Poke The Bear with Conor Ryan Ep. 184
Today, Conor Ryan is joined by Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub to talk about the recent happenings in the world of the Boston Bruins including Charlie McAvoy's apparent injury against the Buffalo Sabres, Matt Poitras being sat much to the dismay of many fans, Tuukka Rask taking the ice with the team in practice, and go over some statistics that might be concerning in regards to the recent offensive production of this team.
This episode of Poke the Bear is brought to you by Fanduel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering parter of the CLNS Media NetworkRight now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR MONEYLINE BET! So, visit https://FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season. FanDuel, Official Partner of the NFL. 21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $5 pregame moneyline wager required. First onlinereal money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234.
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Today, Conor Ryan is joined by Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub to talk about the recent happenings in the world of the Boston Bruins including Charlie McAvoy's apparent injury against the Buffalo Sabres, Matt Poitras being sat much to the dismay of many fans, Tuukka Rask taking the ice with the team in practice, and go over some statistics that might be concerning in regards to the recent offensive production of this team.
This episode of Poke the Bear is brought to you by Fanduel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering parter of the CLNS Media NetworkRight now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR MONEYLINE BET! So, visit https://FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season. FanDuel, Official Partner of the NFL. 21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $5 pregame moneyline wager required. First onlinereal money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. GamblingHelpLineMa.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234.
Factor Meals! Visit https://factormeals.com/POKE50 to get 50% off your first box! Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 And he said, "It's funny how you decide what a good game is."
00:03 And I was like, "The fuck you mean for?"
00:05 But I wanted to be like, "Alright, then why is it a bad game?
00:07 Tell me why it's a bad game."
00:08 But the microphone's already gone, and then I'm now on a clown.
00:11 -Jumping over all these, like, stage chairs.
00:13 He's trying to get past Channel 7, Channel 25 cameras, just going back up there.
00:18 -I know, but, like, it makes me feel like I'm in the White House.
00:20 Be like, "Sir! Sir!"
00:22 ♪♪
00:31 -And welcome in to "Poke the Bear," episode 184, presented by CLNS Media
00:36 and sponsored by our good friends over at FanDuel and Factor Meals.
00:40 My name is Connor Ryan.
00:42 Today, we are once again joined by the esteemed Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub.
00:47 Ty, what's going on?
00:49 -Just steamed. Not esteemed.
00:50 Just regular steamed.
00:52 -Oscar-steamed, or...?
00:54 -I was thinking more like steamed ham.
00:57 I don't know. -Oh.
00:58 -Yeah, but no, we'll go with Oscar-steamed.
01:00 That seems cool.
01:01 Small. It's got quadzilla.
01:04 -Yeah, a winning contributor to a good hockey team, right?
01:08 I feel like that -- I mean, I wouldn't say a contributor, though.
01:11 I mean, I feel like that's not doing you service there.
01:14 I mean, you're kind of a big deal.
01:15 -Yeah. -You're trying to blow up your spot, but...
01:17 -Yeah, no, I am never, ever gonna be a big deal.
01:23 It's like a -- It's a good thing I refuse to --
01:26 Like, people will, like -- You know this, like, in this industry,
01:30 and you see people, and they're really nice to you,
01:33 and they're really complimentary.
01:35 I don't know how to take a compliment.
01:36 I'm just like, "Ah."
01:38 When someone says, "I followed you on Twitter,"
01:39 my first reaction is always, "Ah, sorry."
01:41 Like, I don't know what to say.
01:42 "Sorry you do that. That seems like a bad idea."
01:45 I appreciate it, but I don't know what to say.
01:48 -It's one of those things where I think you're all very --
01:52 We're very flattered we have that,
01:54 and it does mean a great deal to us.
01:55 And I'm like, "You know how many Nick Richie
01:58 Moon fucking tweets you've probably seen?"
02:00 I'm like, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I populated your timeline with that."
02:03 -Yeah. Nick Richie, my guy, by the way.
02:08 I haven't looked at his stat line in a little bit here,
02:11 but he signed in Finland. -Yes.
02:15 -When I last I looked, he had played three games in Finland.
02:18 Zero goals, zero assists, minus five,
02:23 29 minutes and penalties.
02:24 That's my guy. That is my guy.
02:26 Just an absolute monster.
02:30 I miss him every day. Miss the Moon.
02:32 -Absolutely, yes.
02:34 Yeah, it's not a great start for Nick Richie over in Finland,
02:37 but by the same token, Bruins not doing very well
02:41 in their last game against the Buffalo Sabres.
02:44 Bruins have been on a roll as of late,
02:46 mostly fueled by Brad Marshall going sicko mode,
02:49 as the kids say.
02:51 Comes to an end, though, against Buffalo on Thursday.
02:54 Lose 3-1.
02:56 Based on the way that game was going,
02:57 didn't really seem like it was even that close.
03:00 I, unfortunately, was not present.
03:02 I was watching the revitalized Patriots
03:05 defeat the juggernaut that are the Pittsburgh Steelers,
03:08 so I was not there.
03:10 Ty, you were.
03:11 When you look at that game and the way the Bruins lost
03:15 and maybe looking more from a big-picture perspective,
03:18 are you more concerned by kind of the drop
03:21 in offensive production from this team
03:23 or still kind of what we talked about the last couple weeks
03:26 where it's more the defensive side of things
03:29 and a few lapses there that are maybe a little bit
03:31 more concerning at this stage of the season?
03:33 -Yeah, you know, I think the defense,
03:35 you could work around that.
03:36 The offense, I don't know if you could inject more skill
03:40 and speed into a group that is a little bit,
03:44 you know, lacking in that department,
03:46 and I think you kind of noticed it last night,
03:48 and we'll talk about this more, but, you know,
03:49 they sent Matthew Potra, and you really kind of see
03:52 that they don't really have a lot of guys
03:54 that can create their own spark.
03:56 You know, they have David Postrak,
03:57 and they have Brad Marchand,
03:59 and they have some high-end talent, as we obviously know,
04:02 but once you get beyond them, you're kind of relying on guys
04:06 who really rely on a bounce going their way
04:10 versus creating their own bounces, right?
04:11 And that's a little bit of a difference of a team.
04:14 You know, like, you look at some of the guys
04:16 that started off hot and the way they've cooled down.
04:18 You know, JVR has, I think, two goals
04:20 in those last 14 games, I want to say.
04:23 You know, Morgan Gieke, you still haven't seen
04:25 the offensive impact as much, if it is there,
04:29 and so you have some guys that, you know,
04:31 are just so hot and cold that --
04:33 and you don't know if they can tap into that level,
04:38 like, consistently because they don't have the speed
04:40 or, in some cases, the skill.
04:42 So defense, you can coach.
04:44 Offense, you know, you can't teach a plumber
04:48 to be an artist overnight, you know,
04:49 and that's kind of the issue I think you may have
04:51 with the Bruins once you get towards the bottom
04:53 of their roster up front, for sure.
04:56 -Yeah, that's why I almost think that defense
04:58 is more concerning,
05:01 but it's also, like, the more fixable option.
05:03 It's like, I think going into the year,
05:05 we expected this was going to be a little bit
05:06 of a slog offensively in terms of,
05:08 all right, you do have the Postonaks,
05:11 the Martians, what have you,
05:12 that are going to kind of have to be your --
05:14 more or less your cheat code on most nights
05:16 in terms of generating offense for you,
05:17 but when you come on out of an offseason where you lose,
05:22 what was it, I think 80 total goals, 210 total points,
05:25 it was to be expected you were going to take a step back
05:27 in that regard.
05:28 The defense, the rush defense, the struggles with checking,
05:32 I think those are things that are more like,
05:34 listen, like, we knew the bread and butter
05:36 this team was going to be,
05:37 which is when you're goaltending a defense.
05:38 Having those lapses when you have that personnel
05:41 out there on your blue line
05:43 and on your overall defensive structure,
05:45 I feel like that's kind of more concerning
05:47 in terms of, like, that's just --
05:48 that's not right, right?
05:49 Like, I feel like the offense, we knew going into this year
05:53 that it wasn't going to be an ideal situation.
05:55 Again, it's even, I think, probably been better
05:58 than most of us have expected.
05:59 Like, we knew what Postonak was going to do.
06:00 We knew more or less what Martian was going to do.
06:03 Coyle and Zaka have still been very productive
06:05 in their top-six spots.
06:06 You've had contributions early on from guys like JVR,
06:09 but I don't think anyone was expecting this team
06:11 to be top five -- top 10,
06:14 top five in offense going into this year.
06:17 -Yeah, no, I mean, absolutely.
06:18 And, you know, we're kind of looking at what these guys
06:21 have done the last calendar month, right?
06:24 You know, Charlie Coyle has seven goals in 13 games.
06:26 Well, three of them came in one game, right?
06:28 So that's, you know, this is a chicken-shit way
06:31 of looking at it, I know, but --
06:33 so that's really four goals in 12 games.
06:35 You know, you're looking at Trent Frederick.
06:36 He had a two-goal game in there, I'm pretty sure.
06:39 He has four goals in 13 games.
06:41 So, okay, that's two in 12.
06:43 Like, it's a little bit -- you know,
06:45 it's a little bit misleading, I think.
06:47 You look at their numbers right now.
06:49 Do you know who has the fifth-most goals
06:50 or the sixth-most goals on the team
06:52 over the last calendar month, if you had to guess?
06:55 -Johnny Beecher?
06:56 -Johnny Beecher, with three goals and zero assists.
06:59 He's outscoring -- he has as many goals as Jake Dubrask.
07:05 He's outscoring JVR.
07:07 He's outscoring, you know, Matthew Potra.
07:10 He has the same amount of goals as Danton Hynden.
07:12 That's your fourth-flying center.
07:13 And so you can be happy about the production
07:15 that you're getting from Johnny Beecher, which I am,
07:18 but you look at the other part of the roster,
07:20 and you're like, "You need a little bit more juice here,"
07:22 you know, like a little more scoring oomph,
07:25 you know, every night because it can't be David Pasternak
07:28 and Brad Marchand every single night.
07:30 Like, that's just not sustainable for this team.
07:32 -Absolutely.
07:33 And when you look at the rest of that game against the Sabres,
07:37 a big letdown game for Boston against a Buffalo team
07:40 that people thought was going to be really good,
07:42 really haven't been all year.
07:45 -I'm out on them forever.
07:46 I'm sorry to interrupt. I'm out on them forever.
07:49 They are officially in that --
07:51 I'll believe it when you get to the playoffs.
07:52 When you clinch a spot, that's what I'm going to believe in you.
07:55 I've been burnt so many times.
07:57 I've heard the bullshit so many times from people,
08:00 and they stink. They still stink.
08:01 Every year, they stink.
08:03 I'm so sick of hearing it.
08:04 So, sorry. That's my little Buffalo tangent for you.
08:06 -No, that's warranted.
08:08 And it's also very funny how Buffalo, every year, too,
08:10 finds a new way to, like, let down
08:13 and hurt their own expectations.
08:15 Like, we've had multiple years of, like,
08:17 during the Eichel tenure,
08:19 where they were a playoff team going into Thanksgiving.
08:22 They looked like they were really building something.
08:24 They plummet. This year's, like, even worse
08:25 because you thought this year was all going to come together.
08:28 Maybe not be a top team in the Atlantic,
08:31 but you look at just the personnel in place,
08:33 the skill, the talent on defense and net.
08:37 The Vecna hasn't worked now.
08:38 It's like, one, I don't really know what to make of it,
08:42 and, two, I think it once again reinforces.
08:44 For Bruins fans who maybe a year or two ago
08:48 thought this team needed to fully blow things up and rebuild
08:51 and, you know, I don't think people thought
08:53 they were going to realistically fall into a Bidard sweepstakes
08:56 or anything like that, but people who thought
08:57 they needed to clear house, start a new,
08:59 all right, Bergeron and Krejci are gone.
09:01 Let's, you know, rip the foundations up.
09:03 This is what you get.
09:04 Even when a team, like, consistently lands top picks,
09:09 top talent, and it's not to say
09:10 there also have been, like, busts.
09:12 Like, I think Darlene's a very good player.
09:15 Like, Levi has talent.
09:16 Like, you stumble into, like, Tate Thompson,
09:19 which that trade looked terrible for them,
09:20 and now he's all of a sudden, like,
09:22 morphed himself into, like, a more dynamic Rick Nash.
09:25 Like, they have talent.
09:26 They've hit on these different guys,
09:29 and it still doesn't work out.
09:30 It truly is just how much, especially in hockey,
09:32 how much of a fucking crapshoot it is.
09:34 So when you have a good talent, a good core in place,
09:37 and you can add to it, and you have guys like McAvoy
09:40 and Pasternak and Swainman and Allmark and all those guys,
09:44 keep it in place and keep it rolling and improv on the fly
09:46 as opposed to fully blowing it up,
09:48 because, I mean, hell, even Detroit,
09:49 a team that has historically been a winning franchise,
09:53 a team that has a lot of fan investment, a lot of pride,
09:56 they've done their damnedest the last six, seven years
09:59 to get back to where they are right now,
10:01 and it hasn't worked out for them.
10:02 It is a complete fucking crapshoot.
10:04 - Yeah, and I've said to you before,
10:07 we talk about it every time that Detroit is in Boston.
10:11 Like, I can't believe that, like,
10:13 the quote-unquote "Eiser plan" netted them
10:16 the guys that it did,
10:18 and I don't mean that in, like, a good way.
10:20 I mean, like, I thought they were gonna get, like,
10:22 superstar-level talent, and credit to Steve Eisenman.
10:25 Like, they've done a good job of building a team.
10:28 You know, DeBruinCat's a huge ad for them.
10:30 But elsewhere in the roster, it hasn't been like,
10:32 "Oh, man, they're building a powerhouse."
10:34 It's like, "Okay, you get a bunch of scrappy
10:36 second and third liners.
10:37 That's cool, but what's that gonna get you
10:39 when push comes to shove and you need the high-end talent?"
10:41 Which I guess is kind of where we're going to
10:44 with the Bruins right now.
10:45 It's like, you understand this is a,
10:46 this is a, you know, a bridge year, so to speak,
10:49 or a, you know, a cap hell year, right?
10:52 We all agree on that.
10:53 But it really emphasizes, like, how much you need
10:58 those guys that are clicking in the first month
11:00 of the season to click again.
11:02 Because right now, their dry spells, I think,
11:03 are putting a lot of pressure on guys
11:06 that already play with a lot of pressure.
11:07 Be it your captain, you know, your first-year captain
11:10 who's trying to navigate how to be a captain,
11:13 or your $11.25 million right winger who,
11:17 last night, by the way, attempted 12 shots.
11:20 12!
11:22 Like, he's trying to do it himself,
11:23 and you understand why, but like,
11:25 they need some more support.
11:26 So you gotta hope that scoring comes, I think.
11:29 - Absolutely.
11:30 And was there anything else that kind of stuck out
11:32 to you about that Sabres game,
11:34 whether you can write it off as a one-off,
11:36 or is it more or less the same things we've seen
11:39 that have sprouted up, whether it's the lapses defensively,
11:42 you know, not adhering to a strong four-checking game?
11:45 Like, what else kind of stood out to you
11:47 about what led to such a flat performance
11:50 against a very beatable team this year?
11:53 - Yeah, I mean, another bad first period.
11:55 I think that's been the calling card of this team this year,
11:58 is that they just get their teeth kicked in for 20 minutes,
12:01 and then they wake up, and that's great,
12:03 but you have to not dig your hole too deep
12:06 in those 20 minutes,
12:07 and you have to eventually find your game.
12:09 I don't think they found their game.
12:12 They found their game when they had a six-on-five
12:13 with three minutes left.
12:15 They were down two, though.
12:16 It was over, you know?
12:17 And so I think that, you know, these first periods,
12:21 like, you can think of probably six or seven first periods
12:24 off the top of your head
12:25 that have been utterly garbage this year for the Bruins,
12:28 so it remains an issue.
12:30 I think that's the biggest issue,
12:31 is that, you know, you always heard about this with Cassidy,
12:34 the on-time start, right?
12:36 And Montgomery's borrowed it.
12:37 All coaches say it now,
12:39 but it's the biggest thing they're lacking right now.
12:42 Like, they do not have one of those,
12:45 anything resembling a consistent standpoint, in my opinion.
12:49 - Yeah, and it's also one of those things
12:51 where you're putting yourself in a bad spot anyway,
12:53 because, yes, you do have Pasternak and Marchand
12:56 and, like, McAvoy when he's healthy,
12:58 and you have, like, star-level talent,
12:59 but you also don't have what you had even a few years ago.
13:02 Or, like, let's say the Tampa Bay Lightning,
13:05 who we agree are a super top-heavy team,
13:07 but if they start slow,
13:08 but then they're pushing it in the third period,
13:10 and they've got Kucharov and Stamkos and Pointe and Hedman,
13:14 like, they've got enough elite talent at the top
13:17 that they can will themselves and out-skill a team
13:20 down the stretch and come away with two points
13:23 or a point or something like that.
13:24 Like, they can absolve some of those slow starts
13:27 based on how much high-end talent.
13:29 It's not nearly as easy for this team.
13:31 You can't have it just be one or two guys
13:33 every single night to bail you out.
13:34 It's not like the Celtics with Tatum or Brown,
13:38 what have you, right?
13:39 Like, it's not a winning formula in hockey
13:41 with the way this team is set up.
13:42 So, no, you're right, Ty.
13:43 It's definitely something they do need to clear up
13:45 moving forward.
13:46 - What I would also say about that, too,
13:48 is, like, we talk about how many goals they've given up
13:52 against an empty net this year.
13:54 Well, you know, I'm not gonna make excuses for them,
13:56 but wouldn't you agree that that exact thing
13:59 you're talking about plays to the strength of a lightning,
14:03 of a Maple Leafs,
14:05 because they can just load up with their skill, guys.
14:07 The Bruins win games when they make the other team
14:10 have to roll four lines,
14:11 or have to turn to, like, their depth guys, right?
14:15 And so, when your own depth guys
14:17 aren't really carrying the load,
14:18 that puts that strain on you, I think.
14:20 So, it's not cause for concern,
14:22 but I think when they are built the way they are built,
14:26 you gotta have a strong start out of the gate.
14:28 You gotta be ready to go out the opening face-off.
14:30 You can't get outshot 21 to five in your own building
14:34 against the Buffalo Sabres in the opening 20 minutes.
14:36 That's insane.
14:37 That can't happen.
14:38 - Yeah, no, not a good response from the Bruins
14:42 on Thursday night,
14:43 but as we continue to kind of dissect that game,
14:46 let's take a brief break here, Ty,
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15:46 and doesn't mention me shouting out Mac Jones again,
15:49 'cause that has aged poorly.
15:51 But anyway, I digress.
15:52 Ty, as we look at more of the aftermath
15:56 from that game against the Sabres,
15:58 a long-term issue for this team,
16:01 health of Charlie McAvoy,
16:03 based on what Jim Montgomery said on Friday
16:06 after their practice,
16:07 seems like the Bruins dodged a bullet,
16:09 took a shot up high from,
16:11 I think it was Paterka, right?
16:13 - Yeah.
16:13 - Yeah, so he goes, drops to the ice,
16:17 doesn't play for a majority of third period,
16:19 sure looked like a concussion or something like that.
16:21 Montgomery mentions that it's not anything head-related,
16:25 which is good for the Bruins.
16:26 But when you look at the state of this D-core
16:29 where you're already missing a guy like Derek Fulbright,
16:31 who I think has been really steady all season long,
16:34 can't afford to lose McAvoy for an extended stretch,
16:36 especially when offensively,
16:39 you need a guy like him on your blue line right now.
16:43 - Yeah, he's part of the pillars,
16:44 the untouchable pillars that you can't afford to lose
16:47 for any prolonged stretches here.
16:50 Marshan is the other one.
16:52 Pasternak is obviously one.
16:53 And a weird one that I include in there is Charlie Coyle,
16:56 because I just think he just does so many things
16:58 for you as a centerman.
17:00 And so, yeah, you hold your breath
17:03 every time this happens with him.
17:05 He's taken some lumps this year,
17:07 and he can dish them out,
17:09 but he's been taking quite a few of them this year.
17:12 So you hope for the best, you don't know, obviously,
17:16 until he's back out there on the ice.
17:18 But this did not look good in the moment.
17:22 He looked like he was on Dream Street.
17:26 When he was getting back up to his feet,
17:28 I noticed it from six floors up.
17:30 I'm like, "Ooh, that does not look good."
17:32 And he tried to hang, but you just tell that he couldn't.
17:35 When that happens, I do always wonder about
17:38 the independent spotters.
17:40 But it seems like they're gonna escape this one unscathed.
17:45 Once again, another Charlie McAvoy injury scare
17:48 that's gonna fall by the wayside, in a good way.
17:52 But no, they can't lose him.
17:53 They just, they can't lose him.
17:54 He's an ice-shifting kind of presence out there.
17:59 He's one of the only guys you have on the back end,
18:01 in my opinion, who can lay the body.
18:04 You know, they lost that with Connor Clifton,
18:06 and Kevin Shattenkirk doesn't really have
18:08 that part of his game.
18:09 And so he's just such a tone setter.
18:14 You can't lose that guy.
18:15 So he's gotta be upright for them.
18:17 - Yeah.
18:18 When I think of the concussion spotters
18:20 and the guys who pull the guys off the ice,
18:21 I remember the, I think it was 2018, 2019,
18:24 when Marshand got pulled from a game.
18:26 And afterwards, like his entire press conference
18:28 was him just roasting the guy,
18:30 the spotter who took him off.
18:31 He was like, yeah, he was eating like cheeseburgers
18:33 up in the ninth floor.
18:34 I remember those like the angers I think
18:35 I've ever seen Marshand.
18:36 - Oh yeah.
18:37 - In a post-game scrum, in the regular season at least.
18:39 I know he's had some crispy press conferences
18:42 in the playoffs, but-
18:44 - Yeah, remember when he yelled at me
18:45 and I was like 50 cents, I was like,
18:46 "What is he gonna fuck me for?"
18:48 - Completely unnecessary.
18:50 It was like a very, like very fair, rational question
18:52 that had nothing I think to do with him, right?
18:54 I think it was-
18:55 - It was about his line.
18:56 It was about, it was about,
18:58 'cause they-
18:58 - Really had a line played.
18:59 - Really had a great team fight.
19:00 - Really being a great win,
19:01 and you're just trying to dig
19:03 and get the juicy sound bite,
19:06 trying to really throw, drag him through the dirt.
19:10 Really unnecessary.
19:11 - Those playoff ones suck too,
19:12 because they pass you the microphone,
19:14 and then you ask your question,
19:15 and you pass the microphone off.
19:18 Because the exact question was,
19:19 you guys had a great game.
19:22 You know, Bergeron, Martian, Pasternak.
19:24 You had a great game.
19:25 What did you see that made it a great game for you guys
19:28 after kind of going through some struggles?
19:31 And he said, "It's funny how you decide
19:33 "what a good game is."
19:34 And I was like, "What the fuck me for?"
19:36 But I wanted to be like,
19:37 "All right, then why is it a bad game?
19:38 "Tell me why it's a bad game."
19:39 But the microphone's already gone,
19:41 and then I'm now on the cloud.
19:41 - He's just jumping over all these like stage chairs.
19:44 He's trying to get past channel seven, channel 25 cameras,
19:48 just going back up there.
19:50 - I know, but like it makes me feel like
19:51 I'm in the White House, like, "Sir, sir!"
19:53 Like, I don't need to do that.
19:54 But I'll never understand why he did that.
19:57 I'll never get it, but that's okay.
19:58 It all worked out.
19:59 - Yes, exactly.
20:00 It happens, especially over a long,
20:03 emotional playoff run, those things happen.
20:05 I was like Oppenheimer in the testimony hearing,
20:07 just like this.
20:08 You know, every time he's going off, but anyway.
20:10 - I was also naked.
20:12 - Yes, yeah, we didn't talk about that.
20:13 I didn't want to bring it up.
20:15 This is a PG-13 podcast,
20:17 even though I think we've said fuck a couple of times.
20:18 I think you can only do that once per PG-13 movie,
20:21 but it's okay.
20:22 It's all right.
20:23 - Breaking Bad gets one a season.
20:25 - Exactly.
20:26 So we get one per like 50 episode run.
20:29 We'll do that.
20:30 That's fair.
20:31 So we definitely won't do it again next week.
20:34 But with McAvoy's status,
20:37 and especially Fulbert now being out,
20:39 being put on LTIR, Mason Laurie's back.
20:42 I think we've talked about, you know,
20:45 the talent that he has,
20:46 but also the areas of improvement
20:48 he needs to really shore up here.
20:50 What'd you kind of see from him on Thursday
20:52 against Buffalo?
20:53 And did you see any potential strides
20:56 in his individual game?
20:57 I know two points is the most important thing,
20:59 but how do you see him play,
21:01 especially with a guy like Shattenkirk?
21:03 - Yeah, I actually thought that they had
21:04 some good chemistry, some good synergy.
21:07 I thought they were springing one another well.
21:09 I thought they were connected as a two-man unit
21:14 in terms of the breakouts
21:16 and how to best utilize each other's reach
21:18 and their skillset and their veteran know-how
21:21 in the case of Shattenkirk.
21:22 So I thought that was an improvement.
21:25 Defensively, I just think it's gonna be a work in progress.
21:29 It's gonna be, you know,
21:31 it's gonna be a full season before you're like,
21:33 okay, he's grown into his body.
21:36 He has man strength now.
21:37 You know, like he's six foot five,
21:40 but I swear to God, he's my weight.
21:41 You know what I mean?
21:42 Like you look at him, you're like,
21:43 oh, you are skinny, you know?
21:45 And you know, that's the biggest thing for him.
21:49 And it's gonna come with time.
21:50 But overall, I thought that the Shattenkirk-Lowry pairing
21:55 was good for him.
21:58 I'd like to keep him away from McAvoy, if I can help it.
22:02 I just think that it runs the risk of overexposure,
22:05 which is not good for him.
22:07 At this point in his career, he's not ready for that.
22:10 So if you can hide him with a veteran
22:12 and give him a soft landing
22:14 and control the matchup a little bit more, I like that.
22:17 And again, I thought he had a great pass
22:20 on the second period, sparked the breakout,
22:22 hit Johnny Beecher.
22:24 Johnny Beecher then hit, I believe, Osterstein
22:27 for a look that went just wide,
22:30 but tremendous poise, patience to make that play happen.
22:33 So overall I liked it, but you know,
22:38 it's hard to look at things in the micro with him.
22:40 You know what I'm saying?
22:41 It's just like, 'cause you have such high expectations
22:44 and high hopes and you gotta see the defensive growth,
22:48 I think, before you can really get a read on him.
22:50 So I'm still kind of like, yeah, he knows what he can do,
22:53 which is offense right now.
22:54 It's everything else I gotta see more of.
22:56 - Yeah, he's a really fascinating prospect.
22:58 And I mean, even just his profile, right,
23:01 of an offensively gifted blue liner who's six foot five.
23:05 I mean, that is something that doesn't come around often.
23:09 So I think why Bruin fans are so excited
23:11 when I remember his first game in the regular season
23:14 where he was really dominant,
23:16 and I think all of us were like, oh shit,
23:18 what are the, is this guy ready?
23:19 'Cause if this guy's ready to roll
23:20 and can play 20 minutes and can do that,
23:22 well, you've got an impact guy in your top four.
23:25 So I get why Bruin's fans are really excited,
23:27 but it is interesting just to see how,
23:30 I think people should preach, you know, patience with him
23:33 because there's gonna be those lapses, right?
23:36 It's not like it's every now and then.
23:38 This is still a guy that, I think Montgomery said it,
23:40 he started playing defense when he was,
23:41 I think, 16 or 17.
23:43 Like, this is like Anthony Davis being
23:46 like a six one point guard,
23:47 and then one year he grew like seven inches.
23:49 Like, there's a reason why that guy is such a freak athlete,
23:52 both Lowry and Anthony Davis,
23:54 because their skillset doesn't really complement
23:57 the frame that they're in.
23:59 And it's not to say that Mason Lowry is now going to
24:02 lead the Lakers to an NBA title,
24:04 or hopefully, you know, hopefully he's not getting hurt,
24:06 but as Anthony Davis is.
24:07 But when you look at just how intriguing the prospect it is,
24:12 yeah, I don't think there's gonna be anything sweeping,
24:14 any sweeping declarations as to this season
24:18 beyond just him building off the promise.
24:20 I think it's gonna be a couple of years
24:22 before he rounds into what I think
24:24 the Bruins hope he can be.
24:25 - Right, no, 100%.
24:28 And I think, you know, I think what I hate about it is like,
24:33 you know, I just talk about him and I say,
24:35 "I don't think he's ready yet."
24:37 And people turn this into some great sort of like
24:40 knock on him, it's like, "No, he's just not ready yet."
24:42 Like, it takes time for guys to be ready.
24:44 You know, Jake DeBrusque got a whole year
24:47 in the AHL before we saw him, you know what I mean?
24:49 And like, I know different positions, of course,
24:51 but like season is not a bad thing.
24:53 Seasoning is not a bad thing for a lot of these guys.
24:55 And I think Lowry in particular, you know, like,
24:58 I think a lot of people are watching with their heart,
25:00 not their eyes.
25:02 And, you know, your eyes and your brain will lead you
25:05 farther when trying to analyze, you know, a player
25:08 that you want to be part of your future for, you know,
25:10 the next decade plus.
25:12 It's great to have it now, but, you know,
25:15 I'm thinking long-term with him.
25:16 You know, that's why I said it's so hard to think about him
25:18 and with the micro, like, I'm thinking long-term.
25:21 So for me, it's like, all right, like,
25:23 how can you maximize that?
25:25 So I thought it was a good start.
25:26 I do want to see him worked into the special teams more
25:29 at the NHL level, 'cause I think that's the next step
25:31 for him.
25:34 - You know, Grizzlix not bad in the PK, but, you know,
25:36 at some point over the next 10 games or whatever it is
25:40 with forward out, you should have opportunity there
25:43 to get Lowry some PK work and just see what he can do there,
25:47 if he can do anything there,
25:49 because he's going to have to play those roles.
25:50 He's too big and too long not to, you know,
25:53 in his career, my opinion.
25:55 - Absolutely.
25:55 And I think when you look at on ice reps
25:58 and we're looking at rookies,
26:00 one guy who did not play on Thursday,
26:03 Matt Potcher, which I think people were like,
26:04 was he injured?
26:06 Was he banged up?
26:07 Is it, you know, was rationale there?
26:09 Jim Montgomery more or less said,
26:12 prescribed, you know, day off, right?
26:13 Like this was part of their plan.
26:15 And I think on Friday, he even mentioned that
26:18 they're kind of taking a page out of the book
26:19 of what the Ducks are doing with Leo Carlson,
26:21 who's on like a Kawhi Leonard, like rest schedule,
26:25 like every couple of games he's not playing
26:27 as they try to get a guy who's still really, really young,
26:30 really talented, up to speed with the pace
26:33 and the strain that comes with an 82 game NHL season,
26:38 which I get, right, Matthew Potcher, 19 years old,
26:41 there's been ups and downs, as I think we all expected.
26:44 But I think when you look at the Ducks who are, again,
26:47 they've taken some strides this year,
26:49 but still a ways away from contending,
26:51 ways away from, you know,
26:53 hinging on every single regular season game.
26:56 It does feel like the Bruins are in a different spot
26:58 where again, yes, you don't wanna
27:00 overtax a guy like Potcher,
27:01 but should he be a guy that necessarily
27:04 is on a augmented schedule when he's in the lineup,
27:08 he can really impact the game night in and night out
27:10 if he's on.
27:11 - Yeah, you know, I'm pro resting guys.
27:15 And I say this because, well, A,
27:17 Potcher's never played more than 68 games in a season.
27:21 That was in the OHL where your recoveries
27:23 are a little bit easier because you were a teenager
27:25 playing against other teenagers.
27:26 You know, now you're a teenager playing against adults.
27:29 So your body's gonna need more time to recover.
27:31 It's gonna hurt more, you know, after games
27:33 and after threes and fours and fours and six.
27:37 And so, you know, and I go back to 2008, 2009,
27:41 you know, the Bruins brought in Blake Wheeler,
27:43 a great NCAA free agent, wanted to be with the Bruins
27:47 and signed with Arizona, came to the Bruins.
27:49 He was phenomenal for 40 games.
27:51 He was unbelievable.
27:53 And then he hit a wall and then he was just not effective.
27:57 And I'm pretty sure he was healthy scratch by the playoffs.
27:59 Like Potcher is too important to this team
28:03 to have him hit that brick wall.
28:05 So yeah, I don't want him missing games against Toronto
28:08 or Tampa or Florida, but you know, and listen,
28:13 it's Monday morning quarterbacking now
28:14 because they lost the game,
28:16 but you should be able to beat the Buffalo Sabres
28:19 who came to town losing four games in a row
28:22 without Matthew Potcher.
28:24 I think that was a calculated risk by the Bruins.
28:26 It didn't work out, but I do agree
28:29 with the overall assessment, the overall idea of,
28:33 you know, getting some rest because I think Potcher
28:37 is too important to hit that wall.
28:38 That can't happen, right?
28:39 And he's different than Luchich, right?
28:42 Luchich, you know, it was six foot four
28:45 and 220 as a 19 year old.
28:46 He was banging bodies right away.
28:49 Like that guy could play 80 games.
28:51 I think Potcher was different.
28:52 It's five foot 10.
28:54 You know, that feels generous to me, you know,
28:56 as someone who's stood next to him.
28:58 180 pounds, again, that feels generous too.
29:02 So, you know, you gotta manage this kid,
29:05 I think, a little bit more.
29:06 - Absolutely.
29:07 It's a marathon, not a sprint
29:09 when it comes to some of these rookies.
29:10 So I do get it from that perspective.
29:13 - Do you not agree with it though?
29:16 It sounds like you are a Potcher every game guy.
29:19 - I mean, I view it from terms of just the fact that
29:22 when you look at just how important he is,
29:25 I get having the lineup and having him learn on the fly
29:28 of kind of the strenuous nature of the NHL and the schedule.
29:32 But the way you map it out,
29:34 I do kind of see that perspective of it,
29:36 of the fact that you can't have him out there
29:38 every single day playing 14, 15 minutes a night.
29:42 It's almost like, all right,
29:43 if there's situations where he's,
29:45 like that game against Toronto,
29:46 where he's pulled for most of the third period,
29:48 then I'm like, all right, well,
29:50 I know you want to have him learn on the fly,
29:51 but is he going to learn
29:52 when he's just stapled to the bench?
29:54 If it's every couple of games where he's sitting out
29:58 just to keep him, you know, his legs fresh
30:01 and have him out there,
30:02 I do get that part of it from the Bruins.
30:04 It's just, as you said,
30:06 I'd like to have Potcher out there as much as possible,
30:08 because I think he's such a key building block to this team.
30:12 And I think he's still an impact player now
30:13 when he's still generating offense
30:15 for a team that is struggling with it.
30:17 But as you said, yeah,
30:19 you want to keep him out there and have him playing,
30:21 but if you get to February and we're in a stretch
30:23 where he's got one assist in his last 12 games,
30:28 shit, like you're in that spot where, again,
30:30 you don't have the depth of the personnel there
30:33 where you can go and you can, you know,
30:37 have him navigate those ups and downs,
30:39 those extended lulls.
30:41 You just can't afford to have that.
30:42 So no, I went in with the viewpoint
30:46 that I think you need to play him as much as possible,
30:48 but you kind of mapped out a,
30:51 one of the worst case scenarios,
30:52 but one that is also very, very tangible
30:54 in terms of happening.
30:55 - Yeah, but at the same time, you know, to my own point,
30:59 like, you know, I mentioned this earlier,
31:01 without him, it was a pretty flat looking team.
31:04 The bottom of the roster in terms of their creativity,
31:07 the ability to turn nothing into something.
31:09 So I do wonder if the Beruins hit that point as well,
31:11 where they're like, we can't sit this guy.
31:14 He's too important to our middle six.
31:16 Like we need his creativity.
31:17 We need his spark, right?
31:19 But this is when you come back to the cushion they've built
31:23 to be in the playoffs.
31:24 So you gotta just keep racking up some points,
31:26 even if they're loser points, you know,
31:28 get a point here, get a point there.
31:30 And you don't have to, you know,
31:32 be in desperation mode for the final 25 games of your season.
31:36 - Yeah, absolutely.
31:37 No, it's definitely something worth monitoring with Patra.
31:39 We'll see how he does on Saturday afternoon
31:42 against a Red Hut Coyotes team,
31:44 which I don't think most people expected,
31:45 but see how he responds from that.
31:48 Ty, before we go into our final segment,
31:51 let's take one more break and hear from our other friends
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33:21 Ty, I was thinking to end this episode,
33:25 let's talk about a bit of a blast from the past.
33:28 And this is in wake of Duke Erask
33:31 making his anticipated return to the ice.
33:34 Had people in an uproar,
33:35 you had people wondering whether he was gonna be an e-bug,
33:38 whether he was stepping in
33:39 with Jeremy Strayman out sick on Thursday.
33:43 Just there for practice,
33:44 taking over, Brendan Bussey gets called up.
33:46 So it wasn't anything to do with it.
33:48 And though some people lost their minds
33:49 about the mere presence of Duke Erask
33:52 walking in those halls again,
33:53 pissed some people off for some reason.
33:55 Yeah. - Very weird people.
33:57 - Guys are shilling.
33:57 Also, Duke literally works for the team.
33:59 So he's around a lot, guys.
34:01 Like he's not been banished to the Netherrealm.
34:03 He's either golfing or in like a luxury box most nights.
34:06 And he's around, so.
34:08 - And he lives here, I think 11 months out of the year.
34:11 - Yes, so he's around, guys.
34:13 I hate to ruin your perception of Tuco,
34:16 but it had me thinking though,
34:18 people, I think more Rational Bruins fans
34:20 excited to see him back on the ice.
34:22 Who's like one Bruins legend from,
34:25 let's say since, that's like 2000,
34:28 over this like recent chapter
34:30 that this team desperately needs right now
34:32 in terms of that player's skill set,
34:35 what they would bring,
34:35 in terms of like maybe their prime career.
34:38 We're not talking about like an aging Tim Thomas
34:43 or Rask or Bersharon, like prime level,
34:46 which what kind of player does this team need right now?
34:49 - Yeah, you know, part of me wants to say Tim Thomas
34:51 just 'cause he wouldn't hug any other goaltender.
34:53 He'd be like, get the hell out of my way.
34:55 I wanna win the game.
34:57 - He would skate right past the hug.
34:59 He would just book it right down to the tunnel.
35:01 - I would have to say a guy that I think got snubbed.
35:06 He got absolutely snubbed on the top 100,
35:11 but it's the first guy that came to mind, right?
35:13 Because I could say Bersharon, I could say Krejci,
35:16 I could say Ciara, but we've seen those guys.
35:18 I wanna go a little bit farther back.
35:20 Brian Ralston shot the puck like 110 miles an hour.
35:25 He was a penalty killing machine and he just, he was great.
35:31 Like I loved Brian Ralston.
35:34 I, if you can talk to me about one guy
35:39 that I wish they didn't let walk during the '05, '06 lockout
35:43 or the '04, '05 lockout, they left all their guys walk.
35:46 Brian Ralston's that guy.
35:47 He was great in Minnesota.
35:48 You know, he had a good run after that,
35:51 but I gotta go Brian Ralston.
35:53 The two-way game, the absolute cannon of a slap shot.
35:58 I liked him a lot.
35:59 So I gotta go, I'm gonna go with him.
36:01 It's just a deeper cut, I know,
36:03 but I don't wanna go cliche and say Bersharon.
36:05 So I'm sure you're gonna pick Bersharon now
36:07 'cause I'm the king of doing bad things like that.
36:10 But no, I gotta go Brian Ralston.
36:12 Perfect secondary scorer, what they would need?
36:14 - No, I'm gonna go cliche, unfortunately, Ty.
36:18 I'm gonna do Greg Zanon,
36:19 guy this team desperately needs.
36:21 - Oh, hell yeah. - Hell of a beard.
36:23 No, I won't go with the cliche answer.
36:25 If I did, I would probably say Ciara,
36:27 which every team could fucking use a guy like Ciara.
36:30 But no, I'm gonna go with,
36:32 I'm looking more at defense
36:34 and the guy that I think is rightfully, I think,
36:36 celebrated with how good he was,
36:38 but this team needs a Dennis Seidenberg.
36:40 I think any playoff team needs a guy like Dennis Seidenberg
36:42 in terms of how many minutes he could log,
36:44 how good he was on the PK,
36:46 new one to set the right tone with a hit
36:48 or a really gritty shift out there.
36:51 I mean, he's the guy that I think delivered that huge hit
36:54 at the start of game seven against the Lightning, right?
36:56 And like maybe the best game ever.
36:58 Like new one to pick his spots
37:00 as to deliver energy to this team.
37:02 Not the flashiest guy,
37:03 but I think you look at what his skillset is
37:06 and what he provided,
37:07 not just that run in 2011 where he just went sicko mode,
37:10 but when you look at every team
37:13 that goes on a deep playoff run,
37:14 regardless of the roster,
37:15 regardless of the makeup of the team,
37:17 whether they're rush heavy, four check heavy, what have you,
37:20 you need a guy like Seidenberg anchoring
37:22 a key spot in your lineup.
37:25 So I'm gonna go with Seidenberg,
37:26 a guy that maybe doesn't get as much credit
37:29 as the usual suspects, but love him.
37:33 Great player.
37:33 - I mean, that's Alec Martinez, you know,
37:36 in the last year for Vegas.
37:37 - That's a good comparison.
37:38 - It's the same kind of player,
37:40 block shots, can play both sides,
37:42 known more for his defense than his offense,
37:44 but can chip in on occasion.
37:46 Good oppo top pairing kind of guy.
37:50 Seidenberg was really good.
37:52 And you know, it's really interesting.
37:54 Seidenberg was one of these guys
37:55 that when he tore his ACL in 2014,
37:58 he just wasn't the same.
38:00 Like he just didn't have the same acceleration.
38:03 Funny Dennis Seidenberg story.
38:05 He played for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2008, 2009.
38:10 He was a monster against the Bruins
38:14 in that second round series.
38:15 Actually, I think it's how he got on their radar.
38:18 They like, this guy is a nightmare to play against.
38:21 Luchich got very sick of Dennis Seidenberg
38:24 very quickly in that series.
38:27 And the story goes, they're midway through the series
38:30 and Luchich says to him, "Hey, why don't you fight me?
38:33 I'm kind of sick of this.
38:35 Why don't you fight me?
38:36 He goes, "I'll beat your ass."
38:38 Dennis Seidenberg goes, "Yeah, I know you will.
38:39 I'm not fighting you."
38:40 Like he was very aware of his limitations.
38:43 He was like, "I know I'm not gonna fight you.
38:45 That's crazy.
38:46 I'm not doing that."
38:47 - I will block 14 shots in a playoff game and be fine.
38:51 But no, I will not get into a fist to cuffs.
38:54 You know, in the biggest battles.
38:55 - Exactly.
38:56 I'm glad we also didn't go with like the,
38:59 if we're looking at prime guys,
39:00 I'm like, I will take 27 year old Yara Mir-Yagur.
39:04 I'm glad we have guys that aren't at the top of the list
39:07 that no shit, everyone would love to have them.
39:08 But in terms of the unheralded guys that, you know,
39:12 we're not saying, we're not throwing out like
39:14 a Sean Thornton or Greg Campbell or someone like that.
39:16 Again, key guys for what their roles are.
39:19 But in terms of another top four guy,
39:21 another middle six guy that can put the puck on net,
39:25 like Ryan Ralston, as you said.
39:27 Guys that I think this team would desperately need,
39:29 as would any team, bracing for a deep playoff run.
39:31 So that was our fun.
39:33 - I totally slept on, sorry.
39:36 I totally slept on how good Brian Ralston was.
39:39 Those three years in Minnesota, after the lockout,
39:43 34 goals, 31 goals, 31 goals.
39:46 Guy was a monster.
39:47 Like, ugh, can't believe I let him walk.
39:50 I can't believe they did that still to this day.
39:52 So I will always be upset about that.
39:54 So he's gotta be my pick.
39:55 - Yes, no, that was a good one.
39:58 All right, well, I think that wraps up
40:00 our extended episode of "Poke the Bear."
40:03 Ty, where can we read, listen, and get all of your work?
40:08 - Well, listen, you can listen to me on this podcast.
40:12 That's probably the best place to find me.
40:14 Reading, you can find me on 95sportssub.com.
40:18 I'm on their website, and I'm on Twitter/X @_tyanderson.
40:23 - Perfect, and you can read all of my stuff
40:25 over at boston.com and follow me on Twitter/X,
40:29 whatever the hell it is, @connorryan_93.
40:33 So this was our latest episode of "Poke the Bear."
40:36 I'm Connor Ryan, that is Ty Anderson.
40:39 You guys have a great rest of your week.
40:41 (upbeat music)
40:43 (upbeat music)
40:46 (upbeat music)
40:48 (upbeat music)
40:51 (upbeat music)
40:54 (upbeat music)