Are we rethinking the Bruins' outlook for 2025? Boston.com's Conor Ryan and New England Hockey Journal's Evan Marinofsky discuss the team’s recent performance on the latest episode of Poke the Bear.
They analyze the Bruins' scoring struggles in their loss to the Capitals and explore the adjustments needed to improve the power play. The discussion also includes when young players like Matt Poitras and Fabian Lysell might earn a call-up and whether their predictions for the Bruins in 2025 have changed.
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They analyze the Bruins' scoring struggles in their loss to the Capitals and explore the adjustments needed to improve the power play. The discussion also includes when young players like Matt Poitras and Fabian Lysell might earn a call-up and whether their predictions for the Bruins in 2025 have changed.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Poke the bear is brought to you by price picks and the game time app and welcome into both
00:07the bear episode 291 presented by prize picks go use that promo code CLN s to get $50 back
00:15when you play just $5 and presented by game time goes the promo code CLS get $20 off that
00:21first purchase terms apply no better way to start the year going to our two great sponsors
00:28prize picks and game time. That's Connor Ryan. I'm Evan Marinovsky. Connor. What is up? Evan?
00:34I'm doing well. How you doing? Doing great. Doing great. You're in parts unknown, right?
00:39I believe so. Yes, that's where Anthony Bourdain ventured. Now I am in lovely Palm Springs,
00:45California. It's gonna be a nice 74 degrees today. How are you doing, Evan? Must be nice.
00:50I'm not doing as well as that. I don't know what it is outside. I have yet to go outside
00:55today. There's some days that there No, I know it's not 75. I know it's windy as hell.
01:00It sounds like when the window is gonna break. But it has the last couple days here, I must
01:06say have not been super cold. It's been like 40s 50s, which like, I think New Year's Eve
01:13hit like 60. So not awful. It's gonna get bad. You can feel it like you can feel like
01:19we're we're headed down the roller coaster into some really cold weather like we had
01:24earlier in December. But how is California? How is it? It is lovely been here for just
01:30a day now but going to relax a little bit. Get some golfing. We'll still be watching
01:35the Bruins. We'll see how they do. We're recording this on Thursday. So the plane the Rangers
01:40at 4pm West Coast time, which is a 4pm Eastern. So everybody like tunes in at four. I will
01:48say it is it is very different like waking up at like so I woke up at 8am California
01:53time and like it's already like Gerard Mayo has already spoken like there's a whole lot
01:57of stuff going on. You feel like you know the meme of the guy where he wakes up like
02:01that's me. I just give us a wall of notifications. So when I would go out because I have cousins
02:07in California in Laguna Beach, and when I was little, I would go out there. I would
02:13wake up at like 5am California time as a little kid and I went out there in college and I
02:19woke up. I got adjusted and woke up at 9 10am real quick in your time. But that's good
02:25for you that you're like able to sleep until 8am California time because for us that's
02:2911 I think here so lots of waking up to waking up to powerplay groups waking up to like practice
02:38lines all that stuff so lucky you like you before we get into the Bruins. I have a winner
02:43classic thought that I feel like we can. Yes, I was reading ESPN ranked like the best winner
02:48classics ever. This they had this year's as the worst and I would agree. I'd agree
02:55New Year's Eve and not the same. The Wrigley I'm for Wrigley. I'm down to Fenway was awesome
03:03a couple years ago and that was the second time they'd gone to that venue Wrigley cool
03:08for it. I don't need to see the Chicago Blackhawks. I just don't I know that's a that's a tired
03:15like we've been bitching about the Blackhawks being an outdoor games for like a decade now
03:19probably honestly since like 2015 when I think they were in that game to against the black
03:24against the Capitals, but like they suck that team fucking sucks. I'm sorry. They blow and
03:33I just I don't need to see them. The Blues just stomped all over him. I don't know at
03:40this point to make it different and to make it better. I mean do right do rivalries do
03:45some new rivalries maybe but I also say like try out new places. We said it last week,
03:50but Lake Tahoe was awesome. I know you wouldn't have fans necessarily there. Maybe you could
03:54find a way to have a scenic place and build your own stadium stands or something like
03:59that. So there are people just go on camp just like just hammer in like these like bleachers
04:04Bring your own chair BYOB no BYOC bring your own chair, but I also think like we mentioned
04:11like the Field of Dreams thing the MLB did and even if they had like 3000 seats for a
04:16game in Lake Tahoe or somewhere scenic like I still think that's sick and people would
04:22tune in to watch it viewership. I believe was down. It couldn't have been that high
04:27for this game on New Year's Eve. So I just I like the Winter Classic. I do. I really
04:32do like it. I'm not like one of the people that bitches about it every year, but I didn't
04:36like it this year. What about you? Yeah. Yeah, I agree. And again, like I'm I agree with
04:41you in terms of I like the Winter Classic like I think every year you have the narrative
04:45like why do they keep on doing this but like but they headed at Fenway in 2023 January
04:512023 and I was like a blast and that's a guy that still does have some staying power right
04:55and again and not every single one of them is going to be a hit but like I think even
04:59look at the way the NHL approached this this previous one right where like you had other
05:03games on that day like it wasn't like its own slate like it felt like it was swept under
05:08the rug by so many other sports like I don't know it just felt like they didn't even have
05:14like their hat in it in terms of maybe the Israelis the Blackhawks suck and Conor Berdard
05:18is not as good as Macklin Celebrini and shouldn't have gotten all that hype when there's a better
05:20guy in the West Coast reviving a shittier roster but I digress but also Will Smith's
05:27good too I'll give I'll give the Hawkeyes boys some credit out what they're doing in
05:30the West Coast Celebrini has been on a different level this year he's insane he's I'd actually
05:35as a you might not know this Evan but I went to Boston University and I have a affinity
05:41for the Terriers doing well both at the college level and the NHL level I did not think Celebrini
05:46was gonna be this good out of the gate but so he's just been insane insane yeah but no
05:53I agree like if you're the NHL you gotta think outside the box here I mean whether
05:58it's different locations like even more like college shady they know that's tougher in
06:03January when you've got bowl games going on and all those things but which also interfere
06:07with that game itself that's why they didn't have it on January 1st right but even like
06:13I don't know people mentioned like the the Florida Panthers having a game at like the
06:19Miami Marlins stadium and people like oh that's stupid I'm like no try it whatever
06:24who cares it's it's sports like again like if that's Florida Tampa Florida Boston would
06:30be hilarious that'd be it actually a really really fun matchup I feel like it will be
06:34Tampa but like if it was Bruins Panthers in Miami on January 1st that'd be a blast to
06:40like but I mean like you pick teams would actually have fan bases behind them right
06:43like I don't know maybe that's why you won't go with like the shocks for Celebrini what
06:47have you but like Florida Bruins Florida Tampa get get numbers on them you got like
06:52to involve some of the Canadian teams there's way for you to make this still like a spectacle
06:56especially with the location and the teams you pick it just feels like this past one
07:00blues aren't like a lot to make the playoffs like what have you don't have style power
07:06Chicago bad team with like Conor Berdard who's doing it by himself and is in the midst of
07:10I don't know if you want to call it sophomore slump he's just surrounded by crappy talent
07:14but yeah it just felt like I felt like like the league itself just milled that one in
07:19and you get what you kind of deserve here just kind of cruising with a matchup like
07:23that so Canada hasn't had one in Canada yet right these I don't even know probably not
07:30like is Gary Bettman so averse to the the market and stuff like that but they used to
07:35have the heritage classic up there like in Ottawa and Calgary I remember but they haven't
07:39had that for a long time I don't know if you want to go into the Canadian market and have
07:44like Edmonton and Calgary would be one Calgary obviously though like they're sort of teetering
07:49yeah I mean Florida Tampa or Florida Boston I think of the two and people go the Bruins
07:56and outdoor games like yeah they've been in a bunch but they've also earned the right
08:00to be in a bunch they also get numbers do they get people watching it so yeah like Chicago's
08:05original six yes and in 2009 100% deserve to be in it and some of the games that I forget
08:11the other games but even in 2015 they were you know cup they'd won three cups like yeah
08:15absolutely put them in a game but like even in 2019 they were falling off and I think
08:20they've been in other outdoor games as well so they've been in a lot Bruins have only
08:23been I say only been but they've been in three winter classics that's been it there's been
08:27no stadium series games or anything so if they did Florida and Boston or even Tampa
08:33and Boston or Florida Tampa I think that's a good do something different you know like
08:38go outside and also reward teams that are good don't yeah no I was get you know and
08:44I get it TNT has the rights to the game but I get a no and and maybe this is just me but
08:51like they go so hard with the bed Z Connor Patel here's bed Z stick it's like you're
08:57you're it's not even his fault but you're souring people on him because if yeah if he
09:02had 40 points in 20 games as a second year player like yeah hype this kid up this kids
09:07nasty but you're right sophomore slump the team sucks stinks awful bad and it doesn't
09:15like you know it doesn't even matter that he's that good because the team's so bad so
09:19I don't know I think there's different creative ways you can go with the winter classic this
09:23year just felt really meh but yeah what are you gonna do Bruins played the same day lost
09:30to the Capitals 3-1 in Washington about a week after beating them at home didn't play
09:37awful didn't play awful Washington is a better team but still not the result you want to
09:43see in a game like that yeah I agree that's kind of one of the many we've seen I think
09:47of the last couple of weeks as well since Joe Sago's taken over where it's the glass
09:51half full half empty right I think the last time we talked about that was the Oilers game
09:56right where the Bruins that one probably hurts more because the Bruins were in control for
09:59a large portion of that game and really did a really strong job shutting him down and
10:03then kind of take the foot off the gas late losing over time this one you don't get any
10:09points which probably is more frustrating but I think the Bruins played a pretty competitive
10:13game right like they power play was a mess and we'll talk about that but Bruins generated
10:18a whole lot of quality chances against Logan Thompson I think the Bruins at five on five
10:23had 13 high danger looks which I think was their third highest output of the year so
10:27I think the only highest ones were against Vancouver and Calgary on that on that West
10:33Coast trip on that Western Canada trip so they've done a better job at generating looks
10:38the first like five six minutes that game they were putting Thompson under duress they
10:43had a lot of quality looks a lot of good looks late defense as a whole I think was actually
10:48pretty solid the lapses were bad right like the the first Lexi Potter like goal was not
10:55that great right in terms of like you couldn't clear the puck out PK was not great Gabe Chikorin
11:01way too much time and space to get that shot off but as a whole it wasn't like any kind
11:06of you kind of need swimming to make that save too yes yes but I think like you look
11:12at that game it sucks you don't get any points out of it but weren't outclassed did not look
11:16like they were in the same ballpark against a very good team Washington had what 28 block
11:21shots I think Bruins had 21 is like it was actually a pretty competitive game that like
11:26you want the Bruins kind of like what we said when we were like gauging expectations Evan
11:30of like the Western Canada trip we're like well if you lose three to two or like three
11:34to one to Edmonton you keep it close then like you you take steps forward and again
11:39I'm not viewing it as an overall positive they lost to Washington but it's just it's
11:44frustrating right because then they played a competitive game but that inability to finish
11:49both at five on five and a spectrum of power play and just that's where it really looms
11:53large when you just need one more goal to change the complexion of that game get you
11:57back into it get you ahead what have you that is still really hurting this team right now
12:03yeah and I also think it kind of continues to place them under that cup contender tier
12:08I know that's not like you know it's kind of captain obvious but they continue to show
12:12why they're in middle of the pack playoff team and middle of that team in general I
12:17want to get to that power play stuff because that continues to be an issue but first prize
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12:52but you want to always say you want to get into other games you want to get into the
12:57Chiefs or the Bills or maybe you really like the Detroit Lions you like their chances this
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13:12easy deposits into your account this sports season in terms of the Bruins tough stretch
13:16coming up although I will say we're recording this Thursday afternoon prior to the game
13:21against the Rangers Rangers are horrific horrific we will get into that but maybe tonight's
13:28the night's the night the floodgates open for the Bruins and you feel David Pasternak
13:32more goals or more points so never a bad thing never a bad thing at all so download the app
13:38today use code CLNS to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup again download
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13:49prize picks run your game run that game imagine if we had prize picks during that 22-23 season
13:57like all right David Pasternak more every night every night but have it this year so
14:04not not as convincing a an offensive output but again there's time on ice there's hits
14:09all that stuff to make the games a little bit and a lot of it more fun power play Bruins
14:16made some changes against going into Washington didn't work and then the power play lines
14:22in New York so this was Thursday morning power play one McAvoy Pasternak Lindholm Zaka Marchand
14:28which is exactly the same power play unit that has not been working all year and then
14:33that second unit Lowry Wallstrom geeky coil Breazeau I don't know man like it just ain't
14:40working it's just not where and you know we we've put a lot of blame on McAvoy at the
14:46point but I also think a lot of other guys need to produce better too and I think it's
14:51also just changing it up and leaving it for a bunch of games to try to get them to get
14:55some chemistry I don't know what do you think yeah I mean I it's tough to like view away
15:02like that that power play operated those two new look ones on on whatever day it was
15:08Jesus Tuesday New Year's Eve today feels like a Monday like yeah it makes no it makes absolutely
15:13no sense to what the days are but Tuesday against the Washington Capitals the way especially
15:18that second power play if you want even call it that I I made the mistake after that second
15:22power play I don't generate any shots on goal didn't have any momentum and they were kind
15:27of carrying play for the previous 3-4 minutes at 5 on 5 in that second period get the power
15:33play get absolutely nothing and kind of just go out with I don't think I don't think they
15:37got the next shot and go until I think like 30 seconds into the third period and I tweeted
15:42like something like well that didn't look like a Bruins power play and all my replies
15:47like yes it did like that looks exactly like how its power plays been this year and I was
15:51like touche right so but yeah I mean I don't know like the power play I think is breaking
15:58my brain Evan because like I can see the argument like just putting out your best players and
16:03just being like figure it out but like is that a result of like them switching things
16:09up of how they're approaching things like I think like that that personnel on that first
16:13unit like the traditional first unit is good enough to be held 18th in the league right
16:20I'm you take 18th in the league right now I think they were 14th whatever last year
16:24and they started off really hot and then kind of flow down as the year went on but the talent
16:30is there it's just I think I need to see them change things up like whether that's like
16:34you know moving posture knock around having be more mobile with the puck and you know
16:38have the opposing PK kind of guessing or out of sorts as to not thinking that you know
16:42they have to just wait for the one time or from the left circle whether it's getting
16:47Zaka more involved you know at the bumper position whether it's putting Erlandt home
16:53rather you know putting him at the bumper getting him involved Zaka you know at the
16:57net front whether it's operating kind of behind the net more low to high plays there's you
17:02know the talent is there I think it's so I'm not surprised to see Joe Sacco go back to
17:06that group against this Rangers team that is admittedly pretty bad but if you are going
17:12to go back to the group that you viewed going into the years when it's going to have you
17:17you know operating at a pretty high level going to change things around like way too
17:20stagnant way to Sacco mentioned on on Tuesday like way too far away from the net in terms
17:28of their passing playing on the perimeter like you have to change things up with that
17:31group because they have the talent to take over they have the they should have the chemistry
17:35between some of those guys at least out there but if you're going to the same three four
17:39plays that we know they're going to run if we know they're going to run them I think
17:43the hockey players paid a couple million bucks in the coaches and the video coaches are well
17:48aware of that as well and spend a lot of their hours devoted to taking away those looks and
17:53you've seen it so far this year so again not surprised to see Sacco go back to that grouping
17:59but you got to change things up of to what you're throwing at the opposing PK to get
18:03some looks there I think the biggest thing is I don't think it's you hit it with that
18:10first unit those are probably the five guys you want out there like if you're in a six
18:15on five at the end of the game those five guys are five of your six the tough part is
18:21what are you running so typically if I'm not mistaken they run an overload and they stick
18:27on the other side as the one-timer and as we've said many times teams have figured that out and
18:34the Bruins have not figured out a way to go around that now when we do those bruins postgame shows
18:39in the playoffs Carl Corsini always brings a whiteboard and he would draw up he'll draw plays
18:43or he'll draw four checks or whatever stuff that is past you know our plebs brains but I was sitting
18:50here kind of drawing out you know if they're gonna stick with an overload how you would do
18:55it and change it up and one thing I think is maybe you just move popster knock off that one-timer
19:01thing entirely you could put him at the point and have him be sort of the quarterback and you maybe
19:05you move McAvoy McAvoy doesn't have a bad one-timer and that could be your sneaky weapon
19:10and then you put Lindholm in the bumper and you have Zaka down low and you have Marchand on the
19:14half wall so as the one-timer you know if you move to the other side of the ice he's the one-timer
19:19um on uh on his off wing or what about Zaka at the point I don't know I think we're at the point
19:25where like you gotta get a little crazy what Zaka is a good passer good distributor good with the
19:30puck uh you move hammer and hammer and shots at that point he's got a good shot like yeah like
19:36dude can finish but I also like what if you put posture knock in the bumper spot and you put
19:40McAvoy out far for the one-timer and you put Lindholm down like do a little bit of different
19:46things show other teams different looks and you know even if there's a way for you to this sounds
19:52insane and I don't think there is a way for you to do this but if you had posture start out as like
19:57the guy quarterbacking things at the point or in the bumper and you move the puck around so well
20:02and guys are moving that you end up with posture not getting open for a one-timer like there are
20:07things you can do and it goes back to they're too stagnant they are too stagnant and I don't know I
20:12mean obviously look post rock makes 11 million dollars a year uh he's your best goal scorer
20:18my guess is he wants to be the one-timer on the power play it's does he look at it as a sign of
20:22disrespect if you're moving him off of that maybe but I also think you got to get this power play
20:26going and if that's what you have to do and you've got to change where you're putting him um that's
20:31what you got to do and I'm for I'm for this they need some drastic changes here uh and Sacco
20:37mentioned it when he got hired when he was like look we can't change everything today
20:40it's been over a month now um well over a month so like now's the time where you sort of want to
20:47change things up here get things going the soccer thing at the point I don't hate
20:50because I don't you know Zaka's good down low for sure but like as a distributor up top I I
20:56wouldn't be opposed to it so yeah something a little different you have any big ideas to
21:00push things up dude I mean I really you've got to mention like I I I do believe in terms of that
21:06five-minute in terms of the personnel out there but yeah I think things just need to change in
21:10terms of just the looks you're getting and like yeah whether it's Zaka up there whether it's like
21:15having possibly be the quarterback and having the puck on his stick um and you know again if he's
21:20the one who's moving with the puck it's going to make the entire pk structure change the chart
21:24account for what he's doing if that means you know he moves down the half wall passes it to
21:29lintel in the bumper and all of a sudden like passionate gets open or you're getting guys more
21:34as much as you look at like the Bruins power play when they were routinely a top five unit when you
21:38had guys like Krug and Martian and Bergeron and Pasternak what have you um you know a lot of those
21:44plays finished with like usually Pasternak at the left circle with the goal or Bergeron at the
21:49bumper but like like it's almost like you need one of those like the you know the NHL tracking
21:54things remember when they had the like the the tracking data and like this is going to be
21:58revolutionary and then it kind of sucks like I would just like to see like the 2018-19 Bruins
22:03power play of just like tracking movement to see how much these guys moved around because like I
22:07think having that where guys are so unpredictable on the ice and knowing where that shot where that
22:12quality chance is going to come from and yes usually ended with one of those two guys finishing
22:17the play but um it came off of a passing lane opening up or soft air to the ice opening up
22:23because all of a sudden Krug's at the half wall when you're threatening him to fire in a shot from
22:27the blue line it's Martian moving down you know to the other elbow or what have you it's you know
22:32a guy like Dabrusk or someone retrieving a puck at the net front and they have the ability to cash
22:37in down low as well like there's so many ways for that team to um when these guys are moving and
22:42being unpredictable that listen there's only four guys on the ice on the PK there's only so much
22:46these guys can do and if you're a team matching into the Bruins right now you can operate a little
22:52bit of risk because you know it's probably going to end up going to Pasternak so you have guys
22:56more catered towards that end of the ice or that side of the ice taking away that shot you're in a
23:01good spot you you live with the potential for you know what was that like uh that great play it was
23:07like Lindholm and Martian that kind of tic-tac-toe power play goal I think it was in western Canada
23:11and that was like a shock in terms of them playing off something like that you're right now if you're
23:17an opposing PK unit you're probably like we'll live with that because we know they're not gonna
23:20do that that much if we come for Pasternak like you need to change you need to change things up
23:24to get um to get that group going because the talent should be there they maybe they're not top
23:29five powerful unit anymore I think we've all accepted that man where would this team be if
23:33they were 15th they were average in the league it keeps going back to that of like just be league
23:41average um just be average exactly but you know what isn't average you know what is top of their
23:46game what's that what's that game time it's our friend oh yes over at game 10 the NFL playoffs
23:52are coming up and while the New England Patriots are not in it there are lots of
23:57playoff games around the country that will be highly highly watched um good great games NFL
24:04sometimes struggles with you know the matchups of mid-tier teams but when the playoffs come around
24:09all the matchups are really good and fireworks can happen and when you go you can make fond
24:13memories I'd also say you can make fond memories going to an NHL game Bruins uh we'll be home again
24:19soon go get some uh some tickets there uh and again you can do that with game time because
24:23game time is a new feature called game time picks that makes getting tickets for events even easier
24:28because it filters out the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats so you don't have
24:33to waste time searching through thousands of tickets to find the best value I'd also say
24:38we're entering that time in January and February and a little bit of March where it's like that
24:43post-holiday thing sets in and it's just sort of a dead part of the year and sometimes the games on
24:50TV aren't as great you know you have a Bruins like wild game or something like that I don't
24:56think the wild come to town anytime soon but like if it's a game like that it's better when you're
25:00there makes it more exciting something to look forward to something to do with friends and family
25:05and that's why you have game time again game time also has uh game time picks which you know the
25:11curation makes it easier all-in pricing I love this toggling this feature shows the total up
25:15front with no surprise fees at checkout so take the guesswork out of buying tickets with game time
25:20download the game time app create an account and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase
25:25terms apply again create an account and redeem code CLNS for 20 bucks off download game time
25:33connor what time is it a game time when does matt potter get called up when's this happening
25:42you have to imagine it's pretty soon right like I mean that's what we said we also were like oh
25:47could just be a paper transaction for Fabian Lysell and sure enough he has not played since
25:52that first game as well you do feel like it's gonna come at some point right I mean you're
25:57looking at especially with that with that grouping like that third line desperately
26:02needs some more playmaking right uh in terms of guys pulling their weight and that again I even
26:07think the third line the Frederick Brazzo um Kepke line against the Capitals was pretty good like I
26:15think Brazzo had a really good game he had obviously that that bounce led to a goal minute 21 in but he
26:20had like four or five high danger looks off of again just playing his game playing at the net
26:25front but I think the lack of playmaking the lack of skill is evident on this team so I'm waiting
26:32for the day that both him and Lysell get called back up I still think Lysell you need to give him
26:36a longer look I know I think Wallstrom's getting back into the lineup on Thursday against the
26:41Rangers see what he can do it has not been very encouraging so far but I think it it has to be
26:48especially when you look at where this team is at and what I'm looking at when you see this schedule
26:54and you got like the Panthers coming up Tampa Bay twice Toronto I'm like you know you need like some
26:58extra firepower to get past some of these teams I could all see the Bruins be like these are some
27:03heavy tough teams we don't want to put our young guys out there it's like well all right but again
27:08I still think there's just way too much dead weight in terms of where on this forward core
27:12where guys are just not doing it nearly enough to um it's a heavy top league that's what I keep
27:18about it's a heavy tough league every team is heavy and physical and tough yes some are a little
27:22more than others but like if you want Fabian Lysell to be something in the NHL sorry dude you
27:28gotta play Washington sorry dude you gotta play Tampa you gotta you know like I just and same
27:33with Patra right like obviously we don't want Patra stapled to the to the glass like a bug
27:37but like you said it last week and I've agreed with you on this like what if he was in the top
27:43six what if he was down the middle I don't know something right I'm trying to spark something
27:48so interesting stuff I don't I mean yeah I just I just feel like something needs to happen there
27:54in terms to get getting something going there I said like when Patra was you know had goals in
27:58seven straight games like let him marinate get past the new year I think you have to call him
28:03up before this you know the schedule really starts ramping up here and see what you have because if
28:07he can carry over at least some of what he's done down in Providence again what have we said for I
28:13think it's like seven weeks running now Evan of where this team would be with another goal or two
28:17a game like that's not just me like every single game like what if this team was averaging 3.6 goals
28:22for a game instead of 2.6 but like the timely uh you know scoring getting that goal to get you back
28:27into a game as you saw with um the game on Tuesday like this team has been so many games they've come
28:33just short off of the lack of scoring both at five on five and power play and I think a guy like
28:38Patra and maybe even a guy like Lysel can give you that extra punch you need right now yeah
28:42especially Patra I think Patra is a little bit more of a shirt thing we talked about you know
28:46would you put him as the first line center with Zaka and Pasternak and you'd have you know your
28:51your line of Marcian Lindholm and Coyle and then you can sort of play with your third line a bit
28:55with Geeky um even though Geeky has been producing as we've said a number of times uh but it kind of
29:01leads all to this you know as we hit January of 2025 it's a new year like Nuketown 2025 we finally
29:09made it he used to seem so far away and now it's here um have you changed your outlook at all for
29:15the Bruins entering this year I uh surprisingly uh I had to do a new bullet predictions for 2025
29:24on boston.com so you can read that got a lot of uh predictions whether it's uh Gerard Mayo's job
29:29status what have you the one that I think has drawn the most uh rage and you know you should
29:34never check the comments anyway but I said that the Bruins enter the playoffs as a wildcard team
29:40and they still win two rounds mostly because they fight their way through the metro I I am all for
29:45them avoiding the boff fight that is the Atlantic I have them just grinding and getting their way
29:50through uh two rounds go on to play the uh Florida Panthers who finished the year with the best record
29:57in the league and they still lose to them they lose in the conference finals to the Panthers
30:01I didn't see that that came out that came out Thursday right it came out uh New Year's Day so
30:08okay I haven't had a chance to read it yet that's hysterical so so I've changed where the Bruins
30:12finish but I still think have them go through the metro uh I think it's like that I believe I had
30:18them playing caps upsetting the caps who finished first in the metro and then but not first in the
30:23conference and then they play uh they beat the devils teams that have some skill but if you play
30:29a game grind them out or more physical would you think they should be more physical maybe not in
30:33capitals that would be a tough game but uh tough series but devils if you play to what you should
30:38be I could see the argument there and I had a few qualifies in there I had like the Bruins trading
30:44Frederick and a few guys getting another scoring winger not trading a first but um I I do think
30:51that you know this team has the ability to be a tough out and if you're a tough out then respectfully
30:57I don't know what what that means in terms of what you project of what your team means you could be
31:02giving a team hell and losing six games in a first round series or you have a bounce if you go your
31:07way and your goalie gets hot and you win a round or two but I think if you're the Bruins I'd rather
31:11you navigate through the metro as a wildcard team then fight through the Atlantic once again between
31:16Florida and Tampa and Toronto so that's my stance right now yeah we've become so accustomed to them
31:22finishing one two or three in their division that we when was the last time the Bruins faced a team
31:27that wasn't in their division in the first two rounds it's been like since the old playoff format
31:32I think yeah since like the since like the right wings right and yeah that's right that was the I
31:39think that was the last time um that that happened and like so yeah I mean you're right I think going
31:45through the metro would be their best path I could see Washington as an easy upset candidate
31:49I don't think I've changed I mean I've changed my outlook since the beginning of the year I had the
31:53Bruins I think in first and the year I don't anymore I still am not convinced enough with
31:58this roster this team they're not consistent enough I still don't see them stringing together
32:02four wins over seven games against one really good team so I would say I've changed my outlook
32:08since the beginning of the season but since like we've seen this team over three months now
32:13I haven't I'd love to be able to sit here and say I could see them winning two rounds I just
32:17can't and maybe that's why they will maybe that's why this team will go deep is because we can't we
32:22don't see them going deep but I don't and I also see them like finishing third and having to face
32:27Florida or Toronto or Tampa first round and then it's like that's a whole nother can of worms so
32:33yeah I have a negative I have more of a negative approach you have more positive approach I mean
32:36they are a lot of yours is probably more realistic though Evan so well yes but but I guess these
32:43views are more relevant now considering it was the beginning of the year but there were a lot
32:47of writers at different different people who cover the Bruins who had them as a wild card or
32:52a third in the Atlantic team but would go deeper in the playoffs because they were built more
32:55physical and big I also think those don't count so much anymore that was sort of basing on guys
33:00like Max Jones making an impact and you know your goalie being better and things like that and that
33:06just hasn't been the case so I still I still got them at third or a wild card and still not going
33:13that deep in the playoffs but I like your optimism I like it it's good we needed these
33:18starting 2025 on a high note right so we'll see that's right let's see how it goes downhill from
33:23sorry well we got to clip that because if it's right that's going to be a hell of a prediction
33:26if it's not right that we're not we're not putting that anywhere don't put that of course
33:31anyway Connor what can the people look forward to from you over in sunny California
33:36yes you can still follow all my stuff over at boston.com in the Boston Globe we have
33:40covered every step of the way with recaps features columns breakdowns all that good
33:45stuff so you can read my stuff over there on those two sites and if you want to follow me
33:49on twitter x whatever it's called you can add connor ryan on discord 93 go do all that that's
33:55connor ryan i'm evan maranofsky poke the bear listeners have a great rest of your week