Boston Bruins Are Beating Themselves: Penalties, Officiating, and Missed Chances | Ep. 123

0:00 Speaker 1: Can you start a podcast with me?

0:02 Speaker 2: Please?

0:03 Speaker 1: I need something to do. All Jack sending out a trip. I'm gonna say this.

0:19 Speaker 2: Today.

0:20 Speaker 3: Here's a chance popta right down the goalie scars.

0:22 Speaker 1: Oh my wa a move by the rookie to on one poster not moving in shot?

0:27 Speaker 2: It too time.

0:29 Speaker 1: Oil dances in podcast?

0:32 Speaker 3: Wait at home right away? Faster Chester?

0:40 Speaker 2: What is that for?

0:41 Speaker 1: Most? Welcome in, everyone to another episode of Bruin's Tape to Tape. I will be your host today, Maria from Watertown. We are recording on a different, different, altered schedule here due in large part too not only the holidays, but the Bruins' schedule. So we're recording on Tuesday, twelve thirty, and I want to welcome in my co host Caroline with a K. I hope you had good holidays. I know that the Bruins really haven't given us a whole time to celebrate, but hopefully you had some good time with family and friends.

1:25 Speaker 1: I mean, I've.

1:26 Speaker 2: Basically been in my pgs for the last couple of days, not just because it's vacation, but because suffering from the plagues, various plagues that have been going around.

1:37 Speaker 1: So yeah, I feel you in that regard. I think we're both that we're we're both playing a bit injured here, folks, So we are going to do our best to give you some good, solid content here.

1:52 Speaker 2: But just because I'm a little under the weather doesn't mean I am any less spicy and irritated.

2:02 Speaker 1: No, no, no, I think we're both. We're both feeling irritated, annoyed, frustrated, and maybe me, I'm feeling a little bit of disillusionment because I thought I knew what this team was, but now maybe I don't think I know what this team is, and I'm not sure I like the direction in which it's going. So we'll get down to all of the specifics of those questions that we have, but first we'll do our set the table segment where we did get Jonathan Asboro back in the lineup against the Calgary Flames the Bruins played them on Monday night.

2:46 Speaker 1: We now have another injury, so it seems like we get someone back and then someone goes on ir So now it's Tanner Janeau's turn to hit the injury list for this team. And I want to take a look at a tweet that came from Ty Anderson. I think it was last night because we have spent a good amount of time talking about the number of penalties that the Boston Bruins take, keep taking, and the types of penalties that they keep taking, and Tie did a deep dive and an inventory of penalties. Specifically, I believe during the course of this losing streak that the Bruins are on penalty breakdown over this six game winless slide, tripping seven times, hooking five times, I sticking five times, including double minors twice, slashing three times, frost checking twice, interference, delay of game, holding, rocking.

3:49 Speaker 2: Yep Well and Maria, you remember in our conversation about a month ago when I was talking about our Thanksgiving predictor just how high the PK load is for this team and how much of an impact even at Thanksgiving, that statistic that measure has on this team's ability to be successful, that they need in order to turn things around at Thanksgiving, they needed to start taking I can't remember now what I said, but no more than three penalties per game average, no more than one per period, preferably limited bringing it down only like I think I said, like twenty percent, right, because at the time they were averaging five or six on average.

4:47 Speaker 2: They've been successful when they can manage that PK load, and it sinks them when they can't, mostly because we have seen a surprising drop off in that that penalty kill that that this team has always been known for. That's that's a not an individual seasonal team identity piece. That is a that is a franchise identity piece that is important to the franchise. And I will say credit to the team last night, that was one of their best penalty killing nights that they've had in a long time. Uh, because they are quickly approaching the bottom of the league in penalty killing percentage.

5:36 Speaker 2: But it's still a significant problem. It's this huge problem that coupled with and I'm sure you're going to take us down this road a little bit later, but that coupled with those losing the winnable games, the moral victories, because I'm sick and tired of that.

5:53 Speaker 1: But continue, well, well let me give you, let me give you some stats, the kind of I don't want to say quantified, but correlate to this this the struggles that they're having in this six game losing streak. So we have not one player, regular player that have has pretty much played the majority of these games during the six game slide that are plus players right now. Okay, so you have leading leading the pack is David Pasternak, who is a minus seven, really wow, minus seven, and again I know this, he's not scoring no.

6:35 Speaker 1: And again Charlie McAvoy is a minus six. We have one, two, three, four, five four guys. Five guys is minus fives, including Elias Slindholme, Pavel Zaka, Casey Millstat Andrew Peak, Morgan Geek's minus four, Hampus slind Home minus four. And it's not one The only.

6:56 Speaker 2: Guys who are, you know, seemingly not in the house here are guys who aren't really cutting a hold on a time because they're at zero.

7:05 Speaker 1: Mason Lauri is even right, he's at a zero. Wow. Mikey is Simont is at a zero. So you know, it stands to reason when you see a slide such as this and you're spending an inordinate amount of time on the penalty kill. What is very frightening to me is those guys that are minus players that aren't typically part of penalty kill units. So I don't want to say that this is a recipe for disaster, but we knew that this team would need to heavily rely on certain players to carry the load offensively, and when said players are not carrying the load and then they're costing you while they're out there on the ice, it's mind boggling.

7:54 Speaker 1: And it's not a recipe or success. And now I'm saying to myself, is this the team that we actually thought we were going to get at the start of the season, which is a middle of the pack Dare I say mediocre team as opposed to the team that might have been overachieve it at some point in time. Yeah.

8:18 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's hard to stay because this season has been such a roller coaster and it's it's easy to sit here and say, if you're looking at this team and you've got let's say a control board, a switchboard, right, and oh, okay, we need to lower the lower the volume of the penalties, and we need to increase this, that and the other, and do you know all of these different things that have to be in alignment that I believe is what Marco Sturm is actually trying to accomplish with this team. The execution when it fails, it goes sideways.

8:59 Speaker 2: And you know, we've said on the pod, when the last time we had a six game losing streak that I felt we just simply did not have that.

9:12 Speaker 1: Talent, kind of to your point that this.

9:14 Speaker 2: Is maybe exactly who we are, what we have, and them's the breaks, and we've just gotten lucky. But then they turn it around and they played how what was the seven game win streak and it was the exact opposite team, and I during that time I amended my interpretation, my assessment of the team to say, Okay, it's not that we don't have a talented enough team. This is the fragile nature of this team. This team I'm gonna continue to use again the Jenga tower as a descriptor for what this team is because they are so fragile.

10:00 Speaker 2: If both a random player who seems on the surface to be not a main character guy goes out, the team really struggles. But also if certain things aren't being done by the players out on the ice, the Djenga tower starts to fall and crumble. So the reason why I don't think that they were just overperforming is the fact that they did it for seven games. That's why I think they are. They are a good team deep, they got good bones. This team has good bones. It's all the other crap that this is what the coaching.

10:42 Speaker 1: Staff is like. I don't envy them.

10:45 Speaker 2: They are trying to figure out how to stabilize the team and to make it more robust with what they have. Okay, I don't know if a new body, a different body is the answer, because because again it's not just when people are out of the lineup or individuals fail. There are team wide things that if they're not doing or they're doing too much of, impacts the outcome of the game. I will say, compared again to the other losing streak that we've experienced this season, this one is slightly different in that the team for the most part has been better than the team that we saw in that first losing stretch.

11:32 Speaker 1: Well, and I want to get into some things that Marco Sturm and David Pastronach said when they hit the holiday break, because it annoyed me to no end. Oh, I know I heard you on Morning Brew. It annoyed me to no end. And I'm going to re annoy myself and others with my take on that. But and we'll break down the debacle that was the.

11:59 Speaker 2: Homes before the break because those were crucial games and just not acceptable in my view the performances yet we saw at home and I want to, you know, maybe kick myself in the seat of the pants because I have been on more than one occasion giving this team credit for their ability to self correct and bounce back, and I'm not sure they passed either of those tests during that Breek home stand. But right if that was, if that was their identity, if that was what they've decided is their identity, they did not play to their identity.

12:42 Speaker 1: That was not So we'll let's let's do a quick spin around the rink. We have the Winter Classic coming up on January second, which to me, I understand why the league is scheduling it on January second, because they don't have the needs to compete against football or basketball or whatever other sports may be on January one. But I missed the tradition they tuggling down on January first. With my hangover and watching this game, you know, be that as it may. It will be the Florida Panthers facing the New York Rangers, and old friend Brad Marshant is undefeated.

13:24 Speaker 1: Undefeated in Winter Classic games. Mary, are you gonna rub some salt. Yeah, he didn't participate in the game that the Bruins lost against the Montreal Canadians when it was played at Foxborough at the home of the New England Patriots because he was suspended for that game.

13:40 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it was like he did no, no, he was suspended for that. He had done one of his boneheaded things and done himself. This is back in the day, back in his heyday. Brad Marshan Folks is leading the Florida Panthers in goals with twenty two and assists with twenty two. So do with that stat as you want, but I felt compelled to share it. I'm sorry. I know it gives you. Thanks me, it pisses me off.

14:08 Speaker 1: Don Sweeney. I will never forgive them. Thems are the numbers. THEMS are the numbers. So World Juniors Update, Team Canada, Team USA ye bowling along James Hagens is having himself a series there and Zeller's and Zellers.

14:25 Speaker 2: I'm so excited for the future of the Boston Bruins because of the fact that two Bruins prospects, Hagen's and Zellers on Team USA TMUSA was down. They had to come from behind when quite literally on the back of James Hagen and Will Zellers. They are the reason they won that game. If you see the highlights, it's just it's just phenomenal and I'm so excited. We're gonna have Marybeth back on the p in about two to three weeks. She's gonna give us all the updates. But we were talking last night and our guess is, for now we will see Hagen's in the black and gold.

15:13 Speaker 1: Probably.

15:14 Speaker 2: I wouldn't be surprised if we see him at the end of the season because the college hockey season ends in the beginning of April earlier, so we might see him after that stretch, maybe actually late April, because the BC Eagles are killing.

15:29 Speaker 1: It so they might go all the way.

15:30 Speaker 2: And then there was question mark whether or not Zeller's would need another year to cook, but quite frankly, seeing how he performed, maybe we'll see him again.

15:39 Speaker 1: It was just it was crazy. It was crazy to see.

15:42 Speaker 2: So go check out those highlights, because why would they put these games on a channel that most people can access.

15:49 Speaker 1: Yeah, I just don't understand. I don't understand, but you know what that that's been the NHL for years and years and years. They just can't seemingly get out of their own freaking way with any of this stuff.

16:02 Speaker 2: Hockey cannot outside of Canada, cannot market itself.

16:07 Speaker 1: Well, no, it just doesn't have the resources or the cashee in the States that the NFL is king. So you got to get creative, Maria, Yeah, they do. I agree with you.

16:17 Speaker 2: I want to defend you know, the people of Minnesota here for a minute, because there's been a ton of criticism I've seen online. I don't know if you've seen this of Oh my god, the stands are so empty. This is this, this is the state of hockey. I get it. It is surprising, a little disappointing. But I question again the I guess that's the IF in charge, but also the United States and whoever else you was partnering with the International Hockey Federation to put this game on. I'm putting a bunch of that back on them because there's no excitement.

16:57 Speaker 2: I think you have to be a big hockey fan to know that it's happening. I don't know what the prices are for tickets at the games either, too, So if you consider the fact that if you you know EHL teams or AHL teams that get a lot of fans to come to their games. A lot of times it's because they are already have that built in connection with their community, whether it's local advertisements you see everywhere, cheap tickets, honestly, the gimmicky stuff that you see in a lot of major and minor league no matter what sport, baseball, whatever, they have those things to really make it a much more festive and family friendly environment.

17:41 Speaker 2: You when it comes to juniors, you have to be I think a certain level of hockey fan to even know that it exists.

17:50 Speaker 1: Understand what you're watching.

17:53 Speaker 2: Like, people may think, why would I want to watch a bunch of under eighteens under twenty year olds play hockey? It sounds like it's it sounds like a youth hockey thing, And in reality, you're watching the future of the game, and I don't think people know that exactly.

18:12 Speaker 1: You took the thoughts right out of my head. This is the future of the NHL here. I don't think people know that. And I put that information that.

18:22 Speaker 2: That squarely on whoever is the organizer of these games, because how could you have failed so spectacularly in the state of hockey to have empty seats because it's almost between Minnesota and Massachusetts. Those are the two states I would say that can compete against the entire nation of Canada in a populace that is hungry for hockey all the time. That if oh, there's a free hockey game or a cheap hockey game, I'm going. If it's at a good time, I'm going. He used to go to the college games all the time before I had a kid.

19:05 Speaker 2: Games are at seven, so it's not convenient anymore. But the games were at one o'clock.

19:09 Speaker 1: I'd be in every game, right right.

19:11 Speaker 2: I put this on the organizers ninety percent. And some of the timing is not ideal. Right, people are traveling, everyone's taking a break. You have a kid that plays. I used to have two kids that two kids that played. At some point in time, it's like you want to somewhat detach yourself from the sport. So I wonder about the timing, which is unfortunate because it's a disservice to these young players who are really really good. Like you have the number one player in the world, r Gavin McKenna, who's likely going to go first overall, and he scored a he had a hat trick in a nine to one victory against Denmark.

19:51 Speaker 2: I wonder how many people saw that other than the Canadian copulation or from diehards or the people who actually have NHI network, because again that's another like.

20:02 Speaker 1: The softball, correct, Like why would you do that? Would you put it on NHL Network? I want, I want to watch. I don't want to watch.

20:09 Speaker 2: I'm invested this year because of those players. I can't watch. I can't even temporarily watch, you know what I mean? Like I can't even sign up for a month's subscription to and.

20:23 Speaker 1: Then just drop it NHL Network. I can't even I can't even.

20:26 Speaker 2: I want to give you once again, Maria, the NHL does not want my money, correct, Please take my money.

20:34 Speaker 1: They don't want the short money, they want the long term money, which.

20:39 Speaker 2: I don't even know how to get NHL Network, Maria, I can't.

20:42 Speaker 1: I don't even know how to get it. Well, I have it, and I honestly haven't been but peeking in. To be perfectly honest with you, I have been peeking in two of these games for a variety of reasons that we don't need to rehash.

20:57 Speaker 2: It's also the prelimbs and that's kind of less exciting. I wouldn't be surprised if we do start to see an increased crowd, I mean, for crying out loud, if Canada and the United States play for a medal, or you know, the United States is in the final, I certainly would expect significantly fuller seats. But like, let's be honest, would you go, I mean, unless it was free and very convenient and there was stuff going on, would you go see Latvia play Denmark?

21:28 Speaker 1: No one's going to a game that. I was just going to say that. No, no disrespect, no disrespect any of those players, Absolutely none. But it's just the nature, right the beast.

21:41 Speaker 2: You mean to tell me when this game was in Canada that the arena was sold out for Latvia versus Denmark?

21:48 Speaker 1: Was it? Probably not? Probably not? But anyways, take a look, folks, because there's there's some there's some good, good hockey being played there. Buffalo Sabers, I need to give them a little bit of a golf clap. Nine games, nine games team a row that this team has won. So they are they, along with the Colorado and a Lanche, are on heaters. The Avalanche I believe, have been on an eight game winning streak and the Buffalo Sabers, who started the season with their fans wanting to like take out ads to get everybody freaking fired.

22:27 Speaker 1: What a what a turnaround, What a turnaround that they have made since now they fired their GM. This kind of winning streak started a little before that, but they have taken on a whole new a whole new light since. Yeah.

22:41 Speaker 2: Look, let's be honest, I think the firing of Kevin Adams was huge for this organization. I mean we've said on the pod in the discord, like, what the heck is this guy doing? And we're just casual observe outside observers, And yes, okay, they were on a winning streak before that, but look, a broken clock is right twice a day, right, It's not like they were completely defeated prior to that. They weren't, oh in twenty five or whatever. What was happening to them was really unfortunate and not fair to the fans, to the league, to the players.

23:19 Speaker 2: So I'm pleased for them.

23:21 Speaker 1: I am too. I mean, they've been the long suffering fan base felt compelled to at least give them a mention in our around the rink. And the last thing I want to bring up in this segment is we have another goalie injury. I can't even pronounce this guy's last name. Check Kov, but check coov. Okay. He will be out for the rest of the season, according to what Rob Brindamore shared on Monday, So he apparently he's been dealing with something all season long. They thought he could play through it and decide he decided, the player decided to have the surgery.

24:01 Speaker 2: And we'll likely be out for the rest of the season. So it seems like they're the Carolina Hurricanes are going to need to rely on Freddy Anderson and and who has now earned the true number two spot random bussy, So good on him. Love to see goalies ninety nine percent of them love to see them shine, So good on him.

24:28 Speaker 1: No, good for him. Yeah. So now we're going to get to the week that was, and it seems like it's long ago because we had the holiday break. But the Bruins had a home stand in which they were outscored by a margin of like twenty goals to like I can't even remember how many. But hutred, hutred awful, embarrassing, Will Will. We'll focus on the games between Montreal and I started with Ottawa. I think we talked about that game previously, so they lost.

25:05 Speaker 2: With Can I share a fun, not so fun stat that I included in this past week's wrap around, which if you haven't subscribed on our substack, definitely get this right in your inbox, condensed of everything that we've talked about all of our episodes and things that have been released in the week. Ottawa has scored so many goals on Boston this season that their goals account for seventeen percent of all goals allowed by the Boston Bruins seventeen percent.

25:42 Speaker 1: I don't know what it is about it, and the guys on Morning Brew talked about it. Other local podcasts have talked about it. People you talk about the team here locally can't figure out what it is about this Ottawa Senator's team that has the Boston Bruins number there. The fortune up and backcheck is absolutely effing relentless. They're fast, they're good skaters. This is a stagers and they're freaking fast.

26:08 Speaker 2: With enough talent, right they don't have they're not superstar talents, but they have enough and if you can get there first. Which another little sidebar, one thing that we forgot to mention in around the rink. Former Boston Bruins goaltender Linas Almark has taken a leave of absence from the Ottawa Senators.

26:26 Speaker 1: Oh yes, yes, how do I missed that? Yes, we wish him well, hope.

26:31 Speaker 2: All is okay, Yeah, he's This is probably one of his roughest seasons and we can't know what's happening in his life, and so we hope that whatever is happening, he and his family can can be together and that you know, we see him again soon, because that's another goalie that special place in my heart. Yes, no, I think he always will have a special place in the hearts of many many Bruins fans. So we hope all is well, he and his family all right. So that game was ugly. I have given this team kudos on more than one occasion for their ability to self correct, reset and bounce back.

27:13 Speaker 2: So then we have the Montreal Canadians come in to your house, and for the first forty minutes it was a good game. I think what changed the whole dynamic of that game was when the goal that Elias Lindholm scored with less than five seconds left in that second period that would have given the Bruins a three to two lead heading into the third period. Was called back. Well, it wasn't even called back. It was never even called or waved off. No, it was just waved off. It wasn't right.

27:49 Speaker 1: It was just totally waved off on a suspect goaltender interference call on David Pastronach and there was no challenge made. And many of us, you know, we're listening to the call on the radio or the TV, conflicting information about whether it could be challenged or not be challenged. Bottom line is that could have been challenged by the Bruins.

28:13 Speaker 2: I'm not sure why they didn't challenge it, even with the mindset that the league is on this mission and Toronto is on this mission that when it comes to those calls by the officials, they're pretty much standing with the calls being made by the officials, to which I say, then why the fuck are we even reviewing or challenging anything. If you're just gonna go ahead and let what the ref calls on the ice stand, then why are we even why do we even have this protocol to be able to challenge right well, and like I ranted in our snapshot, and now you're just getting me angry again, Maria, geez.

28:55 Speaker 1: Look, NHL officiating sucks right now.

28:59 Speaker 2: Officiating an NHL game separate of the skill set of the people on the ice, it is not an easy task. This game is fast, A lot happens. I understand that we have introduced some people would argue, I'm not sure that I necessarily agree, but some people would argue too much review to the point to the detriment of the game, because it slows things down. But if you have shown, and now I'm talking about the league, that you are open to certain reviewable plays, things that can be reviewed, right, so you can review I believe now delay of game, you know, over the glass, you can review offsides, you can We've always been able to.

29:50 Speaker 1: Review goal whatever.

29:52 Speaker 2: I don't understand why I have not heard more of the conversation around GTI in this particular way, because lately I've been hearing like a lot of a in passing and whatever. If you know that over the last couple of years there's been a lot of hubbub about goaltender interference, which yes, is subjective. It I get it. In some instances it is. In some instances it is, but in some instances it's it's it's blatantly visual to all of us that are watching that a defensive player is the one who's causing the interference on his own goalie, right, And like I understand why they also the league doesn't necessarily want to make it more black and white, because again, every situation can be different.

30:51 Speaker 1: I get it, I get it.

30:52 Speaker 2: I'm not saying we need to be, you know, going down the conversation of what is or what is in goaltender interference. What I am saying what enrages me at this point is the fact that you know that this is a thing.

31:09 Speaker 1: You know, it's a thing.

31:10 Speaker 2: You know when they've gotten it wrong, you know, right, They review all the calls after a game, so you have somewhere a database of how often a call has been gotten wrong.

31:27 Speaker 1: I don't remember now how many years ago. It was a couple of years ago.

31:30 Speaker 2: They established a protocol that if they wanted to review a penalty that they did, they took steps, they call it a major penalty. They then have the ability to review and watch it and then they can downgrade it so that it is an appropriate call made.

31:50 Speaker 1: Loved that new rule, Loved that rule fantastic.

31:54 Speaker 2: Explain to me why with an infract like goaltender interference you wouldn't build in a protocol to give officials the time and space to actually review it properly, because that is mind boggling to me. If you're saying that it has the potential to be so subjective and this game happens so fast and you can't tell was this player pushed in.

32:27 Speaker 1: By their own teammate. Call the goal. You should always call the goal.

32:35 Speaker 2: And then if the official is the one who thinks it was goaltender interference, it shouldn't take a coach's challenge on either side, the defending or the offensive team to.

32:51 Speaker 1: Do that review.

32:52 Speaker 2: If that's what you thought you saw in two seconds in an NHL game where there are bodies all in front of the net, because that's their job, that's how they're supposed to play the game. You think you saw goaltender interference, you better be able to stake your life on it, and if you can't, you call the goal, and to protect the referees, build a protocol that allows them to take the time to review it.

33:27 Speaker 1: I don't understand what they in essence did. They made the job easier easier for the Montreal Canadians, right because they didn't have to waste a challenge on that. And then they grabbed the Bruins by that, you know what, to basically say, I dare you to challenge this. Now. Again, I'm not a coach, I don't profess to be a coach, but I might have challenged that. Now I understand what I understand and what this showed it on the jumbo track. I understand the rationale behind the fact that this mandate is there.

34:08 Speaker 1: It's an unwritten mandate that they're likely not going to reverse the call. But then, as a Boston Bruins you go into a little bit of a panic mode because now you may be second guessing yourself, but the fact that you didn't challenge that goal, you're still to too. To start the third period, and Zach Bolduck scores a goal that, again we're watching it in real time, look like a good goal to all of us. But then you waste a challenge on that and you lose the goddamn challenge and then they're down.

34:46 Speaker 2: So that opened up That opened up the third period to turn into a shit show for the Bruins because the Canadians scored or unanswered goals in that period, two of which were power play goals. That that was a bad night all the way around, for players in the third period and for the Bruins' coaching staff. And you know what, weeken Monday morning quarterback. All we want because that's what we do. We can talk about it in our podcast, we can talk about it on sports talk radio. But me, I have never been a fan of going into the start of a period with a power play.

35:28 Speaker 2: I just think sometimes it takes too long to get set up and to get your game going.

35:34 Speaker 1: That's just my view. So I would have rather had the Bruins challenge that and if you lose it, right, take your chances with your penalty kill to start the third period. That's just my take on it.

35:46 Speaker 2: People can call me foolish, but then you waste it on what to all of us was a clearcut goal and we're scratching our heads going is everybody is everybody like working on their Christmas online shop.

36:00 Speaker 1: Right here in this game. So it was just yeah, was just demoralizing, just a beatdown after the beatdown that you already took from the Autawa Senators and huge, huge point swing for your playoffs structure.

36:17 Speaker 2: And and Maria, I'm what I'm gonna say next is probably gonna kind of go into what I know you want to talk about.

36:24 Speaker 1: I think people might not.

36:26 Speaker 2: Really realize that in an a in a situation like what we saw, it is demoralizing. And I think folks don't necessarily realize even in game, the psychological impact of what's happening out there. I'm I'm sure players like David Pasternak or even all the way down to you know, mikey Asama, they're not sitting there thinking, well, I'm this isn't worth playing anymore.

36:54 Speaker 1: Right.

36:55 Speaker 2: A lot of it is just deep down and then your ability to execute and whatever maybe goes sideways. I mean, it's it does have an impact, like how you're perceiving the game out there, and.

37:06 Speaker 1: The officials like they were horrible.

37:08 Speaker 2: I'm not surprised that the wheels fell off after all of that. And I listened to Morning Brew this weekend. Fortunately the producer knew not to make you wait and for you to be first. I was definitely on your side to and to the extent that we've heard David Pasternak say this. I think we talked about this in a previous episode, and then Marco Sturm about the.

37:29 Speaker 1: What the mental fatigue?

37:31 Speaker 2: That mental fatigue, and look, I get it, that is that is a very real thing.

37:35 Speaker 1: That is a very real thing. And I didn't say that it wasn't right. I didn't say that it wasn't.

37:41 Speaker 2: But right right, But I understand. I understood what you were saying. And I feel like maybe maybe you know, maybe Billy didn't really pick up on exactly your point. No, no, Billy, Billy, No, Billy did it's it was Razor who And again it was Razor Who's.

37:58 Speaker 1: Yeah, He's like, you don't want to hear about it.

38:00 Speaker 2: No, I don't want to hear the excuse. You know, I don't want to hear the excuse. I don't want to hear the excuse.

38:06 Speaker 1: I know you're tired, right, Okay, your your your schedule has been grueling. I understand that fully, and I thought I stated my case fully. I picked up what you were saying for sure.

38:20 Speaker 2: What I said. What I said was it makes me bristle you. We're all tired. Everyone is the entire league.

38:28 Speaker 1: When I hear any professional athlete reference fatigue. What I want to hear from you is that you played like crap at home. You wasted a valuable opportunity to bank points that would keep you in a playoff contending spot. What I don't want to hear is that your mentally fatigue. I'm not a cold hearted person. I can fully understand. I can fully understand, right because we're all feeling some type of fatigue. And I have never been a professional athlete, nor do I would want to even entertain the thought at this point in my life, however, But you've worked.

39:12 Speaker 1: I have worked a good long time, and I would never allow myself or the people that I work for, the people that rely on me, your stakeholders, my stakeholders, correct that I am not performing up to the abilities that are expected to me because I'm tired. I'm tired.

39:36 Speaker 2: Just say we didn't have it, we were outplayed, We are not playing because we can all see it.

39:44 Speaker 1: We can all see it happening. You're not playing a full sixty minutes. What if we said about this team time and freaking time again. For them to have any sustained success, they have to a solid sixteen minute game, up and down the freaking ice and maybe some will say, Okay, well you're making David Posternac point with the lapses. No no, no, no, no no. You're there to do your job. You're there to do your job. Ay rate.

40:17 Speaker 2: And I think that there's two things that I'll say about this one. You know, I don't remember which one said it. And I thought it was actually a little bit of a ridiculous question because it was a fishing question like, oh, well, if your spouse comes home and blah blah blah and talks about you don't want to hear it. First of all, I'm not married to anyone on the Boston Bruins, So that's a false equation, like equation here. Okay, it's that's not my job as a fan. That's the job of you know, his family to listen and be supportive and do what you know they need to do.

40:51 Speaker 2: But the other thing is like, if you feel like you need to say, look, our game is struggling because mentally we are not in it. Okay, there are other you can you can say it, but still be honest about what has happened. Yeah, you know, we let our mental fatigue get the better of us, and we weren't playing smart hockey.

41:12 Speaker 1: That's what happened. Still take ownership. I agree.

41:16 Speaker 2: I don't like it as an excuse because, like, is any player gonna say we are not playing well because we are out of shape? That would be completely inexcusable. So why is your why is the mental health just a straight up excuse, like you still have to own what you did wrong? No, it's just it's just hearing it after a game. I'm not being unsympathetic to them because it is hard, right, right, So what are you gonna do about it? Right? If you're not strong enough, you're gonna go lift more weights. We just weren't good enough, Okay, so get better?

41:59 Speaker 2: What can you do to get better? We were mentally tired, Okay, what are you going to do to get better? I mean the Ottawa Senators didn't seem fatigued. The Montreal Canadians didn't seem fatigued. Yet they marched into your building and kicked your ass up and down one side of the ice to the other.

42:18 Speaker 1: Now, a game against the Canadians, they played a good forty minutes. I mean that game looked like it was going to have everything right from the junk right we had the fights, we had the back and forth, we had good goaltending on both sides.

42:36 Speaker 2: It's just simply it's the excuse without accountability. And if that's the issue, because again I'm not saying that it's not an issue. You're not saying that it's not an issue, a legitimate issue, So still take accountability.

42:52 Speaker 1: And then then.

42:54 Speaker 2: I would be looking to the coaching staff, the support staff, Okay, what are you.

43:00 Speaker 1: Going to do? What are the players going to do to handle that, to deal with it? So in keeping what we have expected from this team, and we heard David Pasternak say and make reference to a reset, so we fast forward him now to the game against the Buffalo Sabers, where I again maybe shame on me, because I've seen this team reset self correct. I expected a bounce back from this team.

43:32 Speaker 2: And the first period, yeah, and let me just say, just to kind of quickly loop in last night's game, it was the first and second periods were almost like a copy and paste of that Buffalo Sabers game that they played, the only difference being that Calgary just doesn't have what it takes to take advantage of when Boston just fails to perform in the way that Buffalo took advantage. Like I left for UH to do the bedtime routine at the start of the second period, and I come back with like five minutes and it's three to one.

44:10 Speaker 1: I'm like, what the heck just happened? Yeah, quick, quick scores. I just and things started off well because I had I had said after after David Pastronach's comments and the need of a reset, I believe that I put in our discord that I was expecting a big game from David Pastronach, and he got the score and started him off of the Bruins. The only goal came in the first period from David Pastronach, and you would think that the rest of the team would kind of pick up and follow suit, and it did not.

44:51 Speaker 1: It did not happen.

44:53 Speaker 2: It did not happen, and once again they left Corpie hanging. He gave them time and time again, chance after chance, time again.

45:03 Speaker 1: I just don't understand how.

45:06 Speaker 2: You've got a goalie who makes an awesome save, a timely save.

45:13 Speaker 1: And that doesn't light a fire under you. And and even with the mess that was that second period, I mean, he worked his assof to keep them in the game.

45:24 Speaker 2: So they've wasted him. They wasted him, and I think I was. I heard this on actually on the on the broadcast last night that the Bruins had a practice in Buffalo the day after. They stayed overnight in Buffalo, because this road trip is kind of funny. It's actually very quite spread out, which is good. So they had a chance to have a practice.

45:47 Speaker 1: And a word is that.

45:50 Speaker 2: The theme of the episode was playing with your brain and playing smart hockey.

45:56 Speaker 1: And I will say.

45:59 Speaker 2: Jud Sarat referred to it as spirit uses, a spirited practice.

46:05 Speaker 1: So you use your effing brains. I'm sure was use your imagination as to what you think the word spirited means, because I'm sure there was some pretty pissed off shape, some pretty pissed off coaches and players out on that ice.

46:24 Speaker 2: And I will say, you know, the transitioning now into the Calgary game, I did see a difference in the team. I certainly saw, and it helped that Asparo is back, he had great. Yes, it wasn't the game the biggest issue, but they couldn't finish.

46:46 Speaker 1: They had that. We can even fast forward to the overtime period because now Calgary did take it to the Bruins for most of the second period. I don't think the Bruins had many shots on goal in that minimal second period of that Calgary game, but they did play a solid game for the most part up and down the ice. The thing that killed them is their inability to finish on the opportunities that a team such as Calgary gives to you. When a team like Calgary, right, they're just not good.

47:29 Speaker 2: They're not that good, you know, Dustin Wolf aside, Dustin Wolf aside. The mistakes that Calgary made and the fact that Boston couldn't take.

47:39 Speaker 1: Advantage frustrating, frustrating, especially in that overtime period Daca had a breakaway.

47:46 Speaker 2: I think Boston was able to get away with killing so many penalties because Calgary is just not there in their ability to execute. But the number of times that Boston had fantastic entry, beautiful movement all over the ice. Can't get it in. Pavo Zaka, I gotta tell you I had a moment because this happened. I can't remember now which game it was. It was the game after he had I think a game winner, overtime winner, whatever, and we tease that the man can't hit the broadside of a barn, and that thought had crossed my mind as we go into overtime and you know, Boston's struggling whatever, and I'm thinking, get Pavo Zaca out there, because clearly at this point he's the only one who can actually get.

48:32 Speaker 1: The job done.

48:33 Speaker 2: And my god, right after I thought that, he has a gorgeous breakaway, oddly enough, hits the target and it's like, dude, you can't. Don't shoot it at the goalie, and then there wasn't enough of a rebound. Dustin Wolf did a good job of managing the rebound, and there just wasn't It didn't come out far enough. I remember now who but the person behind Zacha door on with him. The puck was on get it, the puck was on edge, come out to him. And I believe that in that overtime period the Bruins had two shorthanded opportunities, two shorthanded opportunities, and I will argue that they shouldn't have even been shorthanded to begin with, because that was a bone headed, bone headed play by Jonathan Asparo to pretty much end the third period to send Calgary into a power play.

49:34 Speaker 2: I've said it once and I'll say it a million freaking times. These guys need to control their goddamn sticks. I'm sorry.

49:45 Speaker 1: I understand the fast game, but I am sick and tired of seeing these guys with their sticks almost at shoulder length. Okay, cut the shit now. And Asperon knew it was his bad because after that goal was scored, they panned over to the penalty box and you did not come out of the box right away. He sat there with a look of shame on his face because dude, you know that was on you. You should have never put your team in that position to begin with.

50:23 Speaker 2: I will say, and I'm not disagreeing whatsoever one I was surprised that it got called because there were a lot of like non calls, and I almost.

50:35 Speaker 1: Wonder, Oh, the officiating sucked in that game, sucked stuck. I almost wonder if he thinking.

50:43 Speaker 3: It wasn't going to get called that late in the period right because he got a cross check to the face, and I wouldn't be surprised then if in his mind.

50:54 Speaker 2: You know, players pick up on this, They watch what the refs are calling, and they can kind of start to get a sense of Okay, what can I get away with granted, he shouldn't have done that, right, because that was stupid.

51:07 Speaker 1: It was the end of the period.

51:08 Speaker 2: Do it after, Like, I don't I get why he probably thought he could do it.

51:14 Speaker 1: But see, here's here's my mindset on that theory. As a coaching staff. You're watching this play out in the way that the game is being officiated, where it appears that the officials are have swallowed their whistle when there is an infraction levied against a Bruins player, or I play many men on the ice and Steve Pott, Steve Pott let the officials when the period ended, and he can carry it because he left he was starting to lead and head down to the tunnel and then came back to give it to the linesman even more, to which I said, good on you.

51:53 Speaker 1: But this is when I think that it's incumbent on any of the coaches to say, we're getting pull It seems like we're getting porked here. Yeah, all right, keep your sticks down, all right, don't give them any reason to make any more calls against us than they're already racking up.

52:12 Speaker 2: That's just my mindset, well, and not even just in that in this specific game. The fact that the number of penalties that Boston has taken this season that are sticking fractions, Like I don't care if you think you can get away with it, maybe you can, but like you've already done too many right this whole season, So keep your stick to yourself. And again, it's gonna cost them. It's going to cost them if if they don't get this in the long run, yeah, remedy it it is. It could potentially cost them the ability to stay in the wild card race.

52:56 Speaker 2: Right at this point, the only reason by Jonathan Asparo doesn't necessarily get one hundred percent of the blame is because of the fact that Bruins had two huge chances in the overtime and they couldn't score, And that had nothing to do with being shorthanded. They they they were just they were the Bruins were better and they couldn't finish. And for listeners who have been listening for a really long time now for the last three years, you know that I like to put an epitaph on every season's tombstone, and I'm I can't believe it.

53:45 Speaker 2: It's it's not even January and there are two front runners already for the tombstone. Couldn't finish and we should have won. Yeah, it's I mean those those are very appropriate. And we can't stay out of the box might be another one, because look what that does to your when you say we can't win or we just aren't able to win. You have to start the overtime not three on three, but four on three.

54:16 Speaker 1: You can't put David Pasternak on the ice. You can't put Morgan Geeky on the ice because you have to put your penalty killers out on the ice who aren't necessarily you're top floorers. So you're shooting yourself in and I'm going to keep saying this, you're shooting yourself in the foot. And again it sounds like an old, broken, tired record.

54:43 Speaker 2: Maybe it's only in time, but they keep giving us opportunities to talk about this. They need to play five on five monkey. I mean, there's just I can't simplify it any more than that. Well, that's one of the little blocks in this Jenga tower is the fact that because they have to, because they're not dynamic enough for whatever reason, to play the same way on the peque, you pull out the five on five and the tower starts to Wobble the Crumble, So let's get two hour.

55:25 Speaker 1: I don't even know, so we've got coming up. This road trip continues with the Edmonton Oilers on New Year's E twelve thirty one. Then they've got a bit of a break because there is the Winter Classic grown in there, so the Bruins won't play again until January third. They're at Vancouver and then they've got three days off and they play the Seattle Kraken, which, again, this schedule has just been so bizarre, where the Bruins have gotten more days off being on the road than they have had when they're at home.

56:06 Speaker 1: So I don't know if that's a benefit or a curse. Who knows. We'll see as the results of these games come in. But my god, they need they need to take points away because they're not out of contention because again the East is so many mediocre that there are lots of teams that have one point differentials between each other. But taking points is crucial and critical. Just get some points out of these games so you can feel good about yourselves, your chances, and your game. So stick taps, my friend.

56:43 Speaker 2: Yes, So I will give a stick tap to Andrew Peak. He's had kind of an up and down season, but quite frankly this last month in terms of in terms of goals, He's had three goals during this lose streak, and I believe he leads defensemen and goals scored. He looked great last night offensively.

57:07 Speaker 1: I mean his goal that was a nice, dirty goal. That was nice. Yeah, to my point that Calgary is just not good.

57:16 Speaker 2: I mean he was left just he was left all alone and he just walked right in and scored that goal.

57:21 Speaker 1: So good on him for having.

57:23 Speaker 2: The you know, the thought to be down low and just go for it like love to see that.

57:30 Speaker 1: Good for him. And then I know.

57:34 Speaker 2: This guy's going to be in two places at once. But I will give stick taps to Jonathan Asparau because I think that there was a huge question mark, you know about his you know, are we going to see the same Asparrow that we saw before, because the Bruins had a really great wet record when he was in and they've been pretty abysmal since he's been out again.

57:55 Speaker 1: Jena and Flint Holme's play to to I don't know what's been going on with campus his play has He's just not been the same guy. During this this stretch here, and I know he had been, so maybe it will be a plus plus that we start seeing the Hampus Lynch home that we've grown accustomed to seeing, having them both air it up again.

58:20 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I mean we did get a point with asby being back, and I thought that he did a great job.

58:26 Speaker 1: He did his job up until the final seconds of that.

58:31 Speaker 2: I mean, I didn't say anything detrimental about his play. I'm just that specific to me.

58:37 Speaker 1: You're just in a game like that, in a game that you know that you know the refs are looking more at you than the home team. Don't do it.

58:48 Speaker 2: No, and rightly, so he also deserves to be in the penalty box because that was just that is a hallmark now of this team, and he is just a symptom of whatever the larger issue is with this team.

59:02 Speaker 1: But you just can't do that. And so a little bit of penalty box time for him too.

59:07 Speaker 2: And then I mean the top guys, where are you? I mean, I again, I understand they are not on the ice as frequently because of the constant penalty kill. But then if you are a top guy, that means you're a clutch guy, which means you are able to perform under very tight conditions in a way that we expect. And even if you're saying pasta geeky, all these other guys are having fewer opportunities, fewer minutes in order to score goals. If you're a top guy, it doesn't matter if you have one minute or fifty minutes of opportunity.

59:51 Speaker 2: You have to score those goals. You have to and they're not so penalty box. Penalty box for theseis no And yeah, I'm more you know, Morgan geeky has gotten a big quiet as well.

1:00:05 Speaker 1: David Pasternak has been much too quiet, much too. I mean, all of these got these are your these are your top guys. Why slim home? Where the hell has he been? So?

1:00:16 Speaker 2: They need and again a lot they need to get back to five on five flight.

1:00:22 Speaker 1: They need to get back to five on five flight. I can't say it any more clearer than that. Yeah.

1:00:29 Speaker 2: Well, and then also another person that we gave stick taps to that's also in the box. It feels like nobody gets to just be in the stick taps category completely. But uh, for as good as a Peaks goal scoring has been, he's also not had a great defensive stretch because he's also a minus seven right.

1:00:53 Speaker 1: Now, he's five now, I believe, right because he scored David Lee, David is David Pasternaka is the lead to rub the pack. So yeah, yeah, but even still, I mean again, we don't have many guys with plus no numbers attached to their names right now. So it just kind of shows that some of the degree of the struggles that they're having.

1:01:17 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's unfortunate that, you know, right now, for the last five games, we've been saying, Okay, they need to come back with this next one.

1:01:27 Speaker 1: They need to come back with this next one.

1:01:28 Speaker 2: And the fact that the next one is Edmonton, not only does that pressure to Okay, you gotta get the monkey off your back and you gotta score, you got to win. That pressure is increasing. But they're gonna be playing against Edmonton and Connor McDavid and I don't even know who their goaltender is on the regular right now because the Yari's out. It's it's gonna be a bit of an uphill battle this next game.

1:02:00 Speaker 1: I'm just checking because I know that they had been the Oilers themselves had been on a virtual tear after right they came, They came into the garden and beat you, and Connor McDavid was like a one nan flipping show. So in in the game. Since they beat the Bruins, they have played one, two, three, four or five five games and they have won one, three and lost two.

1:02:31 Speaker 2: So yeah, well better than the Bruins have been the last five. We'll see what happens there.

1:02:38 Speaker 1: Would I be surprised if the Bruins come out and have themselves a game? No, I wouldn't.

1:02:43 Speaker 2: But but hopefully we don't have a YIPS situation and that the psychological pressure of you must win takes over, because that's also a very real possibility. Well, and then you know, yes, it's a domino effect too. Could sticks start getting a little bit tighter and tighter. But all I want them to do is I don't even care if they lose their points.

1:03:07 Speaker 1: Just get some points. Yeah, get some points.

1:03:10 Speaker 2: The last bit of news, another little tidbit that we forgot to talk about at the top before we say goodbye. I believe so today is December thirtieth. I believe tomorrow December thirty first Olympic rosters drop get posted? Okay, yep, I mean fanatics has already accidentally leaked some of Team Canada because it's fanatical.

1:03:35 Speaker 1: Aren't they different versions though? Were they different iterations of the Team Canada roster? As far when I didn't drop the whole roster, they dropped products with Mitch Marner, Brad Marshan, and Nick Suzuki their names.

1:03:51 Speaker 2: I mean, those guys are probably given, so I don't think those are any state secrets.

1:03:56 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I'm sure you can chip find that all on the the NHL's website, so we'll be all curious to see how that lands. Thank you all for listening, folks. As always, please like and subscribe for more content. Be sure to leave us a rating and a review to help other Bruins fans find us. You can support our podcast in a couple of ways by joining Patreon or following us on our socials. You can find us at Tape to Tape MK and on Substack at Tape to Tape mk dot substack dot com. With that being said, do you have any closing thoughts?

1:04:39 Speaker 2: My friend, go bees, go bes, please let us out of our misery