Struggling team heads out on road
Claude Julien, his club out of the gate this season with the speed and maneuverability of an ocean liner pulling away from the dock, figures things aren?t all that bad.?It is probably less than more,?? said the Bruins coach, when asked by what degree he feels his charges are off their game after going a choppy 2-3-0. ?It may look like more than that to [the media], but it?s probably less than more. Probably that answer will come on the weekend.??
Minutes later, following his daily media briefing at Ristuccia Arena, Julien and his squad were on their way to Hanscom Field for a flight to Dallas, where tonight they?ll take on the Stars. The next night, provided fiscal woes don?t have a bankruptcy judge administering jurisprudence from the Coyotes bench, the Bruins will wrap up the two-day road swing in Glendale, Ariz.
On the way home, Julien figures, he?ll have seven games to provide a better read on a team that finished first in the East last season with 116 points in the regular season.
?The last two days, we seem better,?? he said. ?We?ll see what we do there.??
Perhaps making matters more difficult, the Bruins again will be without puck-moving defenseman Dennis Wideman, who banged up a shoulder midway through last Saturday night?s 4-3 win over the Islanders. Wideman has not skated with the club since then and was not aboard the flight to Big D.
According to Julien, the 26-year-old defenseman will skate on his own this weekend, and the club projects that he?ll be back after the weekend. As of last night, the Bruins had not reached down to Providence for a backup defenseman, which likely tonight will lead to a No. 1 pairing of Zdeno Chara-Derek Morris and a mix of Andrew Ference, Mark Stuart, Matt Hunwick, and Johnny Boychuk.
Boston?s back line is a more conservative world without Wideman, who, at his best, is a slick passer and efficient puck-mover. However, he still sometimes lapses into his high-risk mode, one in which big boo-boos mix with high rewards.
?When he is on his game, he is a great puck-moving defenseman,?? mused Julien, also noting Wideman?s effectiveness on the point during the power play and as a penalty-killer. ?I would just say you are missing a pretty good defenseman.??
Overall, the Bruins are missing the bite and aggressiveness that became their trademark last season. That?s especially true of Milan Lucic, who has yet to score a goal and has landed only four shots on net. The Looch also has had only one fight, an indication of how intermittently he has been engaged in the physical side of things.
?He?s only 21 years old and he?s already got some big responsibilities,?? said Julien. ?That?s good. Like I told him before, ?Do you want to be counted on, or be just a number?? I think it?s a matter of finding his groove.??
After opening the season on the No. 1 line, with Marc Savard and Marco Sturm, Lucic tonight will open at left wing with David Krejci and Blake Wheeler.
?I probably have to pick up that part of the game,?? said Lucic, noting his need to be more physical. ?You know, get some hits and get the team going. First off, we have to do a better job not taking so many penalties - be in better position and not take penalties. And when I do get out there, I have to make the most of my ice time.??
The prescription for a better night? Think less, said Looch.
?Maybe I?ve been thinking too much,?? he said. ?Maybe I should think less, keep it simple, go back to basics, maybe more that mentality. I am a meat-and-potatoes, hard-nosed player. But the season has started, and it should be here for me. I have to do my best to get it back.??
Lying low
Headed into last night?s action, the Bruins ranked 11th in the East and 23d in the league?s overall standings. Special teams have been a bugaboo. They ranked 25th on the power play (13.8 percent) and 23d in penalty killing (30.8 percent failure rate) . . . After facing the Coyotes tomorrow night, the Bruins won?t play again until Wednesday against the Predators, with ex-Boston University star Colin Wilson in the lineup, at the Garden. Wilson has played two games thus far but has yet to pick up a point. The following night, the Bruins get their first look at the Flyers with Chris Pronger in the lineup when they play in Philadelphia.
Claude Julien, his club out of the gate this season with the speed and maneuverability of an ocean liner pulling away from the dock, figures things aren?t all that bad.?It is probably less than more,?? said the Bruins coach, when asked by what degree he feels his charges are off their game after going a choppy 2-3-0. ?It may look like more than that to [the media], but it?s probably less than more. Probably that answer will come on the weekend.??
Minutes later, following his daily media briefing at Ristuccia Arena, Julien and his squad were on their way to Hanscom Field for a flight to Dallas, where tonight they?ll take on the Stars. The next night, provided fiscal woes don?t have a bankruptcy judge administering jurisprudence from the Coyotes bench, the Bruins will wrap up the two-day road swing in Glendale, Ariz.
On the way home, Julien figures, he?ll have seven games to provide a better read on a team that finished first in the East last season with 116 points in the regular season.
?The last two days, we seem better,?? he said. ?We?ll see what we do there.??
Perhaps making matters more difficult, the Bruins again will be without puck-moving defenseman Dennis Wideman, who banged up a shoulder midway through last Saturday night?s 4-3 win over the Islanders. Wideman has not skated with the club since then and was not aboard the flight to Big D.
According to Julien, the 26-year-old defenseman will skate on his own this weekend, and the club projects that he?ll be back after the weekend. As of last night, the Bruins had not reached down to Providence for a backup defenseman, which likely tonight will lead to a No. 1 pairing of Zdeno Chara-Derek Morris and a mix of Andrew Ference, Mark Stuart, Matt Hunwick, and Johnny Boychuk.
Boston?s back line is a more conservative world without Wideman, who, at his best, is a slick passer and efficient puck-mover. However, he still sometimes lapses into his high-risk mode, one in which big boo-boos mix with high rewards.
?When he is on his game, he is a great puck-moving defenseman,?? mused Julien, also noting Wideman?s effectiveness on the point during the power play and as a penalty-killer. ?I would just say you are missing a pretty good defenseman.??
Overall, the Bruins are missing the bite and aggressiveness that became their trademark last season. That?s especially true of Milan Lucic, who has yet to score a goal and has landed only four shots on net. The Looch also has had only one fight, an indication of how intermittently he has been engaged in the physical side of things.
?He?s only 21 years old and he?s already got some big responsibilities,?? said Julien. ?That?s good. Like I told him before, ?Do you want to be counted on, or be just a number?? I think it?s a matter of finding his groove.??
After opening the season on the No. 1 line, with Marc Savard and Marco Sturm, Lucic tonight will open at left wing with David Krejci and Blake Wheeler.
?I probably have to pick up that part of the game,?? said Lucic, noting his need to be more physical. ?You know, get some hits and get the team going. First off, we have to do a better job not taking so many penalties - be in better position and not take penalties. And when I do get out there, I have to make the most of my ice time.??
The prescription for a better night? Think less, said Looch.
?Maybe I?ve been thinking too much,?? he said. ?Maybe I should think less, keep it simple, go back to basics, maybe more that mentality. I am a meat-and-potatoes, hard-nosed player. But the season has started, and it should be here for me. I have to do my best to get it back.??
Lying low
Headed into last night?s action, the Bruins ranked 11th in the East and 23d in the league?s overall standings. Special teams have been a bugaboo. They ranked 25th on the power play (13.8 percent) and 23d in penalty killing (30.8 percent failure rate) . . . After facing the Coyotes tomorrow night, the Bruins won?t play again until Wednesday against the Predators, with ex-Boston University star Colin Wilson in the lineup, at the Garden. Wilson has played two games thus far but has yet to pick up a point. The following night, the Bruins get their first look at the Flyers with Chris Pronger in the lineup when they play in Philadelphia.
