't the top scorers in this team score?
03:53And now, like, I think 16 different Bruins have scored, which is obviously a great thing
04:00to see.
04:00But the one thing that's still infuriating is outside of the one game I went to this year
04:05so far, the Utah game, this team stinks on the power play.
04:09Like, they cannot score.
04:10Like, I think they're...
04:12So that game that I went to, they were three for four.
04:15But other than that, they have yet to score a power play in any of their other games except
04:21for that one.
04:22Like, they're three for 18 now.
04:25What do you think the issue is there?
04:26For a team that seems to be prolific in scoring, they just can't do it on the power play.
04:31Yeah, I mean, they didn't get only a couple chances last night.
04:34They never really got set the one time they had the power play in the second last night.
04:39The first unit had been out for about a minute and a half prior to that.
04:42So they drew the penalty.
04:43Second unit goes out.
04:44They moved it around pretty well, but didn't get it to go.
04:47Listen, I think if you're winning, it doesn't matter.
04:52And now, of course, as soon as they lose, that three of 18 matters a whole lot more
04:56than next game if it is because of the power play not getting it done.
04:59But the reality is, even though the numbers aren't good, the power play hasn't...
05:07It cost them giving up shorthanded goals in the Ottawa game, but it didn't really cost
05:12them games to this point in the two losses for not scoring.
05:17So give it some time.
05:19If you score enough goals five on five, then the power play doesn't matter as much.
05:24No doubt.
05:25No doubt.
05:26I'm curious what you think.
05:27It's only seven games, but is there an identity being revealed to you?
05:30Is there something you see they can say, you know, kind of certainly say that this team
05:34is maybe going to hang their hat on moving forward?
05:38Well, they've hung their hat on culture for so long and being the hardest working team.
05:43I suppose they lost their way for a couple of months, a couple of years back when they
05:48went in the tank and everyone got dealt.
05:50But we saw it last year.
05:52I mean, and I know, listen, I know everybody doesn't watch all of the games around the league.
05:57I watch quite a bit of hockey.
05:59There aren't a half a dozen teams or even four teams that work as hard as the Boston
06:06Bruins do on a consistent basis.
06:09On a nightly basis, the Boston Bruins are as competitive and work as hard and are as
06:14likable and as tough as any team in the league.
06:18So they, of course, the power play, you know, they're not the Edmonton Oilers with their power
06:24play.
06:25They might be deficient in a couple of other areas that other teams aren't.
06:30But when it comes to competing and battling, last night was a great example.
06:35Like both teams didn't play great.
06:37It was not pretty.
06:38It was kind of an ugly game for anyone that stayed up a little bit.
06:42But they outworked and they got to the inside and they were bigger and stronger than the San
06:48Jose Sharks.
06:48And that's why they got two points closer to a playoff spot than the San Jose Sharks did.
06:54So that's the identity.
06:56I think the identity is what the Boston Bruins have built for the last dozen years.
07:00It looked a little different than what it was in 11 because the game's different.
07:04But when it comes down to it, this team, the leaders don't ever get outworked and they
07:09don't ever get outcompeted.
07:11That's what I was just going to ask.
07:13If you think the tone setter for that culture, does it come from the tippy top?
07:17Is that a Cam thing?
07:18Is that Marco Sturm coming in last year?
07:21Who are the tone setters for that culture you're talking about?
07:25Yeah.
07:25I mean, we could go all the way back.
07:27I think Cam's a pretty good common denominator for when this all started and the kind of
07:34player he was and what he wants a hockey team to be.
07:38And he's in charge in that respect and in what they want.
07:42I think, obviously, you could take every level.
07:45I mean, Don Sweeney was here for a really long time and knows what that looks like.
07:49Zidane O'Chara is some kind of an analyst or a consultant is the right word in that situation.
07:57Marco Sturm was here through Patrice Bergeron years and when I was here.
08:02And then you go down to David Pasternak.
08:04David Pasternak, the captain, and he brings it every single night in different ways.
08:08So, yeah, it's throughout the entire organization.
08:12We were talking about the Red Sox post-mortem press conference where you had Craig Breslow
08:19and, you know, Chad Tracy and Sam Kennedy.
08:21And, you know, Craig Breslow, we were kind of giving him a little bit of crap
08:24because it didn't sound like he was horribly upset without the season ended.
08:28He was kind of making excuses.
08:29And I was like, I just want him to be Cam Neely.
08:32Just as pissed as...
08:33Like, doesn't it seem like if the Bruins don't win it all,
08:36doesn't it seem like he's legitimately pissed and angry at the end of every season?
08:44Yeah, without question.
08:46And I would even suggest that, I mean, you could probably go period to period.
08:50If we went up and interviewed Cam Neely after a period at home when they were down 2-0,
08:56I think you would probably get the exact same scowl and face that you get
09:01at the end of the season not making playoffs.
09:03So, listen, I get, like, I hear some of the criticism for this team at different times
09:11and Don and Cam, and they've been there a long time, et cetera.
09:14But I just, to your point, I think that's the exact reason why they are here
09:21and they have been here a long time and why you want them in charge.
09:25Because they care.
09:27Nobody cares more about their team and about the Boston Bruins than Cam Neely and Don Sweetie.
09:36They might not get everything right.
09:38They might, you know, they might have had a bad draft 10 years ago
09:41that people are still talking about.
09:43But the reality is these guys care and the players care and the coaches care.
09:48And I think as fans that should be what you worry about first and foremost.
09:54Because the reality is you can't win every year.
09:56Nobody can.
09:57All right, Razor.
09:58The Bills never win, but they had a nice win Monday.
10:01Do you feel better or worse about your Buffalo Bills?
10:03No, I don't.
10:05I feel worse.
10:06Did you see the defense?
10:08They can't stop anybody.
10:09Paper mache defense.
10:11But I will go back.
10:12I'm still curious why Josh Allen didn't run for 120 yards against the Patriots.
10:17I'm a little perturbed by that because now I'm wondering.
10:20So I feel good.
10:22You feel great about Josh Allen and you feel terrible about kind of everything else.
10:28But they'll get in the playoffs and they'll get a bunch of wins
10:29and maybe the weather will be good.
10:32But I don't see.
10:33But maybe they'll be an act of God.
10:35The Patriots is way better.
10:37The special teams is better.
10:39Like it's just the only thing better.
10:41And yeah, so I'm nervous.
10:43Ooh, nervous.
10:44Razor, they rushed the ball.
10:46Let me see.
10:47Against the Rams.
10:5037 times.
10:51And I think the Patriots, they rushed like 20 times.
10:54Not even maybe.
10:54So they learned their lesson from that Patriots game against the Rams.
10:59They had run the football.
11:00That helps that open up that passing game for Josh.
11:03So that's the key for that offense is James Cook, man.
11:08Yeah.
11:08To your words to God's mouth.
11:10Exactly.
11:11DJ Moore back.
11:13I think they lead the league in penalties too, which if I'm not mistaken,
11:16I believe the bills are way up.
11:17They don't lead them.
11:18They're way the hell up there.
11:19But got to get more buttoned up.
11:20That's right.
11:21A little more buttoned up.
11:21All right.
11:22Well, Andrew Raycroft, you can hear him every Saturday morning at 8 a.m.
11:26with our buddy Billy Jaffe.
11:28Morning Brew right here on WEI.
11:30Razor, always good having you on, man.
11:31Appreciate it.
11:32Thank you, Razor.
11:33Love it, guys.
11:34Bye.
