On this episode of Bruins Beat, Evan marinofsky and Conor Ryan discuss the Bruins' apparent rise from the ashes as the team has seemed to find a groove. What is different about this team now? And how do they maintain momentum on their west coast road trip? All that, and much more!
Topics:
- Bruins comps to the Juan Soto situation
- Bruins seem to be turning the corner
- What’s working?
- But the schedule!
- Now comes the real test
- Why this five-game stretch is so important
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Topics:
- Bruins comps to the Juan Soto situation
- Bruins seem to be turning the corner
- What’s working?
- But the schedule!
- Now comes the real test
- Why this five-game stretch is so important
***********************************************
💰 Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS
Download the app today and use Code CLNS when you sign up & Get $50 instantly when you play $5!
🎫 Gametime - https://gametime.co
Take the guesswork out of buying NHL tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Terms apply. What time is it? Gametime!
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SportsTranscript
00:00Bruins Beat is brought to you by PrizePix and the Game Time app.
00:07And welcome to the Bruins Beat presented by PrizePix.
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00:17And presented by Game Time, go use the promo code CLNS to get $20 off that first purchase.
00:22Terms apply.
00:23I am Evan Marinovsky.
00:25That is Connor Ryan.
00:26Connor, what is up?
00:28Evan, I'm doing well.
00:30How you doing?
00:31Doing great.
00:32Doing great.
00:33I like the hat.
00:34I like the beanie.
00:35But you meant soccer.
00:36So UMass got a W over them this weekend, though.
00:39They sure did.
00:40It wasn't particularly close, but it's all right.
00:42We have the, they do have the Belfast Cup.
00:45So we at least, we're winning in other countries.
00:48So the Bell Pot being, yeah, yeah.
00:51Being at, again, as being in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it's not going so hot right
00:54now, but baby steps.
00:56Hey, you know what?
00:57You're like Pitbull.
00:58Exactly.
00:59Mr. Worldwide.
01:00You're just, you're great on the road.
01:02That's what you're good at.
01:03And just to keep, you just gotta keep playing games in other countries, which is not a terrible
01:07thing to do.
01:08Like, if that's your thing, just keep scheduling games in other countries and, you know.
01:12Not a good strategy though, if most of your games are in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
01:15No, it's not.
01:16Work in progress.
01:17They're getting there, but.
01:18They're getting there.
01:19Good, good, good roster.
01:21Speaking of unfortunate news for people in Boston, UMass winning is a great thing.
01:28But Juan Soto goes to the Mets and people are thinking, oh my God, here go Evan and
01:34Connor again, talking about something that has nothing to do with the Bruins.
01:37And obviously, yes, has nothing to do with the Bruins.
01:39Although Soto would have been a great guy to like drop a ceremonial first puck or something
01:43like that.
01:44Yes.
01:45But before we get into sort of the Bruins turning the corner of late and some good signs
01:49and all that stuff, you brought this up to me and Ty on Monday.
01:54I thought it was interesting of, you know, when were the times that the Bruins were heavily
01:58in on a big ticket free agent and missed because they hit on Chara.
02:05They hit on Mark Savard.
02:07Those are the two famous ones going to Lindholm and Zadoroff at another time.
02:12But there's one big one, I think, that that ever, you know, that the Bruins were in on
02:19and missed was John Tavares.
02:22That was like just yesterday.
02:23Low key, like six or seven years ago now.
02:25Isn't that insane?
02:26I know that photo of him like sleeping and like all the covers were all like Maple Leaf
02:30South's.
02:31I feel like that was yesterday.
02:32I remember when that happened.
02:33He signed and that tweet came out like immediately from a reporter and I think everyone's eyes
02:37collectively rolled into the back of their heads.
02:39That feels like it was yesterday and it was what, July 1st, I assume, like 2018.
02:43It was 2018.
02:44It was 2018.
02:45Isn't that insane?
02:46It was 2018.
02:47It was that quick.
02:49And the funny part is like, you look back at that and everyone around here wanted him
02:53bad.
02:55Because again, it was sort of like, all right, you know, Creechie wasn't falling off.
03:00But I don't remember that 17, 18 year being huge for Creechie.
03:05If memory serves.
03:06Points was in the end.
03:07Him and Bergeron were getting older and it was very much, okay, what's the next wave
03:11going to be?
03:12And Tavares looked like that guy.
03:14Tavares was like, okay, you know, good two way center.
03:17Like this guy's a Bruin.
03:20And Creechie went on, I think have his best year, second best year of his career in 2018-19.
03:27And that core ended up doing great.
03:31The Leafs struggled forever to get past the first round.
03:35And Tavares has sort of fallen off a bit in Toronto.
03:38And you know, again, like Creechie had a solid year, two years ago when he came back.
03:43I don't think Tavares has had quite a year like that in recent memory.
03:47So like it ended up working out for the Bruins.
03:49They sort of dodged a bullet.
03:51It is interesting to think of like what history would be like had they not like what they've
03:55traded Creechie.
03:56Like how would that have worked?
03:58I think it's a fascinating sort of what if.
04:00Yeah.
04:01In terms of, yeah, what the next move would be, because as you said, like, is Creechie
04:04getting traded?
04:05And who knows?
04:06Maybe like Creechie is still here.
04:07And John Tavares, the guy that can also kind of play the wing as well.
04:10Like, you know, if you have that much talent, you find ways to plug guys in.
04:14I mean, hell, if you don't trade Creechie, which I don't know how you make the money
04:19work, but, you know, David Creechie was so, uh, had such a strong year in 1819, but also
04:25like he had Carson Kuhlman on his right side, right?
04:28Like, right.
04:29Who knows how that would have changed?
04:30And it is fascinating to see, like, I feel like the Bruins are more tied to like trade
04:37targets in terms of players.
04:38They're like, ah, I wish they got that guy.
04:40Like even I think that 1819 year, he had a whole bunch of players like within that
04:44span where, um, it's a lot of what ifs, like whether it's Tavares with free agency, uh,
04:52that trade deadline before that they were in on Ryan McDonough who ends up going through
04:55the life and that would have changed a whole lot of things, having a guy like that.
04:59And then, um, that deadline again, the Bruins didn't have a really strong deadline and getting
05:03guys like Charlie Coyle, Marcus Johanson, all them.
05:06But, uh, Mark Stone was the big guy that, you know, it's so funny when you look back
05:10on that.
05:11And this is what happens, I think every year when the Bruins or any team are in these trade
05:15talks, you're like, ah, the asking price is astronomical.
05:19So we're like, oh man, it's going to be Dabrusk or Frederick or like Jackson Nika, who was
05:25a top prospect.
05:26Again, it shows you where that goes, but you know, that was supposed to be a King's ransom.
05:30And then he goes to the Golden Knights and it's like for a meal, Ben's room.
05:34That guy stink.
05:35I know shows you how these things work out in terms of what exactly is the coveted returns.
05:40But if you had to say frenzy, yeah, without a doubt, in terms of like a white whale, it's
05:45Tavares, probably at least in recent history, the one guy that trade wise, I'm like, man,
05:51really wish that was, uh, that was a situation.
05:54They got the guy.
05:55I think it's a guy like stone.
05:56You probably went in 19 and how you probably, I know he's got injury issues, but hey, helps
06:01your LTIR when he's playing, uh, this few guys, I enjoy watching more than Mark stone.
06:08I just a beast.
06:09I agree.
06:10Stone is the big one.
06:11Cause that one would have changed everything for you would have been a guy on the right
06:14side.
06:15Another, another veteran leader, guys, a gamer in the playoffs, like plays your style of
06:19hockey, physical, all that stuff.
06:21Um, he would have made a lot of sense to various again, as we said, and I think free agency
06:25in general in the NHL is so much different than that in the MLB where like you don't
06:29have those big fish making it to free agency almost ever because they're either re-signed
06:35or they're dealt before they had free agents.
06:38Like Noah, Hanifin would have been a big one this off season, but he was traded and then
06:41re-signed like, uh, you know, again, a lot of like stamp coast and like 16, right.
06:47Where'd he like, and I was like, you know, I know he obviously signed with Nashville
06:50this year, but he's at the stage of his career would be a nice signing for a lot of teams,
06:54but he's not what he was in 16.
06:55He was like in the prime of his career, people were like, wow, is he going to go to Toronto?
06:59Like, is another team getting involved?
07:01And I think it like set up for agency was noon or something like that.
07:05He signed at like 1201 with, uh, back with Tampa.
07:09So again, one minute on the open market, exactly.
07:13Like for every Tavares, there's 200 guys that are really intriguing for each and candidates
07:19don't even get to the market.
07:20Or if they do, they go right back to where they are.
07:22So, yeah, I mean, again, in a sport like baseball, you might see like a Leon dry sidle hit free
07:27agency and not quite in hockey.
07:30Like they just, they're not hitting them.
07:32Um, so interesting, just kind of question that you brought up and I thought was, uh,
07:36was good.
07:37Um, Bruins turn in the corner of late seven and two since firing Jim Montgomery, uh, they
07:43get the win against Philadelphia on Saturday.
07:46Come from behind win four, three overtime w I actually listened to the, I think I listened
07:51to the entire second half of the game on radio.
07:54I was driving down to St.
07:55George's.
07:56So I felt like, like it was the 1920s.
07:57Like I'm, I gathered around the radio and I go, Oh, that's just a, that's just a model.
08:02Yes.
08:03Yeah.
08:04Just like gathered round, you know, like with like, I'm imagining it's like the great depressions,
08:08like no heat, you know, we're under like a blanket, you know, we're eating driving elitist
08:13Evan driving his model T through Hooverville.
08:15Yeah.
08:16Oh, you guys can't listen to this.
08:19Oh, sorry.
08:20Bye.
08:21Yeah.
08:22Yeah.
08:23Um, not quite that drive.
08:24We got to say George's of all places, just like the elite of the elite prep schools.
08:28Um, but, uh, I'm not surprised they won that game.
08:33Um, they were, they had a ton of chances in the first, they had a ton of chances in the
08:38second.
08:39I knew, you know, they're out to nothing after the first, but I felt like they had a lot
08:41of opportunities.
08:42Uh, and then they start, they start to finally convert.
08:45And that third, I think that's kind of an emblematic of them.
08:47The last nine games where like, they're playing well, they're getting a lot of chances.
08:52They're not necessarily all going in, but you're getting guys to step up.
08:55I mean, you look like Marcian three goals in his last two games, posture, not a goal
08:59in four assists in his last four games.
09:01Zaka has two OT winners, a low ride quietly for assists in the last three games.
09:05I think he's your top scoring D at the moment.
09:07Uh, Frederick gets two against Philly.
09:09It just feels like things are coming up and I think that's good.
09:12Yeah, exactly.
09:13I think it's just a step in the right direction.
09:15We can look at the strength of schedule, all those things, right.
09:19And yes, that is a valid maybe way to pump the brakes a little bit, but I just look at
09:24where the Bruins were a few weeks ago compared to now and it's night and day.
09:29And you can say whoever they matched up against, you're getting wins.
09:31And I think you look at how much the Bruins struggled, especially in the third periods
09:35of games under Montgomery over those last couple of weeks, that game on Saturday felt
09:41like if it was a few weeks ago, yeah, you go with the whimper.
09:44Like you can't score, you know, on your home ice in the third period for over a month.
09:50Right.
09:51Or yeah, it was on October 10th was their home opener.
09:55They didn't score another third period goal till December 1st.
09:59Not great.
10:00Not a really winning formula there, but yeah, that's a game where the Bruins, if it was
10:04a few weeks ago there, they probably come out the short end against again, a flyer scene.
10:09That's not great, but still you should be like for them to come back and kind of control
10:14play there late in the game.
10:16Again, it wasn't perfect.
10:17You had the flyers committed eight penalties.
10:19You only kind of buried one power play goal.
10:22So it's not perfect.
10:23They're not playing the full 60 minutes again.
10:25Even if the Bruins are collecting points, let's say they go on this road trip and keep
10:29on winning.
10:30I don't expect like a couple of nice four, one games where everything clicks and like,
10:35all right, we're rolling now.
10:36I think it's going to be pretty ugly games.
10:38That's kind of how they have to win these games.
10:41But listen, I think Bruins fans should be more happy.
10:44They're collecting wins then, you know, finishing with one point or no points in the standing.
10:49So I just think, as you said, you look at the way several players are stepping up.
10:55You know, a lot of the team wide shot shooting percentage regression has seemingly improved
11:00a little bit.
11:01You've got Pavel Zak is now just an overtime closer.
11:04Apparently I do think it's just encouraging that yes, it's not perfect, but look at where
11:10this team is compared to where it was in the middle of November.
11:14Things are improving, and I think if you're a Bruins fan, you should be happy with that
11:16for right now.
11:17You know, it's funny, I tweeted that Dunks breakfast sandwich analogy, and I came so
11:23close.
11:24It was Saturday morning.
11:25I had a Dunks breakfast sandwich.
11:26I almost tweeted a picture like, oh, hanging out with the Bruins this morning, but I didn't
11:29think enough people would get it, and I didn't want to seem like an absolute maniac.
11:34But some people were replying like, oh, well, this seems more like a plain bagel.
11:38I had one of my friends almost ratio me with his burner.
11:41I was like, Jesus Christ, but I get people's sentiment, and we talked about this when they
11:49first fired Jim Montgomery and promoted Joe Sacco was like, well, their schedule coming
11:54up is kind of soft, and if they do really well, people are going to say, well, the schedule
11:57was soft.
11:58But all along, I think we've held firm and like, what's wrong with that?
12:02Like this team needed a soft portion of the schedule.
12:05Hey, maybe they go out West and get their doors blown off, and we go, you know what?
12:08This team is a middle of the pack team.
12:10It'll probably be a wild card or somewhere around there, but you needed this stretch
12:14to sort of get right.
12:16You were not above any of these teams.
12:18You're not better.
12:19This is not last year where it's like, oh, we got Montreal and Detroit and Chicago.
12:22Wow, this is easy.
12:24I mean, yeah, all these games were close, but you still won them, and good teams win
12:31those games, and I'm not saying that they're cup contenders now.
12:34No one is saying that they're Stanley Cup contenders because they're not.
12:37They're nowhere near that, but they're better.
12:39They're in a better spot than they were two or three weeks ago, and I think that's the
12:44most encouraging thing, and it's up to them for this West Coast trip, which we'll get
12:48to in a second.
12:50This is a test.
12:50This is a real free.
12:51You got some heavy hitters you're going to be facing out West, not to mention you're
12:54on the road for all those games, but I get the whole like, oh, the schedule is easy,
12:59but like that shouldn't discredit what they've been able to do over the last couple weeks
13:04because they were they were one of the worst teams in the league.
13:08Statistically, somehow they weren't record wise, but every statistic they're one of the
13:13worst teams in the league, and they've improved.
13:15And look, we bashed them the first month more than anybody, but I think what's the reality
13:22of what's happening now is that they seem to be rerouting.
13:25Yeah, no, and again, it's just look at the eye test or just the way some of these games
13:29have gone, like even if you look at who they're playing, at least they're not getting like
13:33blown out of games where they've just been completely uncompetitive.
13:36Like there are games, whether it's like the one in Dallas, the one in Carolina against
13:41good teams, but even like the third period of that game against auto, you don't get a
13:46shot on goal or the game that got Montgomery fired against a very bad Columbus team where
13:52the Bruins just weren't competitive.
13:54Like even if these games right now that they're winning aren't the most riveting or there's
14:01they're not controlling play for a full 60 minutes, they're competitive.
14:05They're playing to their strengths.
14:07They're being involved.
14:08They're engaged physically.
14:10I think three of the last six games they've got over 30 hits, and that's not a end all
14:15be all in terms of how dominant you are in a game.
14:18But it's tough, but like they are.
14:21You're seeing, I think, more of an identity with this team right now.
14:23And again, like you can keep on pointing at the schedule, and yes, it's not going to change
14:27unless they, you know, if they win, if they go four and one on this road trip, then you're
14:31like, all right, like you start feeling good about your game.
14:34And there's going to be that reservation, that doubt.
14:36But for right now, I think you just have to be happy with where this team is.
14:40And they're not, you know, completely, you know, they're on the wrong end of these completely
14:45lopsided games, which is what you saw time and time again over the first stretch of the
14:49year.
14:49I mean, what their first 20 games, five of them, they gave up five plus goals.
14:54They haven't given up more than three in a game now.
14:56And again, you can look at who they're playing, but look at the eye test of how I think more
15:01structured they've been, how much tougher they've been in terms of making things tougher
15:07on the opposition.
15:08I think it's been night and day from what you've seen so far.
15:10And if you continue that against teams like Winnipeg and Vancouver and Edmonton that can
15:15light the lamp pretty, pretty regularly, that's where I think you take that next step
15:20as to whether this, this identity and his buy-in can translate against tougher teams.
15:25Yeah.
15:25And again, like that identity feels more like a Bruce Cassidy led team, which I find interesting,
15:29which kind of like Sacco's implemented, where we talked about this when Sacco was hired
15:33of being sort of, you know, you've been there for three guys, what's worked, that identity
15:38worked.
15:38I also look at the losses they had, you know, seven and two, the two losses, the two, one
15:43loss to Pittsburgh was bad on Black Friday.
15:45We can all admit that that was not great.
15:47You did have a lot of chances, but like still not great.
15:49That was frustrating.
15:50Yeah.
15:51The Vancouver game was, was at the time you wanted to poke your eyes out, but like they
15:56should have won that game.
15:58They had a number of chances.
15:59They played a really solid game, which again, I'm not saying that that's good.
16:03I'm not, I'm not going to chalk up losses as wins, but it wasn't five to one.
16:09Yeah.
16:09And that's a step in the right direction.
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16:42Connor Bruins are going out West.
16:44Games are going to be a little later.
16:46People might be falling asleep during them, which like happens not to mention that the
16:51Bruins are also not the highest event team in the world.
16:55So maybe a way is using my brain here.
16:59Maybe a little way to keep yourself a little more invested doing surprise picks during
17:04the game.
17:05Keeps you in it.
17:06Keeps you on the edge of your seat, a little more into it, especially these late games.
17:10Like it is hard.
17:11You know, it gets to be like 1130 and you're like just entering the third period and it's
17:17this keeps you in.
17:18So if you want to do that, sign up today and get $50 instantly.
17:21When you play five bucks, I can carry you the entire West coast road trip.
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17:40After you play your first $5 lineup prize picks, run your game, run it out to Winnipeg
17:48and Edmonton and Vancouver and all those layers just layer up.
17:52It's a little chilly.
17:53Please do.
17:53Oh, like this time of year.
17:55That's a tough, that's a tough swing.
17:59Freaking cold.
18:01Um, the real test though, this is where, this is where you kind of put everything to the
18:06test that you got out of your system, uh, winning seven of your last nine games.
18:12Uh, you got Winnipeg, you got Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, all five are on the road.
18:18Um, you know, obviously there are going to be some losses in there.
18:22Like, I don't think we're going to have any games like in 22, 23, when they were outshot
18:26like a hundred to zero, 102 against Calgary and one, like you're not gonna see any of
18:29that, but I do think if they continue the same identity, right, more defensive, um,
18:37trying to win low score games, getting good goaltending, playing good defense and all
18:42cliche, but wasn't there the first month.
18:44So you can't get honest for being too generic.
18:46I think you have a pretty good shot against these teams.
18:48What do you think?
18:49Yeah.
18:50I mean, I think it all comes down to sticking with that identity of just being really stingy
18:55in the defensive zone, not giving up a lot of quality chances and seeing where that kind
18:59of takes you and how competitive you can be in these games.
19:02Like I'm not trying to put in qualifiers, but you look at just how, how high powered
19:07some of these teams are, whether it's Winnipeg.
19:09I know they've kind of tailed off a little bit since going 14, you know, or whatever
19:13it was like going full Bruins.
19:15Yeah.
19:15Which is to be expected, uh, in terms of just how, uh, how strong we were to start there.
19:20But you look at that team in the forward court, they have obviously Edmonton, Vancouver, you
19:25got a lot of teams and really bury you, um, if you're sloppy defensively.
19:29So I obviously the most important thing is coming away with wins, but if they go to like
19:34Edmonton and it's a three, two overtime loss or something like that, I do that as at least
19:40a positive.
19:40If, if you're the Bruins, I think if your identity is just being a tough out.
19:44And again, it goes back to what I've said of like, maybe this team needs to be like
19:49the 21 Islanders where it's low events, boring, but if you stay in these one goal games and
19:55it's hockey and it's a frigging crap shoot and you keep it close and it's a bounce or
20:00two goes your way.
20:02That's kind of what you need.
20:03So again, I'm not saying like, I'm going to be happy.
20:05This team goes one, one in three on this road trip.
20:08Right.
20:08But I think when you look at the personnel that they're matched up against, if they can
20:12keep up this, you know, it's one thing to stick to this identity and see the results
20:16when it's teams like Detroit and the Flyers and what have you.
20:20And those are teams that do have some skill.
20:22Like Detroit's has the ability to put pucks in the back of the net.
20:25So I think that's encouraging, but I think if the Bruins stick to this identity and they
20:30have strong, you know, close games against some of these teams, I think that should validate
20:35the fact that, yeah, they're buying into this identity, buying into this approach.
20:39And if they stick to it, it doesn't matter if it's the Flyers or the Red Wings or a team
20:44like Vancouver or the Oilers who are expected to be in the mix for a deep playoff run.
20:49I think that validates and gives more belief to the Bruins that they keep on playing this
20:54style of game.
20:55They're going to be in most of these matchups.
20:57And I think that's an important thing.
20:58And it's probably the most, the most used word that was said after Saturday's game was
21:03belief.
21:04They're saying, like, it's one thing to, you know, see the results out there, but to,
21:08you know, come back in a third period and beat the Flyers the way they did for these
21:14games where they're really limiting chances to be rewarded for playing that way.
21:18After I think being so rudderless for the first six plus weeks of the year, I think
21:22that's really encouraging for the team.
21:23So sticking with it and hopefully seeing the results follow is going to be huge for this
21:27team.
21:28Yeah.
21:28And I also think there are some guys you really need to get going like Elias Lindholm still
21:32at 13 points.
21:33If that can, if he can find a way to break out on this trip, this isn't an easy trip.
21:37I mean, again, it's not an easy trip because A, it's different times and you're going through
21:41time zones and it's, you know, it's, you're going deep out west on the continent.
21:47But again, Winnipeg second in the central with 40 part tied for first in the central
21:52with 20 wins and 40 points.
21:54But then again, like Vancouver third in the Pacific with 32 points, Edmonton is the first
21:59wildcard spot, 32 points, Calgary right outside the wildcard with 31 Seattle right behind
22:04with 29.
22:05And then who's the other team?
22:07Did I, did I do all five?
22:09Let me say Winnipeg one to Seattle.
22:12I did.
22:13I got all, I got all of them.
22:14I can't count it anymore.
22:16I'm just kidding.
22:16I'm getting too old.
22:18All these podcasts are finally weighing on me.
22:22But like you should do okay.
22:24Like you should do okay.
22:26I want to get into sort of how this trip could be maybe the biggest of the season, which
22:31sounds insane, but we are at the point of the year where like everything matters for
22:35the trade deadline and where you're trying to go.
22:38But if you're trying to go somewhere, you should go there with game time.
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22:49I sitting at home is comfy.
22:51I like it is, it is.
22:53We can all admit like laying back on the couch, sweatpants, sweatshirt on a cold night.
22:58Yup.
22:58It's fun.
22:59But being there is always, always better.
23:03And the energy in the building, the sounds on the ice for the court, the memories you
23:06make with those around you, it's unmatched.
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24:19So I find this trip an interesting time because it's sort of like, this is a weird, like,
24:26very specific to me analogy.
24:28Like in high school, when you're in like an AP class and it's really hard, that was sort
24:33of like the Bruins the first month and you're not fit for it.
24:36So they move you down to like honors or like a regular level and you get like a good two
24:42weeks before your first test in that class and you're killing it.
24:44Like you're getting all the material.
24:45You're getting it down.
24:47That was sort of like the Bruins over that seven and two run.
24:49Like they're real tests, obviously for them, but they're not high end teams that they were
24:54playing.
24:55Now you're facing the high end teams.
24:56This is like they're like a big exam, right?
24:59This is West Coast trip.
25:00It's a big exam.
25:01And I also, I'm full of analogies recently.
25:03Dunks, breakfast sandwich, high school, this is insane.
25:05Locked in.
25:06It's that time of year.
25:08But for the Bruins, this is big in terms of what's their outlook the rest of the year.
25:13If they go on this West Coast trip and they're like four and one or five and O or something
25:19or three, one and one, we're sitting here in two weeks going, all right, well, they're
25:25in second or third in the Atlantic.
25:27I mean the third right now, I know they have games on everybody, but like the second or
25:30third in the Atlantic, they're like, they look like a playoff team.
25:34They look revitalized.
25:36Everything's seems to be headed in the right direction.
25:38Like, okay, what are you doing at the deadline?
25:40Who are you buying or what assets are you selling off?
25:43Whereas if they are like two, two and one or one, three and one or five, you're sitting
25:51here going, all right, like probably a middle of the pack team that you don't really look
25:56to add a lot to at the deadline.
25:58Do you share that as well?
25:59Do you think this, these five games could be sort of what they're going to be the rest
26:03of the year?
26:04Yeah, I mean, I think it's going to be critical.
26:05I mean, how many times have we seen it, Evan, where they have stretches of one or two games
26:10where they feel like they're trending in the right direction or really, you know, finding
26:15their game and they take two steps back.
26:17And again, like I can give them credit there in their first four game win streak.
26:20So things are looking up and I think you're seeing them build their games, but it's the
26:25same thing with what we've said before, like you're going to have reservations until they
26:30start beating some of these tougher teams.
26:32And so, yeah, I do think it's something where I'm not ready to say like this team has fully
26:37turned the corner until they, you know, have those same results against teams that have
26:41their sights set on a cup.
26:43Like not saying the Bruins are in that mix or in that tier right now, but like you look
26:46at Edmonton, you look at they were preseason.
26:49They were before.
26:50Yeah, no, without a doubt.
26:51Yeah.
26:51And so, uh, listen, I think it's more validated that if they come out of this road trip with
26:57or as I said before, some of these games that are competitive, but they come out on the
27:02wrong end, uh, you know, the short end of the stick, kind of like the Vancouver game
27:06at home.
27:06Like if you feel like that, it sucks.
27:08It's really frustrating when you don't get those results.
27:10But if you're taking the big picture approach, you'd be like, all right, you play like you
27:16did against Vancouver.
27:17You're going to win.
27:1985% of those kinds of games, right?
27:21Like, you know, that's something that's not what people want to hear and it's frustrating.
27:24And if you're a shut volume team, those games suck when you don't win.
27:28But, um, you look at the eye test and how, if they can kind of commit to this identity
27:34and keep on building it and, um, win a couple more of these games.
27:38Yeah.
27:38I think it validates that this is a team that should be a tough out if they make the playoffs.
27:43And I think right now it's all about just making the playoffs.
27:45I think Bruins fans are sick of finishing first or second in the Atlantic hell.
27:49Maybe you just want to be a, you know, a third seed and start on the road or be a wildcard
27:54team and see where that kind of takes you.
27:56Maybe that's the best path, but I think for them, it's all about sticking to their own
28:00game, kind of keep on building what, what they want to build under Sacco and this, you
28:04know, approach that they've, they've had, uh, ever since he's taken over and see kind
28:09of where the chips fall from there.
28:10And again, they're in a good spot where, as you said, like the Bruins have played a lot
28:13of games, but you know, they played 29 games.
28:15They have 33 points.
28:17Uh, Florida's only played one, uh, one fewer game than them and they're only up by three
28:21points.
28:21So like there, you know, it's not like it's a seismic gap where all of a sudden we're
28:25waiting for an inevitable push from Tampa.
28:28That's going to knock them out of playoff contention.
28:29Like even if.
28:31Uh, Tampa wins a couple more games and then they played 25, I think to start the year
28:36worst case, the Bruins get bumped to the wildcard right now.
28:38Right.
28:39So, um, they have benefited from the fact that no team in the East especially has really
28:44taken off that, you know, they, they drop out of the Atlantic.
28:47They're all sudden out of a wildcard spot because the Metro is not doing all that hot
28:50either.
28:51Um, so they're in a good spot where they are right now.
28:53It's all about, I think, just keep on building their game.
28:56That again, does not mean that they're going to go five and oh, or hopefully not own five.
29:00But, um, if they stick to the process, I think.
29:04You can, you can draw silver linings out of how they play in these next couple of games,
29:08but it's going to fall on them.
29:09Like if they go to Winnipeg, lose four, one, and then lose to Vancouver or five, nothing
29:14and Oilers, you know, light them up, then we're right back where we were.
29:18Right.
29:18And you know, that's the one thing you don't want to be.
29:20You don't want to take three steps back after you see some of the progress being built as
29:25of late.
29:25So it is going to be critical for this team to at least be competitive and see kind of
29:30where the chips fall.
29:30I think is the most important thing for right now as we're assessing this team and we can
29:34change those expectations.
29:36If they go four and one, then, all right, then that is the expectation moving forward
29:40of like, they should be competitive, whoever they play.
29:43And when you look at how they play in their, their strategy, they should be a tough out.
29:47Like, even if they're boring, if they're limiting, if they're locking down grade a
29:51ice and the physical and they're wearing teams down, they should be in all of these
29:55games.
29:56Like that is, I think the most important thing.
29:57It's just all about sticking to that identity that I think is going to be key for this team.
30:02Well, you're cutting you off.
30:03No, but you hit the nail on the head there in that, like people, I think are going to
30:06be mad because the rest of the year.
30:08And so the prunes such a boring team and it's like, well, if this team wants to win, do
30:13anything come April and May, like they're going to have to be boring.
30:17They're going to have to be a boring team because they don't have that skill.
30:21You know, they're not going to be, they're not high flying.
30:23They're not going to be dangling teams and winning seven to three or things like, like
30:27that's not, that should not be their game plan at all.
30:29If they start to do that, like, great, I guess, but like, this is a physical defensive
30:34team.
30:35This is a team that's got to block a lot of shots and get good goaltending and clamp things
30:39down in their own zone and win games four to two.
30:43And it's not always going to be exciting.
30:46But Bruins fans should be happy if they just win.
30:48But if they don't, well, then that's, then we got another issue.
30:51That's a whole nother issue, which we had in the first month.
30:54Connor, what can the people look forward to from you over at the globe and boston.com?
30:58Yeah, we'll have it covered every step of the way, whether it's recaps, features, columns,
31:02breakdowns, all that good stuff over at boston.com and the Boston Globe.
31:06So you can read my stuff over there.
31:08And if you want to follow me on Twitter, X, whatever it's called, you can at Connor Ryan
31:13underscore 93.
31:14Go do all that.
31:17That is Connor Ryan.
31:18I am Evan Marinovsky, Bruins Beat listeners.
31:20Have a great rest of your week.