NHL Peachy: Whom You Know Takes a Trip to Boston and We're Thrilled to Cover Our First Boston Bruins Game! The B's Bring Their A Game to the TD Garden in Boston with a 4-1 Victory Over the Florida Panthers, Thursday November 7, 2013
Welcome to our inaugural NHL game coverage! This is what it's all about-the GAMES.
We begin with one of the original six teams, the Boston Bruins (now there are 30). We kicked off the season with the NHL and interviews with 21 of the league's stars, as previously published:
Some years during her childhood on her birthday, Peachy went to the old Boston Garden to see the Hartford Whalers play the Boston Bruins so this is not nearly her first Bruins game, however, it is the first one on a professional basis. Our goal in this NHL coverage is not to simply parrot facts because you can read the stats here:
We used to keep them, but not for the Bruins. Since Peachy is super-analytical, we hope to show you on a qualitative basis why hockey is the greatest sport on earth and will add immeasurable fun to your life. Hopefully this is readily apparent to most of you. Readers that come to us from the wide worlds of fashion, cinema, culinary and alcohol endeavors, patriotism, travel...the list could go on, we hope to totally enlighten you. Note that hockey is a sport played internationally -as in many countries- unlike baseball or american football (though we like them too-Go Red Sox and Go Giants and Tom Coughlin, BC great). It's a highly skillful game and quite cerebral as well when you think about it strategically. To all our readers in Ireland: you should know that hockey is believed to be descended from the game of hurling.
Normally in all disciplines we are critics, and only publish positive reviews and if we do not like something we've reviewed, we write nothing at all. To be clear, we are not criticizing the game of hockey. We obviously give it our highest recommendation and the NHL as well. We will be telling you the truth about what we think of executed play as well as management decisions and so cannot always be positive anymore about that if we are going to do a good job and we will have strong opinions so hold onto your hats, unless there's a hat trick of course.
You know you've arrived at the TD Garden when you see this:
Though we miss the Boston Garden, we do not miss the hard yellow plastic seats. Everything you'd want in a new arena you'll find at the TD Garden, which was once known as the Fleet Center in case you are confused about the name.
Peachy's pre-game preparation:
It is essential to dine at Durgin Park before the drop of the puck-Peachy has done this every time before a Bruins game in her life. Stay tuned for the dinner reviews- thank you Durgin Park and thank you Sonsie! You both set the standard for excellence in dining in Boston and we find you each as perfect as we remember when we lived in Boston. If you are new to Whom You Know, note we formally review restaurants and have done between 200-300 on the East Coast.
We channeled our inner Eloise and found the best place to stay in Boston as well: Thank you to the Westin Copley Place Boston for working with us-this Bruins coverage would not have been possible without you! Stay tuned for the latest and greatest in Haute Hotel excellence from high above Boston at the Westin Copley Place, eye level with the Pru with amazing views of the Charles. We love Snickers!
Gummy Bruins are also essential brain food during the game to fuel proper note-taking. Peachy named hers Mike Milbury, and then she ate him. (In Hartford, she called them gummy bears and got them at Munson's before the game. When Francis was traded to Pittsburgh in 1991, then it was necessary to switch to gummy penguins.)
Wonder what it's like to be the first one at the game?
Wonder no more. We like to get there first.
The history in Boston is amazing. Just look up to the rafters to see the evidence.
Hats off to the Bruins for honoring Veterans at the game.
Game start:
Action!
Another faceoff:
As you hear, the game is a sellout and the Garden is at capacity: 17,565-every game has been sold out since a date in 2009. Though those seats were all sold, we did not see a body in each seat so if you are a ticket holder that was not physically there, we suggest you treat this like church even when it's not playoff season.
The game was an aggressive one from the start; at 4:57 Boston Center Chris Kelly was knocked down and no penalty was called on Florida. This was followed up with a lovely scuffle at 5:20 in the first by Gregory Campbell of Boston and Jesse Winchester of Florida which earned them five each in the box for fighting. The NHL has done a great job in cleaning up the degree of fighting and Brendan Shanahan is doing a great job we believe. When Peachy stopped going to Whalers games and started going to Boston College Eagles Games, she loved how little fighting there was in college hockey. On the Tonight Show, Jay Leno has video metaphors for illustrating a point. Here is our visual metaphor what it looks like when there's a fight and the Bruin has the upper hand in the duel and the Panther is at his mercy on the ice. Unnamed, we ate them too.
Both teams in the first period could have executed much cleaner passes and both teams had trouble setting up winning advances where the puck's kept in the offensive zone for many chances. Offensive zone means blue line forward of where you are meant to score. In games we've seen on tv so far this year, we think Chicago does this the best and play the hungriest but then again, they were the Stanley Cup winners. If Peachy were the coach she would have yelled about accuracy of passes to both teams after the first. If you like defense more than offense, the first period was for you. Both Tuukka Rask and Scott Clemmensen played well early on and Tuukka wound up being named the first star and kept up the good work. Similarly, we are also pained to see the New York Rangers transfer much of the work burden to Henrik Lundqvist-goalies really shine today and we would like to see quality offensive chemistry in many teams. (Note to our BC readers-remember Scott was an Eagle in goal!) With 7:32 left in the first Reilly Smith of Boston had a nice breakaway opportunity that he was unable to execute since there was someone in goal practicing Ever to Excel. (Peachy and Scott had time overlap at BC.) Overall, Peachy was frustrated with everyone for not setting up more offensive quality in the first: 0-0 at the end of one left someone silently roaring. Shots on goal at the end of the first: Florida 8, Boston 7.
Get up and dance:
Offensive excitement was part of the second period when the chemistry of the Bruins was slightly more cohesive than the first. Bravo to goal scorer David Krejci who scored at 7:17 of the second with assists by Hamilton and Chara. We felt the Bruins had some issues staying onsides towards the end of the period. In the second neither team played with a total killer instinct which is what we like to see. We hope we don't have to wait for the playoffs to see it. We did see lots of follow-through issues. Shots on goal at the end of the second: Florida 17, Boston 16.
The third period was the most rocking of the three, thank goodness. Brad Marchand scored a beautiful goal at 4:09 that was such a work of art, it belongs in the Museum of Fine Art. At 8:57 Torey Krug made it 3-0 Boston from a gift from Chris Kelly-a most beautifully orchestrated pass. By the third period there was a lot more chemistry going on in the Boston offense which made us happy. They were so on fire then. The third was dotted with intelligent passing-and in particular we liked the clever drop passes. At 14:25, Florida answered with a tally from Winchester and the final goal was by Boston's Reilly Smith-a cherry on top of the banana sundae of the win. Poor Clemmensen didn't know what was coming at him to be honest...Final score: 4-1 Boston over Florida.
Bravo to the Boston Bruins and thank you for working with us!
Check out post game interviews, previously published.
BOSTON BRUINS
Patrice Bergeron
Brad Marchand
and one of our all-time favorites, Kevin Dineen!!!!
Florida Management: Upon returning to New York we heard about your poor decision making. We wish you the best but have every confidence you have let go of the wrong person and are sure Kevin will find success with his next step.
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BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH CLAUDE JULIEN POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE AT 10:05 P.M.
On if it was good to see Brad Marchand get a goal…
Yeah and I think he scored the goal the way we know he scores. Made a great play at the blueline and then just skated to the net and was able to jump on that loose puck. He talked about moving his feet and when he moves his feet he creates things and he scores himself some goals too.
On if this performance is a step forward…
Well if you look at the game overall, we seemed to get better as the game went on. The first period wasn’t a pretty period and we killed a lot of penalties but the penalty kill did a good job. I thought the second was a little bit better but the third was definitely our best period. We didn’t say much during the game as coaches because you have to let these guys work their way out of it and I think whether we yell or keep correcting them, I don’t think it’s going to help them get out of it; sometimes you have to work yourselves out of it and I thought that kind of happened a little bit tonight.
On if the Bruins’ physicality is what started their good play…
Yeah that’s one of the things that I thought helped us get out of it too and we had mentioned that after the first; play a little bit more physical here, we seem to be playing at the end of our sticks. And sometimes it takes a couple of hits here and there and it gets the team going. We got better that way but also I thought like in the third period, you could see the confidence in us moving the puck a little better than we had been in a long time. So all those kind of things started coming around and you just hope that it continues to go in that direction and we don’t have to take a step back.
On if Marchand’s play was risky and if that’s good to see him make plays like that…
Yeah it was risky; if they bat it down it’s a different situation. But he made the play, and not only that he came back high enough to make that play and also he started heading right to the net as soon as he made the pass. So those are things that Brad is known for. Even on that goal against, he comes in, takes a shot, goes behind the net and he blows by both his line mates to come back and he did a great job of back checking on that play. So all that’s to say that when his feet are moving, he’s a much better player.
On how much it helps to get the offensive production that Torey Krug is bringing…
Well it helps because that’s what we talked about for years now – that we needed some guys who could carry the mail as we say and jump into the plays and he did a good job again tonight. He seems to find the right times to jump in and get some opportunities. But there was other guys; I thought Z [Zdeno Chara] a couple of times just drove right through and almost scored. Second period our D’s were a little bit more active tonight which also helps.
On if Loui Eriksson is showing he’s coming back quickly…
Again, you’ve seen what happens sometimes with concussions right? It all depends on the individual. But it’s about him pushing himself, trying to get his game to the next level and continue to push. I know he’s worked hard in practice and like you guys, we know he’s very capable of much more and he will give us much more but he’s coming off a pretty serious injury where I feel we’re fortunate to have had him back this quickly. There’s guys that have missed months with those kind of hits. So we’ll take it for what it’s worth and give him a little bit of breathing room here to find his game.
On if Chris Kelly was fortunate not to be more severely injured when he took an elbow to the head…
Yeah I don’t know what the league is going to do with it and we’re kind of thankful he came back and was only gone for a few minutes. Those are the kind of things that are dangerous in our game.
On if the Bruins needed the win considering who’s coming up next on the schedule…
Well, yeah in a way. I think what we have to make sure is that we know Toronto is a good team. They’re a good skating team, they’ve really come along a lot in the last probably year and a half. They’re a team going in the right direction and I think they’ve earned the respect that they’ve gotten so far. And I think we know that we’re going to have to be at our best for those reasons but also for the fact that we don’t feel like we’re playing our best hockey and in order to beat them, we’re going to have to be much better than we were even tonight.
On if he thinks Tuukka Rask has to play extra well to compensate for the more offensive defense…
We do, and with that kind of look from some of your D’s, you know that you may end up giving up a few more chances than you’re used to when you have a bunch of stay-at-home defensemen. We did a great job of playing well defensively, not giving other teams much, and when you’re asking your D’s to jump in on the attack, every once in a while it’s going to create some chances sometimes. So those are things that are expected and I think tonight, it’s not so much about our D’s jumping up on the attack, it was just that we were, again, probably a little but sloppy in our game and were giving those guys too much room and some scoring opportunities. So they had that plus they had those, I think three power plays in the first period, which gave them a lot of momentum.
BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD CHRIS KELLY
On the game tonight…
I think right now we’re a, I don’t want to say a fragile team but, we’re not at the level that we want to be at and it kind of showed in the first period. I think that the effort was there from everyone it was just somewhat of the execution maybe wasn’t and we stuck with it and stuck with the game plan. I thought we got better as the game went on.
On the four lines the team has…
Yeah that’s the strength of this hockey team is how deep we are and how every line can contribute at some point. It’s nice when the scoring is spread out because it makes us a better team.
On Brad Marchand scoring…
No. [Laughs]. Yeah, I was—I thought Marchy [Brad Marchand] played really well tonight. He was moving his feet, he played well in all three zones, he was in on the forecheck and to see a guy get rewarded like that with a goal and the celly [celebration] there I think showed.
On the elbow he took…
I don’t know. It hurt. [Laughs].
On whether he looked at the replay or not…
No, no and I know Jesse Winchester. We played together and he’s probably one of the nicest guys in hockey so I’m sure it wasn’t intentional. That being said, awesome that Soup [Gregory Campbell] steps up for me and goes out there and takes care of business.
On whether he’s taking inventory when he gets hit like that…
Oh, for sure you are. You’re ‘Okay am I alright here? Am I going to be able to get up?’ I think you’re kind of stunned more than anything when it happens but it was fine. The one with Carl [Soderberg] hurt a little bit more when we collided. [Laughs]. Just when it rains it pours.
On Carl Soderberg being a big boy…
He is big. [Laughs].
On Tim Thomas’ video tribute…
Yeah, yeah I saw it which is nice. I guess Timmy [Tim Thomas] was an important part of this team and obviously the Cup year. It was nice for the fans to give him that reception. I clapped too. I like Timmy [Tim Thomas]. I like most guys I play with well all guys I play with. I don’t think there’s been a bad guy that I haven’t liked.
On Tim Thomas getting closure…
Yeah for sure. I think when he made that decision he had that right to it and I guess it was for family reasons and personal reasons and he had that right to chose and he’s on to the next chapter of his life. I wish him all the luck.
BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD LOUI ERIKSSON
On if he was more comfortable returning to the lineup tonight…
A little bit. It was nice to get one game before this, and it was nice to get a win too. I thought we played better, and then we got the win too, so it was nice to see that.
On playing in this game vs. the last game…
I felt a little bit more, I don’t know easy going out there, better flow. I felt just better. But at the same time I felt pretty good last game too. It’s just a matter of getting some more games and getting into it again. It was definitely nice to win this tonight.
On the goal he assisted on in the third period…
We got some good forecheck today, I thought. We were able to get it up at the point and Bergy [Patrice Bergeron] and Seids [Dennis Seidenberg] did a good play up there and we were just standing in front. We got a kind of lucky bounce and Marchy [Brad Marchand] got an open net there. So it was nice to finally get one of those.
On having a more consistent effort tonight…
I thought we had a good talk yesterday, the whole group. Everyone wants to come up and show that they can play good and I thought we did a better job today. That obviously shows – we won the game, too. Hopefully that shows confidence to get back on the winning track and keep it going.
On if tonight’s game was a “must-win”…
Yeah, we’ve been kind of struggling a little bit the last few games so it’s nice to get the two points and feel good after this game. Now we have another game on Saturday so we’ll just get ready for that one.
On if it was difficult to play against Dallas on Tuesday…
Not really. They changed so many things on that team, so now it wasn’t that hard. Of course it was tough for me to lose, other than that it felt pretty good.
On setting up Brad Marchand’s goal in the third period…
I was just trying to get a good position and was lucky to get a stick on it, too. Kind of a good bounce there and he got an open net so it’s nice.
On the penalty kill tonight…
I played PK [penalty kill] in Dallas, I’m used to playing that and I thought we did a good job of it today and we didn’t give up any goals on that.
On his recovery speed from the concussion…
It’s nice to be back this quick. You never know with those kinds of injuries and I was lucky to feel better in a couple days and feel really good the last six or seven days. So it’s been good.
BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN ZDENO CHARA
On getting the effort the team was looking for…
For sure, the effort and willingness was there. I thought that for the whole 60 minutes we had really good consistency in our game plan. I thought we were really, really strong making plays. After the first 20 [minutes] the score was 0-0, but I still liked our game and our patience. Right after we scored some goals, we got some energy from that and started to play with more confidence.
On using this win as a springboard moving forward…
I think we have a really strong group. We have a lot of leaders on this team—guys that have been in similar situations. You know that the only way to get out of it is by taking small steps forward. I hope that was the first step forward tonight.
On pushing the pace until the end of the game…
We don’t want to let down just because you have a few goals. You want to keep pressing and pushing the pace and playing aggressive and not being on your heels. I thought for most of the third we did that and we got rewarded with another goal after a few turnovers.
BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD BRAD MARCHAND
On scoring a goal…
Yeah it’s really nice to finally get one. It’s been a while and I forget what it felt like but it’s only a lucky goal like that and it’s nice to get the monkey off the back.
On getting back to basics…
Yeah I think I just wanted to stick with it and try to get back to playing a little more simple and hopefully things will start bouncing our way – It’s okay I was done. I forget what I was going to say anyways.
On his goal celebration…
Just getting the monkey off the back pretty much. Like I said it’s been a while and just a good feeling.
On whether it was planned…
Not really. It just kind of came to my mind and I figured I’d do it.
On the shot coming from a drive from the net…
Yeah it has. I think when things aren’t going right you just want to get to the dirty areas and hope for some bounces and that was one. I missed one earlier in the game off one of Loui’s [Eriksson] shots and I missed a couple last game. So, it was bound to go in.
On needing his goal to prepare for Toronto…
Yeah well we really haven’t looked at the Toronto game at all. We can’t do that with the way we’re playing right now. We want to focus one shift at a time and really put a good effort in tonight’s game. I think we did that. It wasn’t pretty the first period of the game but we came along and we played pretty well towards the end. So, now we can focus on Toronto and it’s really nice to get a good win under our belt going to that game because it will be a very tough game. They’re a really good team and playing well right now.
On when a really good goal scorer isn’t scoring goals..
I know you’re not talking about me. [Laughs]. I’m not a good goal scorer [laughs]. It’s frustrating, you want to contribute all you can and when you see the games go by and not only you’re not scoring, but I wasn’t really playing really well. It’s very frustrating. You want to pull your own weight especially with the team we have. Everyone is expected to play up to par and so like I said, it was nice to get one and just got to keep trying to build.
On making a play and showing confidence…
Yeah I think I have to make plays. It’s my job and I know I can. It’s just when they’re there I have to make it and it seemed like early on when they were there I wasn’t making them and it was a bit of a high risk play so thank God it didn’t turn over for a breakaway but, it resulted in a goal so I’m happy.
On the effort tonight potentially causing a turn around for the next games…
I think yeah it can definitely start our swing to playing better. You got to start somewhere and I think we definitely feel like tonight we started that trend so we have to make sure we have a good day at practice tomorrow and continue to play well next game.
BOSTON BRUINS GOALTENDER TUUKKA RASK
On if he feels more of a responsibility to be at his best with the defensive performance in past games…
Not really. I try to do that every year, every game, but I think the consequences of me not being on top of my game might be a little different than in the past. I just try to stop every puck and keep the game tight. If we’re not playing our best, you know – it’s been a little unusual situation for us, giving up chances, and what kind of chances we’ve been giving up but it’s part of the game and we just have to battle through that and it was good to see today to get that scoring going a little bit too.
On the future of the season…
I feel confident we’re going to be good going into the first half, second half of the season. I thought we started off this season pretty good, but then we just slipped from our game a little bit as a team and that happens, but we just can’t accept that, we have to look at things we were doing wrong and then work that, work them as a team. We’ve been doing that, and I think today was a step in the right direction; hopefully we keep that going Saturday.
On giving up less chances tonight…
Compared to the other past couple of games we’ve been playing I thought the quality of chances we gave up today was not even close to being as bad as it’s been in the past couple games so I think it’s good. We’re trying hard, and today I think our D [defense] boxed out their forwards and blocked a lot of shots too and helped a lot.
On what it is about Florida that brings out the best in his game…
I don’t know, it’s really tough to tell. They’re a pretty offensive team, they create chances, but then maybe they’re chances I’d like to save. I don’t know what it is, but I feel comfortable against them.
On how much he could see on the save on the wraparound…
I went down, exposed myself too much there and then there was just a scramble to get back, and I ended up getting my skate on it or something. It’s just one of those things, you make a mistake but then you fix it yourself so, I’m happy with that.
On how it affects him when the team gets a few goals…
It makes it easier, but then again, it’s three nothing and then they get a goal, it’s still a two goal game and anything can happen, so I just try not to get too comfortable out there and keep my head cool and just try to keep the puck out of the net and play those last minutes.
On having some easy saves tonight…
The one on the first shot in the second period, I think it was [Gregory] Campbell, got a slapshot there, so Johnny [Boychuk] covered the ice, I realized that, so then I saw him release that and then I kind of just reacted to it, and it probably looked easier than it was; he got pretty good wood on it, a good look.
On his exceptional game play tonight…
It was one of those games that they had some chances but there wasn’t too many scrambles and I saw the bodies pretty well and saw the puck pretty well, so it makes it easier to read the play and I kind of anticipated where the puck was going to go. Today was one of those games, and I think, team defense, I thought we improved a lot from the last game.
On the shot that got him in the ear…
It kind of got me in the ear, right here. I kind of saw where the puck went but then I guess it fell flat, found a stick, went in, so not much you can do there. It would be nice to get those shutouts but, you know.
On if he got hurt…
No I didn’t. You hear the ringing sound in your ears a couple of minutes after but it’s part of it.
On if it’s the same as listening to Finnish death metal too loud…
Yeah, exactly, yeah.
On the team improving as the game went on…
I thought we kind of improved as the game went on. The first period wasn’t the best; it was still all right. And then the second period I thought we kind of took it to them, got that goal, and got the lead. And then the third, we got a couple more goals to protect that lead, and we got better as the game went on so I think that’s a good sign for us, and we just have to not get too comfortable but still work on things tomorrow and be ready for Saturday.
On the Tim Thomas tribute on the jumbotron…
I was waiting for that. I knew he was here, so it was good to see him getting that credit he deserves because I don’t think people have seen him here in a while so I’m happy for him.
On Tim Thomas coming back and getting closure in Boston…
I think it’s good for him, good for the fans, and yeah I think it’s just a good thing to see. He was rocking that moustache; pretty nice, pretty dirty.
On Brad Marchand’s goal…
Well if he wasn’t scoring on that one, then I mean, I don’t know what to say. But it’s good to see him – he played better today, the whole line played good. And for him, I think it’s just been keeping things simple and not trying too much because it’s tough when you’re kind of off your game and then you’re trying to get back it and you just feel like you’re doing the same mistakes all over again; so I thought he played a good game today, he chipped pucks in and made the right plays and then he got rewarded so hopefully he keeps it going.
On if team morale is up after this game…
We had a stretch in the Dallas game where, after that goal, we got some life but then it just died again. We’ve had a tough time keeping that up. I don’t think today was the best game, but it was a step in the right direction and I thought we improved as the game went on, as I said, and that is a good sign.
On Brad Marchand “throwing the monkey off his back” after his goal…
Did he? Shocker. I didn’t see that, but I’m not surprised he did that. Hopefully he gets more.
BOSTON BRUINS DEFENSEMAN TOREY KRUG
On needing this win to get back on track…
We needed one like that, especially in our home building. A lead in the third period, we’ve had the before, and for us to close it out like that was definitely a good sign. Hopefully, we can keep it rolling now.
On rebounding from a slow start in the first period…
It wasn’t a great start, but it was pretty good. We moved the puck well and that was one of the things we talked about was our breakouts—making sure they’re really clean. As the period went on, we got better with that. From the second period on, our breakouts were great and we were moving the puck crisply.
On getting back to their style of play…
We got back to doing those little things that make us a good team. For us, it’s just about using that to continue on to the next game. Doing those little things—taking care of the puck, getting our forecheck going. That’s what makes us a good team.
On Brad Marchand snapping out of his scoring slump…
I think a few of the D [defensemen] were talking after the first period, and he had a couple of close calls. We just said he’s getting closer and closer. Everyone was excited for him to get that one. He’s been skating a lot better and he’s going to the net hard. It’s good to see. We’re happy that he got that one.
FLORIDA PANTHERS GOALTENDER SCOTT CLEMMENSEN
On tonight’s loss…
Yeah I mean it was a tight game there till the end. They stuck with their game plan and it looked like it paid off for them in the end.
On Boston’s second goal of the night…
Yeah, shot from the point, easy enough, then hits a stick and gets redirected into me and then it kind of lays there for [Brad] Marchand to tap in. That was obviously a turning point of the game, that second goal for them and it gave them some momentum and it puts us back on our heels with just 13 minutes or 14 minutes, whatever it was, left to play so obviously that was the turning point.
On if he feels that his job is on the line…
I don’t know I mean this is my fifth year with the Panthers, and my fourth year with Dale [Tallon] as a GM so he knows my game. I don’t think one game is going to make or break me at any time. Dale knows me, he knows me on the ice, he knows me off the ice so he’s the one that makes those decisions. So that being said I don’t believe that one game can make or break that decision on me or Marky [Jacob Markstrom] or Tim [Thomas] or anyone for that matter.
On the tribute to Tim Thomas…
Yeah I saw it on there. That was very nice of them. This Boston town I know they really appreciates what he did for them here and that was nice to see.
On if Boston appreciates him for his Boston College days…
They do and I love it. I love the people here. I’ve still got many acquaintances and friends here in this town and that’s why I love it here – very loyal people here in Boston.
FLORIDA PANTHERS FORWARD SHAWN MATTHIAS
On only being down by one going into the third…
There are no positives right now. It’s embarrassing. I can’t remember the last time we won. We’ve got to play to our strengths. We’re not a team that’s full of superstars. We can’t play a fantasy game. We’ve got to go out there and play gritty, and just outwork the other team. Right now, that’s not happening. We’ve got to go to practice tomorrow and know our identity. That’s what we just spoke about, and our identity is to be the hardest-working team, a boring team to play against. We’ve just got to come out and work as hard as we can. Right now, that’s just not what we’re doing.
On the Panthers playing well in the first period and the Bruins swinging the momentum…
We’ve got to put sixty minutes together. Just because we played hard in the first, I mean, you’re not going to win a hockey game playing one period. It’s frustrating, but I think I’ve told you a couple times now, we’ve got to play sixty minutes together, and it’s getting old pretty quick. We’re losing, and I’m having this talk with you.
On if the Panthers are playing for Kevin Dineen’s job…
Everyone’s got to be accountable. I mean, nobody wants losers. If this continues, I’m sure not too many people are going to want the players, you know? We’ve got to play harder. We’ve got to play for our teammates, we’ve got to play for ourselves, we’ve got to play for every guy in this locker room and everyone who’s a part of this organization. Right now, it doesn’t seem like that’s happening. That’s what we’ve got to start doing. It’s not fun right now.
FLORIDA PANTHERS HEAD COACH KEVIN DINEEN
On tonight’s game…
There’s not much to say. I think the score is probably not overly indicative of the hockey game. At the end of the day, there’s only one thing that matters and that’s the two points at the end of the night. We’re going to continue to search for a way to find a complete game that’ll make a difference.
On if the team missed opportunities on the power play…
No question. Power play is making a big difference in our season. It’s worked for us in the past and it’s something we’ve got to get going to change the tide of games right now. I think certainly players understand that and we feel it as well as coaches.
On the team’s meeting in the locker room after the loss…
Well we are, our captain’s still at home – he didn’t make the road trip. I think leadership is something that gets thrown around a lot in the sport but it’s a matter of our guys understanding that effort is one thing; at the end of the day we’re accountable for our actions and our results. And our results just aren’t good enough right now.
BOSTON BRUINS HEAD COACH CLAUDE JULIEN PREGAME PRESS CONFERENCE AT 11:25 A.M.
On what he’s looking for right from the beginning of the game…
I’m just looking for our identity basically. It’s more of a – we’re not playing the way we should and we know that. We all know it. We know that we’re certainly not making good decisions out there, we’re not getting the results we want. You have to work through it and find your game. It’s a term you use all the time when you get tired of losing, you do something about it. So it’s one of those situations where we keep working hard at trying to rectify our game and it’s an opportunity here tonight to go out and show that we have made some progress.
On if it’s surprising to see Chara negative in plus/minus…
Well I don’t think anybody’s used to seeing him there. He’s usually a pretty high plus player but again, sometimes you take stats for what they’re worth; it could be circumstances. I prefer looking at video and looking at is he really that responsible for those goals against or does he happen to be on the ice when those kind of mistakes are made. So we’ll take it for what it’s worth. I don’t think Z’s [Zdeno Chara] been a bad player for us this year. Z’s probably going to tell you that he can be better; that’s the way he is. Again, when things are going wrong, everybody has to look at the player who we can, not blame, but who can we pick on. So right now I think we should be picking on ourselves as a team because we definitely are all struggling right now.
On if the solution is as simple as each player doing their job…
Well that’s usually the way you find your game again; don’t try to do somebody else’s job, don’t try and do too much, just do yours and do well. That’s where the old term ‘less is more,’ and if you just focus on what you need to do, that’s going to help. Again we’re going through, like I said, a bit of a tough skid here. It’s not the end of the world. We are a good team and we’re going to continue to be a good team and we’re going to right the ship and everything will be okay. We just want to do it sooner than later and it’s as simple as that. I think everybody, in order for that to happen, we just have to go out there and do our own jobs.
On if Torey Krug is as good of a defenseman as an offensive presence…
Well we got a good offensive player. With every strength there comes a little bit of a weakness. I’m not going to say it’s a weakness but with his size, the defensive part of his game, the battle, is always going to be a challenge. But it’s a challenge you can overcome. And the only way you can overcome that stuff is with some experience. He’ll get smarter and smarter and figure out how to win those battles along the boards and not always have to use his strength versus his smarts and everything else. So there’s no doubt he’s been better offensively than defensively for us, but he’s still been a good player; he’s given us exactly what we want. And right now we just continue to work on helping him out with the other part of the game that is a bigger challenge for him than the offensive part.
On if he has to monitor how much Krug jumps into plays…
You’re overanalyzing a lot of stuff aren’t you? I think it’s just – you have to let the player play. I think you just let him play. His game offensively is almost a natural part of it so you let him do that stuff. I don’t think there’s too many times where he makes bad decisions up front. If he does, it’s going to happen once in a while, there’s always a risk and reward; you want to minimize that risk. That’s what you want to do. But right now I think he’s doing well offensively so certainly not going to take that part of his game away from him. Like I said earlier, I’m kind of going in circles here, we’re going to try and tell him to clean up his five-on-five game. Defensively, making good passes and not being sloppy in his own end. But offensively I think he’s been a breath of fresh air for our hockey club.
On if hybrid icing has had a big effect on the team and making certain plays…
Well it’s something I’m sure that we’ll look at again down the road. I think everybody’s trying to experience what it’s all about. I know it’s a challenge – not just for players – it’s a challenge for linesmen, it’s a challenge for a lot of people right now. So let’s see where it takes us and then we can comment more about it. I gave my opinion on it and I stick with it but I’m just one opinion versus the general consensus of it all.
On how it affects certain plays…
Well to a certain extent but at the same time if they’re going to take away that icing play, our players have to be ahead of the defensive player by the hash marks right? So I don’t think it should affect too much. For example, Dan Paille getting to the puck first, because if he hasn’t gotten there first before the hash marks, there’s a good possibility he won’t get there first.
On if he looks to the fourth line to provide a spark to get the team going…
I think when you’re going through that, the biggest thing is to look at everybody. Our fourth line is not going to save us. Our fourth line can help us, but so can all the other lines. I think, again, you guys can look at certain areas. I’m looking at, I guess the main area is the bulk of our hockey club. I think we can all help each other by being better. I don’t think anybody’s been excluded from that. I know we’ve gotten more production out of our first line right now but I think everybody can be a little bit better. Even defensively, when we have good breakouts and they manage the puck well, offensively we’re better; so they’re not excluded from that either. So I can stand here all day and try and answer those questions about individuals; I think it’s really more about the team right now than it is about individuals.
On if Tim Thomas plays or shows up, how the fans will treat him…
I don’t know. I really don’t know how the fans are going to treat him. And I’m really not going to spend too much time thinking about that either. As I said, I’ve got a lot more important things to think about right now. Last time was [Rich] Peverley, [Tyler] Seguin, and it’s Tim Thomas and it’ll be [Phil] Kessel next game. We can write something about every time a team comes in here because there’s probably a chance that a player from this organization has been traded at some point. So we kind of look past that and don’t put too much emphasis on it.
On Thomas’ role in the 2011 Cup run and if the Bruins don’t win without him…
Well they’re right. But Tim Thomas doesn’t win the Stanley Cup if our team doesn’t play as well as they did in front of him. So this is an honest statement: Tim played well but I think our team played just as well in front of him. You don’t win a Stanley Cup with just a goaltender. He won the Conn Smythe because he was very good but at the same time, I would like to hope the statistic of your goaltenders can also reflect the team in front of you. We did a pretty good job in front of him for years minimizing the goal scoring chances and the quality of it. So let’s make sure we don’t take away credit from the rest of the team too. He was a big part of it and so was a lot of other guys, but at the same time, I think we won the Stanley Cup because we were a good team. That’s what I like to think anyways.
