B’s need to carpe diem
David Krejci isn’t likely to walk through the door today and be the same player he was in, say, 2011.
David Backes will not make a miraculous recovery and turn his clock back four or five years to be the star he was for St. Louis.
Adam McQuaid is not going to suddenly reappear as a steadying force for the B’s on the blue line.
Ryan Spooner could have helped on the power play for the Bruins this weekend.
What you see is what you’ve got for the Bruins right now: An inexperienced, young, inconsistent and mistake-prone lineup that tries hard night after night, but misses out on too many points in the standings because it does not always, as coach Bruce Cassidy said, “play winning hockey.”
That requires, above all, not committing costly and unnecessary mistakes. But in today’s NHL, another key element in winning hockey is scoring power-play goals.
Most games, like the two the Bruins played against the Maple Leafs on Friday (in Toronto) and Saturday (at home) are intensely tight and competitive. The difference in such games frequently is a power play taken advantage of — or squandered.
That may well have been the key to the Bruins’ 4-1 loss to Toronto at the Garden, in which the home team had a 5-on-3 power play for 1:07 early in the third period. Trailing 2-1, it was the chance to tie the game with 16 minutes left.
Now, in talking about the Bruins makeup — outside of the star-studded No. 1 line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak — the lines get somewhat thin. Hard-working? Absolutely.
Super talented?
No.
It’s too much to expect offensive production from all 12 forwards, but the B’s should expect it from the top forwards and defenseman Torey Krug on the power play. Indeed, for the Bruins to have much of a chance, they need it. On Saturday, they struck out.
“The power play is disappointing,” said team president Cam Neely, looking more than a little angry as he exited the B’s room after the home loss. “I thought both games we had opportunities to do something with the power play — give us a lead or get us back into the game — and we couldn’t convert.
“Now (NHL games are) so competitive. You see the parity across the league. If you can convert on your power-play opportunities, you have a much better chance to win, obviously.
“We’re having some trouble with the entries and getting set up. And then when we do get set up we’re not taking the opportunity to shoot the puck. We passed on some shots. We need pucks to the net.”
After a day off, the B’s will grab a quick skate this morning at Warrior Ice Arena and then fly to California for games against Anaheim (Wednesday), Los Angeles (Thursday) and San Jose (Saturday).
Krejci, who has missed nine games with a back ailment, is making progress. It’ll be interesting to see how much he does in practice today and if he gets on the team’s flight.
Backes, who had colon surgery, isn’t due back until early January.
McQuaid (broken leg) should return just before Christmas.
Spooner (torn groin muscle) may not play until midDecember.
So barring a trade — which, if it involved young talent, could undermine the fundamental Bruins rebuild underway the past 3-4 years — the B’s will have to get points, somehow, against three pretty good Pacific Division clubs.
The players believe they can do that.
“I think we’re showing great signs of awesome hockey out there,” said goalie Tuukka Rask. “The results haven’t been there, and it’s a game of results, and we have to find ways to win. You can’t hide behind any injuries or anything, just have to play with the guys who are out there and try to find a way to win.
The surest way to get those wins is by cashing in on power-play opportunities.