In this episode of Pucks with Haggs, Joe Haggerty is joined by Conor Ryan of Boston.com to discuss the impact that Matt Poitras has made this season, how this lineup will work in the face of some injuries, and the guts this team has shown early on in this season.
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00:00 Welcome to another edition of the Pucks with Hags podcast. As always, I'm your host Joe
00:09 Haggerty. You can find my work on joehaggerty.substack.com. Also, over the last month or so, writing for
00:16 Boston Sports Journal. So you can check all of my NHL and Bruins thoughts, takes, writing
00:23 at both of those sites. Plenty of hags to go around along with this Pucks with Hags
00:27 podcast today. I am welcomed by Connor Ryan from boston.com long time Bruins writer. Now
00:34 you're a veteran at this point, Connor, you're not a new kid anymore, right? I know I got
00:38 a little gray on the side of my head. Now I feel like I'm, I feel like I'm part of the
00:41 crew now. So happy to be here. You are. You're like Brandon Carlo, who has gone from like
00:46 a young guy on the team to all of a sudden now a veteran and a leader and a guy that's
00:50 been around the block a few times. So thank you very much for joining us. We've got a
00:53 lot of fun stuff to talk about today. Just a quick shout out to our sponsors, FanDuel
00:58 Sportsbook. Visit fanduel.com/boston and get right in the middle of the NHL season that's
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01:18 them because they're like 550 calories and they're delicious. Even the exotic sounding
01:24 stuff that maybe I wouldn't like traditionally, I actually think is pretty good. So thank
01:28 you factor meals. Let's just jump into it with the Boston Bruins here. I mean, there's
01:35 a lot to talk about, but just eight Oh and one after nine games. And now they're starting
01:41 to play divisional games, better teams. Like I continue to be very impressed, blown away
01:47 by what this team is doing. And now we're getting into like 10% of the season is gone,
01:52 has been played and Thanksgiving is coming, which is always the playoff marker.
01:57 Uh, you know, if you're, you're in by Thanksgiving, you've got a percentage wise, a really good
02:02 chance to be in the post season. That's only a few weeks away. I mean, we're talking about
02:07 a team that's going to be a playoff team. I, unless barring a like huge collapse at
02:12 some point or major injuries, like killing them. This is a team that I think we've got
02:16 to like maybe change our expectations certainly, uh, and change the way we view them, you know,
02:21 and not be surprised by what we're seeing on a nightly basis with this team anymore.
02:25 Yeah. I think the, uh, esteemed Kevin Paul DuPont tweeted out something yesterday. I
02:29 think the Bruins go 500 the rest of the way and it's still finished with a 92 points I
02:34 want to say. So like, yeah, even if they can really bottom out, they're still going to
02:38 be right in the mix of being what I think maybe we thought they were going to be the
02:42 Saturday, which is like the last week, you know, the last two weeks of the regular season.
02:46 Are they a wildcard team? They might be, you know, locked into a second spot in the Atlantic
02:50 right now if they play like this, or even, even first, if they are better than Toronto.
02:54 Um, and I think, I think you look at the way this team is built, I think it was easy to
02:59 project that they were going to be in the mix just because the goaltending, the defense
03:02 was going to be so strong. But I think the biggest question mark is where are you going
03:06 to get enough offense? Were you going to get enough, uh, guys pulling on the rope? And
03:11 I think last night's win over Florida is kind of a microcosm of the team. Like it's
03:15 not going to be pretty. I don't think you're going to see a lot of 60 minute efforts, but
03:18 uh, whether it's, you know, fighting off that five minute penalty with, you know, only four
03:23 defense are not there. These guys either have whatever you want to call it, the metal, the,
03:27 uh, the fortitude they have to kind of grind through some of these wins. It's not going
03:32 to be pretty most nights, but what do you have? I got like pasta who can kind of carry
03:36 you through long stretches of the regular season with how good he is offensively or
03:40 guys just shipping here and there. You're not going to have Taylor Hall in your third
03:44 line or anything like you had in years past, obviously. But, um, when you have a defense
03:48 and the goaltending that's so, uh, so strong night in and night out, plus enough guys that
03:53 I think can pull on the rope, uh, on various nights, you have a team that is able to, at
03:58 the very least, you know, for the regular season can kind of, uh, pile on points steadily
04:03 throughout the year, which is impressive to see considering how much they lost over the
04:07 off season. Yeah. If you have in the NHL, if you have very good defense and very good
04:12 goaltending, you're going to win games and you're going to be better than the middle
04:16 class.
04:17 You're going to be better than certainly the seller dwellers. You're going to be in the
04:19 mix for a playoff spot all the time. If those are your strengths of your team and really
04:25 the offense determines how high up the scale you go as far as like, uh, contenders, playoff
04:30 teams. And, you know, my only question with this team, and it does relate to the offense
04:36 is, um, how much of a mental and physical grind it's going to be the way that they're
04:42 going to have to win, because you see it night after night after night, there's not a big
04:47 margin of victory.
04:48 Uh, when they win, they're winning a lot of one goal games. They're winning a lot of games
04:53 where they've got a battle in the third period, uh, to get out with the two points or get
04:57 pushed into overtime and have to win it there. And I think the, the taxing nature of playing
05:03 that way, it's a tough way to live in the NHL. If you're constantly, you're just going
05:06 to be one goal ahead, maybe two goals ahead of the other team in the third period where
05:11 they're just going to be throwing everything at you thinking they still have a chance to
05:15 win. So, uh, how much is that going to take out of them mentally, physically, as the year
05:19 goes on, is that grind of having to play that way, going to, you know, take a little bit
05:24 more out of them, take a bigger chunk out of them than maybe, you know, certainly last
05:28 year where it was, you know, party time in the third period when they were blowing teams
05:32 away with their depth and like going up by three, four goals.
05:34 So like, that's my only question is just having to play that way and live that way. How much
05:39 is that going to wear on them? But like, they are showing an ability to do it and they're
05:44 going to continue to be able to do it. Cause they don't beat themselves a lot of times
05:47 because their strengths of their team. So you, I think you're right on, like, they're
05:52 going to be, I think a top three team in the Atlantic division. I don't think there's any
05:56 question about that. Um, you know, we'll see what like Tampa's capable of once they get
06:00 Veselevsky back, but Florida is capable of once they get their players back. But I think
06:05 by that point, it'll the way the Bruins are playing, they're going to be so far back.
06:08 They're not going to be able to catch the Bruins unless they completely fall on their
06:11 face. So, um, you know, it's going to be really interesting to watch, but they're just building
06:16 themselves such a cushion right now that they're going to be able to handle some of the things
06:20 that are coming their way a little bit later in the season.
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07:03 Some news this week, obviously, and we'll talk a little bit more about the game, but
07:09 first things first, Danton Heinen getting signed, ends up playing in that game last
07:13 night. I think everybody was happy to see that on the team after he had, you know, been
07:18 doing, doing the right thing. Yeah. Go into practice for a month. Like not really like,
07:23 you know, getting any guarantees that it was going to happen for him. And it was, I've
07:27 made the parallel before it was similar to 2013 with Jay Pandolfo when he came in on
07:32 a tryout. And I think it was like 11 or 12 or 13 games, something like that. It was a
07:37 long time before they actually signed him to a contract where he was just sitting around
07:41 practicing like, Hey, I'd like to play guys. It would be nice. So just what you think of
07:46 Heinen the signing of him now bringing him into the mix.
07:51 What does this mean in the greater scheme of things for them? Does this mean where,
07:54 you know, Jesper Boquist is probably not going to be seen much this year. And, you know,
07:59 my feeling, they made a determination. They brought up Boquist, they brought up some other
08:03 guys that they kind of had made promises to about NHL looks Patrick Brown as well. And
08:10 some other players that they're, they're also going to be in the mix for that. But I think
08:14 they want to give each of those guys sort of their shot to play a game before they signed
08:18 him and then you go back and sign him and kind of commit to him as another player that
08:24 they're going to give long looks for at the NHL level. And, you know, on some level, he's
08:28 going to get probably some kind of preferential treatment because Montgomery is going to history
08:33 with him and he really likes having coached him before.
08:36 And this guy's got a history with, you know, all the players on the team. So he always
08:39 had the in on those two certain things, but you know, I think he'll be a contributing
08:44 member of this team, no doubt. Yeah. I think you look at, I think the Bruins probably went
08:48 through a pretty fair process with that as you kind of mapped out where, I mean, signed
08:52 them, they were like, listen, we're going to put you in limbo a little bit here, but
08:55 they wanted to see what they had. And other guys like Boquist who's played in the NHL,
08:58 Brown, who they, you know, Brown, a guy, they signed the first day of free agency. They
09:03 probably thought it was going to probably be their fourth line center going into the
09:06 year before a guy like Beecher made a push during the preseason. But I think for Heinen,
09:11 right, for a contract like that, making what, 775 for what he brings it again. I don't know
09:18 if he's a guy you want in there in the lineup every single day. I don't know if it's the
09:21 same expectation you have for him maybe a few years ago when he's on that third line,
09:25 but for what he's making and I think what he can bring in terms of he's a versatile
09:29 player, you kind of know what you can expect out of him. Solid two way guy, like not flashy.
09:34 We all kind of know what Dan Heinen's game is, but if he's your 13th forward, injuries
09:39 are going to inevitably happen. He can play on the fourth line, the third line. I mean,
09:43 if you need him to bump up in the lineup for a game or two, like he has done that before
09:47 with guys before. So yeah, I think when you look at just what the price is going to be
09:51 for a guy like that, if he's your spear forward, I think that's actually a pretty solid spear
09:56 forward for a guy that again, didn't go in free agency. You're not really shelling out
10:00 a lot of money to get him. So if that's his role and he can pop in when needed, I don't
10:06 see any harm in that for what he brings. Again, he's a guy that has a not a very high ceiling,
10:11 but his floor is a guy that I think you can definitely work with if you have him as your
10:14 extra guy on NHL roster.
10:16 Yeah, I think so. And I think the fact that he has in the last couple of years really
10:22 worked on his 200 foot game, worked on playing at both ends of the ice, become a viable defensive
10:28 player as well as when he kicks in offense occasionally and what he was known for earlier
10:33 in his career and coming out of college that we weren't sure what his offensive upside
10:37 was going to be, if it was going to be higher than it was. And his first season, the HL
10:41 was really good offensively too. So kind of figuring out where his identity is, but being
10:45 able to play in all situations, being a guy that's not going to be a liability in any
10:50 way, shape or form when he's out there in a third or a fourth line role and kind of
10:54 willing to play to that sort of identity if he has to. I think all that stuff makes him
11:00 a really good fit. And to your point, he can kick in offense occasionally, probably more
11:05 than some of those other players, you know, like Jesper Boquist, I'll be honest with you.
11:10 And I talked about this with Mark Diver on the podcast last week. I watched him in training
11:14 camp. I've seen him now in games. I really have not seen much of anything out of him,
11:18 nothing that's out or impressed me. Certainly I know Heinen, I think Heinen is a better
11:23 player. Patrick Brown, I think is a useful penalty killer and can win face-offs and will
11:30 help them when they have injuries. But I was of the opinion when they signed him, he looks,
11:36 feels, smells like a 13th forward to me. I think that's the kind of guy. And when you
11:42 see him play, his skating speed is not up to pace with everybody else. And he struggles
11:47 to keep pace with everybody. And he looks kind of like an HL player that is going to
11:52 kind of bounce back and forth and just doesn't have the skating speed to really stick at
11:57 the NHL level along with the offensive capabilities either. So like, I think also Heinen is probably
12:04 the best option. Like when they looked at all these players and said, you know, which
12:07 one of these guys is going to be the best fit as far as playing sometimes, being able
12:11 to play up, being a 13th forward, I think he's definitely the best. So I think it's
12:16 a solid signing by him. The other part of this equation is signing of Danton Heinen.
12:23 That was one domino to fall. Now we talk about Matt Patra. He played his ninth game and maybe
12:29 one of his toughest games last night where he, you know, you still see the puck possession.
12:35 You still see the creativity. Like I thought in a game that was extremely physical, was
12:40 very intense, was like a heavyweight Atlantic division playoff style game. I thought he's
12:46 still fared okay. And he did, he looked like he belonged, but he also bad turnover to Barkov
12:50 behind the net that led to one of the goals. He struggled in the face off circle. Like
12:55 it, it was, he was pushed. There's no question about it. But I think, you know, and it's
13:01 interesting that the Bruins are playing coy now not wanting to be too effusive in the
13:05 praise, not, you know not guaranteeing him a spot at this point or saying it's a done
13:10 deal. Even Brad Marsh and just basically saying he made the best case for himself. It seems
13:14 like they're, they're being, you know, they're walking the fence as far as not, you know
13:18 not, not confirming anything or not giving him in that roster spot before the, the team
13:25 makes the announcement. And I wonder why that is or where that's coming from. But like me
13:30 watching the situation, me watching him play, me watching him, the Ross, the way the roster
13:36 is made up with him on it, the way it allows them to, you know, they don't have Taylor
13:41 hall in the third line, like you said, but if he's here and he's playing a top six role,
13:45 you can move Charlie coil to the third line center spot. And I think that does help return
13:50 them to some level of having a deeper lineup, you know, and having everybody slot where
13:55 they should slot. And it kind of starts bringing back a little bit of last year, especially
13:59 like in some of those games where it was a third line of coil, Vin Reims, Dyke and Frederick,
14:06 like that was outstanding. I thought that was when you were watching that, you're like,
14:10 wow, they're really starting to get to a point where the depth is good again.
14:14 And it's really something you can look at and say, that might be a strength against
14:18 other teams. All obviously it's predicated on Patra being able to handle a top six center
14:22 role night in and night out. And I think he played like 18 plus minutes last night, which
14:28 is a lot kid, especially in a game like that. But everything I've seen out of him, everything
14:34 I've seen out of the nine games, knowing that he dominated in golf last year, like you put
14:40 it all together.
14:41 I don't think there's even, there shouldn't even be a question that he's on this team
14:45 that he's, he's earned his NHL spot and he's going to be with the Bruins for a long, long
14:48 time. And they're going to sell a lot of number 51 jerseys with Patra on the back. So I think
14:53 from a business standpoint, from a winning standpoint, from a development standpoint,
14:58 as far as Patra goes, I think it all makes sense and all signs point towards him being
15:03 on this team. But I, I just wonder, and I ask you like, can you think of any reason
15:08 why they're being, you know, they're, they're sort of tiptoeing through this at this point
15:14 and why there should even be any question as to whether he's like, I guess the only
15:17 thing I wonder is like, is there some kind of salary cap thing?
15:22 That's a problem with keeping him that you know, is going to turn into an issue for the
15:27 Bruins. And that's, you know, why some of this is going on. Like, that's the only thing
15:31 I could even think of. But then that, I don't know why he wouldn't be on this team.
15:36 Right. Yeah. I think that's the only possible thing could be something related to the cab,
15:40 which is that's the case. And I'm sure Evan gold and the cab gurus are like crunching
15:44 the numbers.
15:45 They got to figure something right. Right. Because, because otherwise there's absolutely
15:48 no reason that you said, I mean, beyond the fact that
15:51 Like if it turns into a thing where like for some stupid salary cap issue, right. They,
15:56 he can't be on the team. Like they are going to get crushed by everybody. And it doesn't
16:00 matter if you stop praising him now or not. Like Bruins fans are smart. Bruins media are
16:05 smart. We, why we see what we see, we see a kid that clearly should be on this team
16:10 and deserves to be on this team. And if you can't figure it out, you're going to get hammered
16:14 from all sides.
16:15 Right. I mean, you look at his overall game, he's already got it. I think it looks like
16:19 he belongs, as he said, had a tougher game against Florida, which again, so did I think
16:24 every single guy on the Bruins, especially in that first period, it's the same thing
16:27 we saw last year in the playoffs. Like that Florida for check is impressive when they're
16:32 kind of barreling down on you. But you look at the way he's played, whether it's just
16:37 the baseline production you talk to a few of the guys on the team and how impressed
16:41 they were just as puck protection.
16:42 How was he able to shield the puck, avoid kind of putting himself in bad spots where
16:47 you're getting a lot of costly turnovers. Those are things you can't really teach, right?
16:51 You can have, you know, I look at like a guy like Arthur Kaliev, you know, a few years
16:55 ago when he had like a great wrist shot led to a few goals, but then he wouldn't back
16:58 check like any guy that's offensively skilled can put themselves on a highlight reel off
17:03 of a great wrist shot or a great saucer pass. Not a lot of the guys can do a posture does
17:07 at his age of protecting the puck, not being a liability and building the team game, which
17:11 he's kind of done night in and night out. So in terms of his individual contributions,
17:16 he deserves a spot. But as you said, the Bruins can't afford to send him down to the OHL.
17:22 Like they are a better team with him out there. I mean, he's a guy that as you're trying to
17:26 find that cohesion, that chemistry, that consistent five on five scoring, he's one of the few
17:31 guys that's kind of driving play regularly. And it's all him just doing the little things
17:36 that's impressive for a 19 year old, right? Like he's protecting the puck. He's cutting
17:40 inside into like that grade A ice and generating chances. And as you said, having him out there,
17:46 I think allows you to build kind of the framework of what I think you want in your lineup with
17:50 a guy like Charlie Coyle in third line. Like when Coyle's playing at his best and I don't
17:55 know what it is, but him and Frederick always play really well together. You all of a sudden
17:59 have kind of a physical puck, maybe not physical, but a puck possession, hefty kind of line
18:05 that can do a little bit of everything, be kind of your shutdown line, all those things.
18:09 And if Patra is able to drive play further up the lineup and it's whether it's with,
18:14 you know, he played with Zaka and Pasternak the last game, he's had some good looks with
18:18 Mourning Geeky, which is a guy that you want to get going as well. And if both those guys
18:21 can play off each other, that's impressive. Like however, however way you map it out,
18:26 the Bruins team, it's not just like, you know, tip of the cap to a 19 year old who I think
18:31 is accelerated his timeline. Like he obviously deserves to play up here full time. Bruins
18:36 need him. That's the most important thing. Like right now, this 19 year old kid is a
18:40 key cog on this team, not for the future, but for right now during this season.
18:44 Yeah. And that's it. Like the bottom line is like, they're not doing Matt Patra any
18:49 favors. They need him. Like he makes them a much better team when he's, he's basically
18:55 exactly what they needed. The answer to their prayers, like that, not that they, you know,
19:00 he's the answer to their prayers. Cause he came out of nowhere because they drafted them.
19:03 They clearly saw talent there and credit to the Bruins scouts. And like, I've always been
19:08 on them to draft more OHL players, more Canadian junior players, because those are the guys
19:13 that every year when a team wins the Stanley cup, the vast majority of the players on those
19:17 teams are always OHL Canadian junior players. Like, you know, OHL sometimes from Quebec,
19:24 obviously from the dub sometimes, but they're coming from Canadian junior leagues and predominantly
19:28 from the OHL and the Bruins have sometimes been light in the draft on taking those kids.
19:33 So I think they could look at this and say, you know what, this should be more impetus
19:37 for us and more, more firepower and ammunition for us to go and take more of those kids because
19:44 that, you know, that's, that's something get a focus on. I, and I say this as, you know,
19:50 somebody that's very involved in youth hockey around here. I love that they draft and sign
19:55 local kids. I love that they go after college players. I love that. That's like a talent
20:00 stream that they continually mine out of, and they should do that, but they also need
20:05 to focus a lot more on Canadian kids because that's what you do have to win games. And
20:09 when you need to get the best players out there. So like credit to them for finding
20:14 him for drafting him. But the fact that he was ready right now is like a gift from the
20:18 hockey gods dropped into their lap. You know, it's exactly what they needed. And if for
20:22 any reason they have to shy away from that, turn away from that, send them back to golf
20:27 to like what, get 150 points this year. Like what's the, yeah, exactly. Like it should
20:34 not happen. So, and you know, I guess in thinking about it, maybe part of the reason they're
20:39 trying to scale back the talk too, is because they're trying, maybe there's some trade things
20:44 that are out there and they're trying to like sort of play poker a little bit with whether
20:47 they want to keep him or not. But I don't really think they're going to fool anybody
20:52 there either. You know what I mean? Everybody knows they want to keep him like, and everybody
20:55 knows the Bruins are against the cap. Like you're not going to fool anybody. I think
20:59 at this point, if you're the boss, maybe they just don't want like a bunch of networks to
21:04 put a microphone in his face every day, like Conor Boudin, maybe that's what they're trying
21:07 to do. Try to cool down the hype train a little bit. So we'll see.
21:12 I think the hype trade has left the station. Yeah, I think so. A couple of other things
21:17 out of that game. And this could also play into like some of the difficulty, like, and
21:23 we've seen this around the NHL with, with other teams where at times they've had challenges,
21:28 icing a full team, you know, that sometimes they have to go, you know, short of D short
21:35 of forward because of injuries, because of the salary cap when it's hit certain teams
21:40 at certain points, Matt Griswold goes out with an upper body injury that he's going
21:45 to miss a couple of weeks.
21:46 Lucha's already out of the lineup. They're missing a lowco. Like some of that stuff is
21:50 starting to accumulate there. You wonder if they're going to hit a point where the salary
21:55 cap is going to be an issue with them and all the injured players that they have as
21:59 far as, you know, icing a full team. And I'm, I'm curious to see how this is going to play
22:05 out with their defenseman. Now the Grizzlies out for a couple of weeks and Charlie McAvoy
22:11 is likely facing some kind of discipline and suspension for the headshot on, on, on all
22:16 of rec when Larson after last night, to me, that was a clear cut, cut headshot, whether
22:21 he meant to do it, whether it was intentional or not.
22:24 I don't think it really matters. The puck wasn't there. He clearly clipped him in the
22:28 head. And I think, you know, in addition to the match penalty that got him tossed from
22:33 the game, he's probably going to miss a game or two after that. So this puts them in a
22:39 really difficult spot the next few games, both from a depth standpoint and from a roster
22:45 standpoint and from a salary cap standpoint. And I'm really interested to see how all this
22:49 is going to play out amidst the backdrop of just signing Heinen of now making the decision
22:55 on Patra. It seems like a lot of things are coming to a head and it may be, it may be
22:59 a difficult couple of games to navigate for the next few, for the Boston Bruins.
23:04 Yeah, no, it's definitely tough. And it's too bad that you're losing so many key guys,
23:08 especially I think during these games that were litmus tests, right? Like even like,
23:11 I think you missed a guy like Lui Chi Chi in that Florida game. That's the one where
23:14 you'd really like to see kind of the pushback he could bring. I'm sure the way that first
23:19 period was going, I have to imagine there was going to be a big hit or something that
23:22 would have at least gotten the crowd going a little bit there. And even when this Toronto
23:26 game against Ryan Reeves and Toronto team, I think it's clearly true. Yeah. Could we
23:32 try to, I think, beef up their lineup a little bit? You know, this would have been a great
23:35 test there. Even like guys like Lauco who, you know, Lauco is not a heavyweight fighter
23:40 by any means, but kind of knows how to read the room, right. And knows when to try to
23:44 interject some energy in there. So that's kind of unfortunate in terms of just you're
23:47 missing. I think that element that I think the Bruins are really trying to maybe add
23:52 more to their game this year when you look at the guys they signed. But yeah, in terms
23:56 of just the bodies back there, that's going to be the biggest issue is not just the, you
24:00 know, who they bring up, but whether it's, are you looking at guys like Ian Mitchell
24:04 or Zaboral, are you looking at is like Laura ready for a look? Which seems like, you know,
24:08 I know, I know Dibs talked a little bit about him on your last podcast of what he's done
24:12 down there so far, but the cap is the looming thing over all of that is, you know, what
24:17 exactly moves can you even make when you have those opportunities? Because it does look
24:21 like at the very least, you're not going to have McAvoy for a Toronto game, which is makes
24:25 an uphill battle even tougher without a guy like him out there.
24:28 Yeah. And just looking ahead, you're right with the games coming up with Toronto is a
24:35 big one. I think that's a, you circle and look at and say, that's like a true test game.
24:40 That's going to be interesting with, with the lesser lineup, but you know, how, how
24:44 much do you think we should read out of the results of that game? I was impressed by the
24:50 Bruins last night, kind of avoiding any revenge talk and sidestepping that whole thing. And
24:56 basically saying it's not going to change what happened last year as far as that game.
25:01 And I just think at the end of the day, that win over Florida was just their highest quality
25:06 win of the season. And the biggest win as far as sort of confirming and minting them
25:13 as a true legit team, like a legit quality team in the NHL where they went up against
25:19 so many Western conference cream pups in the first few weeks.
25:22 And it was hard to say that, you know, when they were winning those games, but I think
25:26 that game against Toronto is another one that is going to be in the measuring stick kind
25:30 of like, you know, this is where this team is at. This is the statement to the rest of
25:34 the league that the Bruins are legit. And for real anything that you're sort of like
25:39 looking forward to watching or reading into in that game coming up, which is they're always
25:45 entertaining and fun rivalry games.
25:46 Yeah. I mean, I think you look at obviously Toronto's, you know, their whole game revolves
25:51 around that offense, which is tough to corral. So I think obviously seeing how, again, the
25:55 Bruins, I think I've done a good job. You look at even like Detroit was flying high.
25:59 They had a really strong power play. They were over four in that game. Like they've
26:03 done a really good job at shutting down the strengths of teams, especially on the offensive
26:06 zone. So I think, again, easier said than done, but slowing down Toronto's offense via
26:12 a big key from even without a guy like McAvoy, we'll see if maybe again, Hampus Lindholm played
26:17 his best hockey last year when McAvoy was out of the lineup and he kind of was the do-it-all
26:21 guy. So I think getting him going, especially in the offensive zone would be a huge plus
26:26 for them. But I think for me, the biggest thing moving forward, and it's the, what we
26:30 talked about earlier on Joe is the, the ceiling of this team depends on how much offensive
26:34 generation they can get. And you're still trying to see where those pieces fall into
26:37 place. I mean, it feels like every single game now Montgomery is shuffling up his lines
26:41 that I don't even know what are his lines right now in terms of, you know, what's the
26:45 best case or who fits where. So seeing that continue to build, see where a guy like Patra
26:51 settles in, whether they think he's with Zaka and Pasternak, whether they think he's with
26:55 Geeky, you know, all those things, I think it's something worth noting. And if guys like
27:00 him, I think I would take the breast. We need to get him going. You need that more five
27:04 on five scoring punch. Those are the things that I think are the most important thing.
27:08 I think we know night in, night out, you'll have the odd game, you know, maybe not as
27:13 disastrous as that Anaheim game, but you're going to have the odd game where they give
27:16 up three or four goals. But I think the biggest thing is, you know, their defensive goaltending
27:20 is going to be pretty strong night in, night out. It's whether or not the offense can continue
27:24 to extend leads, build themselves some free room, those things. So I think that's what
27:28 you have to watch moving forward, especially against Toronto that I don't know what happened
27:32 with Joseph Wall, but he's been, he's been unbelievable out of the gate. So.
27:36 Yeah. And that's like, basically that's really what the Leafs needed, you know, and that's
27:40 what they were missing is something like that. And that makes them a more complete team if
27:44 they can have somebody that consistently can just, you know, stand in there and stop pucks
27:50 and, and, you know, do what needs to be done and, you know, be the backbone for that team.
27:55 Because obviously they have the offensive firepower. They've had that for years and
27:59 it, it, it's going to be an interesting game. I, I like you lament the loss of Luchich for
28:04 that game. I was looking forward to Luchich Reeves making a statement to each other in
28:08 the first game that they were going to play. I think it's a classic though, like strength
28:13 against strength, you know, matchup offensive firepower, dynamic run and gun hockey from
28:19 Toronto defense and goaltending for the Bruins.
28:22 Yes. They're going to be definitely missing a bunch of players. I think a bunch of key
28:26 guys but I still think they have the, you know, the ability to play the way that they
28:32 want to play. It's going to be another Hampus Lindholm, probably 28 to 30 minutes spectacular.
28:38 Like it was in that game against Florida. You logged a lot of ice time, Carlo and a
28:43 four, but we're over 23 minutes too. And that's asking a lot out of all of those guys, but
28:48 you know, that's the way it's going to go, I think until they get Grizzly and McAvoy
28:52 back. So, you know, I think that's going to be a really good game as far as the, the odd
28:58 game. Yeah, I agree. Like you're going to have games like Anaheim, especially like when
29:02 the schedule sort of like hits you with the loss feel kind of game that you thought going
29:08 into it, that was going to be anyway. I actually was impressed by the way that they played
29:13 in that game. Just given the situation coming back from a West coast trip with multiple
29:18 time changes. First game back is usually a hot mess. I thought it was, they almost pulled
29:23 it off. Exactly. Came out in the last, like, you know, five minutes of the game. But I
29:30 liked that against Detroit a couple nights later, they were pretty much in the exact
29:36 same situation, you know, and they're going to be in that situation a lot this year, two
29:40 to one game in the third period, they give up, they gave up the goal.
29:44 And all of a sudden Detroit is really coming at them with, with everything they have feeling
29:49 like they're going to be able to do what Anaheim did. And then Pasternak steps up and makes
29:54 a few plays and you know, that's what you're going to need is something like that. But
29:58 I thought it was really important and encouraging that you saw the Bruins respond in a totally
30:05 different way. The second time around against Detroit, against another, you know, good team
30:11 that's playing really, really good hockey this year and be able to win that game and
30:16 then find ways to get through it. Like, I think that's, you know, the sign of a good
30:21 team. And I really liked just like at the end, the way Pasternak got rewarded for making
30:27 the right play off the boards to clear the puck net, like exactly what Jim Montgomery
30:32 had been talking about the previous game that they were not doing and that they did wrong.
30:37 And that was a problem when the, when the net was empty, instead he does the right thing.
30:42 He clears the puck off the boards, banks it off the boards and like the hockey gods make
30:46 sure it trickles into the net. Like that's getting rewarded for making the right plays
30:50 and doing the right thing. And that is really good to see. And, and again in the game in
30:57 the game against Florida, after the first period, they all talked about it after the
31:01 game was over, they made an adjustment. You know, they were trying to do be too fancy
31:05 going through the middle of the ice with the passing and in the transition plays to try
31:09 to get zone entries. And they, and it was very obvious to watch. You could see it during
31:13 the game where it just turned it into a dump and chase game where they were just throwing
31:17 pucks from deep in the neutral zone. Once they get over the red line behind the Florida
31:21 net and then just like attacking them with four checkers and it's, you know, meat and
31:26 potatoes hockey, it's, it's boring hockey. It's not like what they want to play, but
31:31 you knew it was going to be effective and it was the proper adjustment.
31:34 And the Bruins bought in and adjusted exactly the way they were supposed to really the,
31:39 one of the only times after the first period that they did anything, you know, through
31:43 the middle of the neutral zone, that was at all, you know, fancy was a Zaka hitting posture
31:49 neck on the, on the run, you know, when they went in and scored on the McAvoy goal, that
31:54 was one of the few times they even attempted that most of the time they were just like
31:58 blinders on throwing the puck cross corner dump and go get it with the four checkers.
32:02 So like, I'm also, you know, I think Jim Montgomery this year is, is being forced to do more coaching
32:10 and forced as you, like you mentioned, changing up the lines all the time, like making all
32:15 these adjustments, like doing things a little bit differently with the crew that he has.
32:19 And we're seeing even more, I think out of him from a coaching standpoint and, you know,
32:25 probably going to end up being in an even more Jack Adams worthy effort that he's going
32:30 to put in this year than last year with the horses that he had you know, that he's going
32:34 to have to work behind the bench, but I'm even getting more impressed watching Jim Montgomery
32:39 this year in a much more challenging situation for him than he was put in last year with
32:45 that Bruins team.
32:46 Yeah, I mean, you, you look at last year, how many times did he mention, you know, the
32:51 opportunity kind of was able to walk into a locker room that was commanded by so many
32:54 guys that have been there forever, like Bergeron and Marcian Crecci.
32:58 And, you know, he's mentioned Bergeron countless times before how he was almost an extension
33:02 of the coaching staff, right?
33:03 He was almost the, the go to liaison you kind of lean to in terms of getting kind of the
33:08 temperature of the room.
33:09 And it's not to say that that is now completely gone.
33:11 And that Martin, you know, March ends closing the door on these guys, but it's definitely
33:16 impressive to see him, you know, switch things up a lot more.
33:18 And I think adjust on the fly.
33:20 This is a team that I think Jim Montgomery wants him to play with pace, wants them to
33:24 be a lot more shot selective.
33:26 But when you've got a team that also maybe doesn't have as much finishing talent, or
33:30 you're still trying to find the cohesion, it's about simplifying things, maybe without
33:33 just getting pucks on net and letting guys like James and reams that I get, you know,
33:38 opportunities at the net front.
33:39 Like it's all about, you know, I think what makes a good coach is when you have a set
33:42 game plan, you have a way that you want your team to play, but it's also hockey shit happens,
33:47 and you have to adjust it on the fly and work with what you have.
33:51 And hopefully you're able to have your team build into what I think your overall vision
33:56 is for that roster, right?
33:58 And that's what makes good coaches kind of envisioning that and getting to that product
34:02 maybe by the end of the year, but it's always a work in progress for every single team.
34:05 So to have him do that and switch things up, and you know, maybe change, you know, stray
34:11 from kind of the strengths of what he thinks his roster is just to get them to where they
34:15 are right now, and incorporate that more and more.
34:18 Yeah, that has been really impressive in terms of how he's worked with the team that, again,
34:22 I don't think a lot of us expected them to be in a spot.
34:24 I don't think anyone expected 8011, but he's definitely coaching a team that at the very
34:30 least, they're going to be right in the middle of the playoff picture this this upcoming
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35:55 Anything, Connor, as we're closing out here that you are hot on, that you have a take
36:00 on, that you haven't talked about, that you you want to put out there that you've seen
36:05 over the first month with this Bruins team that you think is not being discussed enough.
36:10 I mean, I'll probably just go back to what I said about, you know, the fact that we teaching
36:15 these guys on flying and how tough that is.
36:17 And I think it's something that you go down that rabbit hole of like this team needs needs
36:22 grit and you get dismissed by a lot of people as to what that means or what that brings
36:25 to a team.
36:26 But I think you've seen it with you know, you can you can view and see how valuable
36:31 those guys are just in terms of the extra energy they provide, the you know, the deterrence
36:37 it is with having a guy like Leach out there.
36:39 I guarantee you that against the game in Florida instead of Frederick, maybe Potter is skating
36:44 a few shifts with Leach each instead.
36:46 Like I think you see the energy and the extra I think you get from having those guys in
36:52 the lineup, even a guy like Loutko, like those guys just make things happen.
36:57 And I think that's the kind of the perfect blend of what you need in teams is, you know,
37:01 that high end skill.
37:02 But if you have guys that can, you know, inject energy, make things happen.
37:06 I mean, even look at like Florida, like all these teams that have a really strong forecheck
37:11 closing on you quickly and can make things happen and kind of muck things up, usually
37:14 do pretty well in the playoffs.
37:15 I think the Bruins have seen that like you need, you know, a lot more skill injected
37:20 into your roster in today's NHL.
37:22 We all know that.
37:23 But finding that fine blend is something I think the Bruins were kind of missing.
37:26 I think you've seen it so far with guys like Leach, Leach and Loutko.
37:30 And you just hope those guys are back soon.
37:32 And I think it's it's obviously fun having those guys out there.
37:35 You love hearing the Looch chants and all those things.
37:37 But that added element, I think, has been very, very noticeable in those games.
37:41 You've seen him out there.
37:42 Yeah, I agree.
37:43 And, you know, that is like a great observation just as far as the fourth line goes, that
37:50 like you now understand why Loutko and Looch each and Beecher won those roles out of training.
37:56 Like and you did then because you saw how well they were playing.
37:59 But like seeing some of the other guys in those spots on that fourth line, the fourth
38:03 line is not nearly as effective right now with the people that they're missing as it
38:08 was when they had Beecher centering Loutko and Looch each.
38:12 And that was a strength.
38:14 And that was something you noticed.
38:15 I mean, opening night, they were outstanding.
38:17 And like there was a few games where they were factors and pretty much every night they
38:20 were bringing physicality, energy and they were disruptive.
38:24 And they really were doing a very good job more often than not.
38:27 And, you know, I think the fourth line is much less of a factor right now with some
38:32 of the other players that are in there.
38:34 And certainly, you know, on a whole different level, the presence of Looch each just is
38:39 a game changer for everybody.
38:40 It makes everybody more courageous.
38:42 It makes everybody have a little more physical swagger.
38:44 It makes everybody braver because they know he's going to have their back.
38:48 You know, you do have the ability to with him.
38:51 He's a guy that at times they will play up in the lineup a little bit because he's done
38:55 it before in his past and he knows how to play that role.
39:01 And he knows, you know, he's a very underrated, I think, playmaker and passer.
39:05 And he's very good at, you know, hitting guys in good spots.
39:08 And he did it multiple times in the preseason and the regular season where he found skill
39:13 guys in the right place to set them up to do their thing.
39:16 You know, whether it was Pasternak, whether it was setting up Mason Lowry in the preseason
39:20 with a great pass, like he's underrated doing that.
39:24 And he has the ability to play with higher end offensive players, even though if he sometimes
39:30 can struggle to keep up with them, speak skating speed wise, like that's fine with a big, you
39:34 know, cruiserweight like that, that's going to happen.
39:36 But when he gets there and he has the puck, he can set guys up and he's always been able
39:40 to do that going back to his days playing with Nathan Horton and David Creechie.
39:45 So any, obviously the net front thing is, is a, you know, a part of his toolbox as well
39:50 when he's playing with those kinds of players.
39:52 So I agree, definitely missing Lauco and Lucic takes a big chunk out of the fourth line as
39:58 far as just their ability to have an impact.
40:01 So hopefully they do come back sooner rather than later and, you know, great that Lauco
40:07 was lucky and, you know, what we've seen with tragic skate blade issues and, you know, things
40:15 that have happened to where it's coming more and more of a conversation in the hockey community
40:19 about net guards and about Kevlar protection all over, you know, for, from skate blades
40:25 that are coming up high for him, that was like, you know, millimeters away from doing
40:30 real damage to him and for him to be able to come out the next day with a Lord of the
40:34 Rings tweet, make course pretty awesome.
40:38 It's why I get along with him.
40:39 It's I, you know, I, I love going over and just talking to him about like new MCU shows,
40:44 you know, that's going on.
40:46 That's total, like, you know, comic book, geek sci-fi crap.
40:50 Cause he's all into it and he's, he knows what's going on with all of that stuff.
40:55 He's a pro too.
40:56 I was like talking to him.
40:57 I like the Lord of the Rings movies.
40:58 And he'll be like, ah, like you read like the extended, like chapters of like the Tolkien.
41:03 I was like, no, I don't, I don't know any of that stuff, man.
41:06 Like that is beyond what I'm, what I'm investing in.
41:09 So kudos to you for, for doing that, but I'm not reading any Tolkien novel.
41:13 No, no, no.
41:14 He's in deep.
41:15 And I appreciate that.
41:16 Like anybody that is a professional athlete is that level.
41:20 It also has the ability to be a complete, like a fantasy sci-fi comic book geek at the
41:25 same time as my hats off to you.
41:28 You are, you are a well-rounded Renaissance man and that's what Jacob Leuco is.
41:32 So, you know, glad to see he's, he's going to be all right.
41:35 And that, you know, he avoided any kind of serious injury there.
41:39 That's it for us this week.
41:41 Thank you very much, Connor, for being with me.
41:43 I appreciate it.
41:44 We'll do this again down the road sometime soon.
41:47 Thank you for listening to the Pucks with Hags podcast.
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42:29 Connor, Ryan, once again, thank you very much.
42:32 We will see you at practice a little bit later today.
42:36 We still got another home game to go, so we'll see each other a few times this week.
42:40 Thanks for talking hockey with me.
42:41 Everybody out there, thanks for listening.
42:42 We'll see you at the ring.
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