Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Boston-Bruins

Afternoon Line- Claude Julien

by Paul on 12/21/14 at 01:19 PM ET
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"My job is to make decisions. I don't have to explain everything to you. Your job is you can second-guess. That's your priority and that's the way it is. ... Let me put it this way: It's called coaching."

-Claude Julien, head coach of the Boston Bruins to the gathered media in Boston after the morning skate.  More from Julien by Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: claude+julien

Why A Boston/Edmonton Trade Won’t Work

by Paul on 12/21/14 at 08:25 AM ET
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from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle would be good Bruins. They are 23 and 24 years old, respectively.

Hall is under contract through 2020 and Eberle is locked up until 2019, both at $6 million annually. They can score, which is a talent that is eluding the Bruins.

Yet the Bruins are missing two critical elements: tradable assets and cap space. Edmonton needs an ace goalie, centers, and defensemen. The Bruins aren’t dealing Tuukka Rask, last season’s Vezina Trophy winner. Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are here for good. Zdeno Chara has a no-move clause. That leaves Dougie Hamilton and Carl Soderberg as the two players that would interest the Oilers for either of their top-line forwards.

There’s no match in salary. And the Bruins would be moving a pace-pushing, two-way defenseman who projects to develop into Chara’s replacement. Translation: It ain’t happening.

more hockey topics...

added 8:30am, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune on the Oilers...

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Video- Mark Scheifele Interfered By Milan Lucic

by Paul on 12/20/14 at 09:25 AM ET
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 Mark Scheifele forgot about keeping his head on a swivel and paid for it last night.  Two minutes for interference on Milan Lucic.

Short video...

 

 

A little longer video below, but not as easy to see the hit.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: mark+scheifele, milan+lucic

Should The Boston Bruins Trade Milan Lucic?

by Paul on 12/19/14 at 11:59 AM ET
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from Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated,

There have been whispers of the Bruins and Blues circling each other for weeks now, but the initial scuttlebutt suggested something smaller was in the works—maybe a deal for the rights to malcontent center (and former Bruin) Vladimir Sobotka, who is currently plying his trade in the faltering KHL. But as the two teams struggle to meet preseason expectations, it's thought that the pot has gotten a little richer and could well include a swap of top-six wingers.

The appeal of Lucic to the Blues is obvious. If they hope to get past the Blackhawks, Ducks and Kings they need to be heavier up front. And Lucic, when he's on his game, is as heavy as they come.

Boston, meanwhile, needs someone that can help them set a higher pace. A bit of an edge would be nice, but speed and scoring touch are paramount. Oshie is struggling this season, but is coming off a 21-goal, 60-point campaign highlighted by his stunning performance in the Olympics for Team USA. He has the wheels and the tools to fill that hole.

more plus other NHL topics...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: milan+lucic

Is It Too Early To Worry About The Boston Bruins?

by Paul on 12/17/14 at 01:02 PM ET
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from Joe Haggerty of CSNNE,

The Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers all earned two points on Tuesday night to pass by the Bruins in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. The more sobering realization: Each of those teams also has games in hand on Boston. The B's 15-13-3 record after the first 31 games is their worst over that number of games in any of the eight seasons that Claude Julien has been coach. If the B's don't find another gear, and soon, this may be the first season a Julien-coached Bruins team doesn't made the playoffs. 

more on the Bruins after their 3-2 shootout loss to Nashville last night...

Also from Haggerty,

“You’ve got Zdeno [Chara] coming back as your top defenseman, and you’ve got David Krejci still out and injured,” said Julien to reporters following Tuesday night’s loss in Nashville. “We’ve had our best players out this season, so there’s no doubt that we’ve had to scramble. Now that we’ve got players coming back it’s going to make us better.

“I think we’re making a big deal out of a guy [in Chara] that’s missing two months. The first couple of games were a bit of a challenge, but he’s getting better and finding his game. I told him, and everybody, it’s like training camp for him after he’s been out for two months. It’s like just starting the season when everybody he’s playing with and against him has been going pretty good for the last few months.”

more

below, a look at the Eastern Conference race including wild card spots...

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Morning Lines- Darryl Sutter And Milan Lucic

by Paul on 12/17/14 at 08:17 AM ET
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On St. Louis capitalizing on momentum:
I didn’t really see it like that. I think that we’ve got to get a save in there somewhere. It’s frustrating.

On the team having been strong at protecting leads:
It’s not the same team. It’s quite a bit different team on the back end, and I’ve said all along we need great goaltending.

LA Kings head coach Darryl Sutter after losing 5-2 to the St. Louis Blues, via Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider.

"things aren't coming easy for us--have to find a way to get some wins here. You look at the standings, we're behind the eight ball"

"hasn't been an easy year at all and we need to find ways to grind it out, start getting wins & start feeling good about ourselves"

-Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins after losing 3-2 to the Nashville Predators in a shootout.  Quotes via the Boston Bruins twitter account.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: darryl+sutter, milan+lucic

The Problems In Boston

by Paul on 12/15/14 at 09:47 AM ET
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from Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald,

So while the B’s have long carried a reputation as a strong defensive team, in recent years they’ve also usually been quite proficient on offense, too. This year, things are out of kilter on both sides of the puck, as the team ranks just 14th defensively (2.57 GAA), while having a tough time scoring more than two a game. In their last 14 outings, thy have lit the lamp just 29 times.

By almost any metric, the Bruins are having a highly unusual season. Their power play, which ranked third last season (20.5 percent), is 17th now, at 17.4; their shooting percentage of 8.2 ranks 24th; their penalty-killing, normally a strength for this group, is 21st (79 percent).

We knew going into the season that, with the losses of winger Jarome Iginla and defenseman Johnny Boychuk, this team might take a step back. But with the departures and the injuries, there’s been an across-the-board slip.

So while Chiarelli certainly wants to see more pucks going in, that is not the only area that needs improvement.

“That (scoring) is not the only issue here,” Chiarelli said. “We have to play better. I feel we probably have to make a couple of changes. But the last thing I want to do is force something. So, we’re patient. I don’t like losing. But there’s no magic potion here — whether it’s in a player, whether it’s getting back to basics, whether it’s personnel-wise or whether it’s playing-wise.”

more

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Video- NHL Owners Round Table

by Paul on 12/13/14 at 07:47 PM ET
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via Sportsnet,

George Stroumboulopoulos sits down with Toronto’s Larry Tanenbaum, Boston’s Jeremy Jacobs and Calgary’s Murray Edwards to discuss the perks and issues of owning a hockey franchise.

 

 

Part two and three of the video can be viewed at Sportsnet.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: jeremy+jacobs, larry+tanenbaum

The Boston Bruins Know They Have To Be Better

by Paul on 12/13/14 at 05:35 PM ET
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from Jess Isner of BostonBruins.com,

The playoffs may be a long ways off, but the pressure is on, and the Bruins are putting the onus on themselves to respond -- and respond now -- before it’s too late.

“I don’t think we’re feeling sorry for ourselves, but we’ve talked about waking up and putting in the effort and doing all the right things,” Rask said. “We’re showing we can do it, and then sometimes, we just sleep and don’t do them.

“The wake-up call should have been a few weeks ago. We’ve been talking about it enough, and it’s not going to get any better if we keep talking about it. We’ve just got to bury our heads down and work hard, and good things are going to happen. But it’s really frustrating when you look at these mistakes and stuff we’re doing out there, night in and night out.

“It’s just not the Bruins hockey.”

In seven of their last nine games, the Bruins have scored no more than two goals. The point has been driven home: They’re not finding the back of the net, and in order to win, they need to be.

Now, it’s time to execute. Now, it’s time to find a way to get the job done.

more post-game talk after the Bruins lost to theOttawa Senators 3-2 in a shootout...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

GIF- Patrice Bergeron Leaves Game After Slash To The Hand

by Paul on 12/13/14 at 03:32 PM ET
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added 3:35pm, Begeron back for OT.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: patrice+bergeron

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