Boston Bruins vs. New York Islanders | Game Preview | 11/04/2025
[Music] And oh, that’s a bright orange hat. Has to mix things up since this dress code has changed. Hampus looking fresh with those sunnies. Maybe that’s a good luck thing cuz he wore those the last time the Bruins won. The Bruins actually trying to extend their win streak from three to four, which would be would be their longest of the season. And they’re taking on a team that they beat last week to get things going. That being the New York Islanders. With that, let’s bring you in. Welcome to Bruins pregame hub presented by Weekend 180 weight loss. We have Billy and Barry here with you. We’re going to get you ready for the game against the Islanders, but also go over some other storylines in New England as it concerns hockey. Billy Jeffy with the great college hockey interviews. But guys, we’re going to start with the bees, who, as I just mentioned, have been rolling as of late. Three, looking for four. Lots of reasons, lots of things we can point to as to what’s been working, but we’re going to start by getting in depth with uh secondary scoring and contribution from all lines. We like what we’re seeing. Well, obvious statement, first one of the day, I’m sure, before many more coming. You need it if you’re going to be successful. Of course, you need your big guys to come through, but because the Bruins are not a team that is chock full of what we would call high-end skill guys after posture knock and then geeky and he’s not even a true skill guy. He’s a power guy, right? But after that partner, it’s it’s it’s offense by committee. And six of their last 11 goals in the last three games have come from what I would call their depth guys. Now, that means Pasta and Geeks have continued to be tremendous, but they need those other goals big time. Yeah, that they do. And I think, you know, you you take that along with the improvement in specialty teams, your secondary scoring, you’re playing a little bit better defensively and these guys aren’t getting scored against. And the youngsters like Mitten are continuing to learn uh how to play in the National Hockey League. They’re doing a much better job defensively. You’re seeing them, as we talked last game, Billy, about them making baby steps. You’re starting to see them being able to keep the defenders in their end to the outside a little bit more. Still lots of room for improvement, but they’re starting to show some signs and it’s showing in the goals against. It’s been a big improvement and u now you got to start winning on the road. You’re one 4-0 on the road. And as we know to be a playoff team, to be a team that has a decent year, you got to finish at least 500 right around that area. Yeah. And this is where the matchup game becomes, I think, huge because the Bruins, you know, it’s easy to focus on the big guys when the Bruins are on the road because there’s really that one line. Yes. That’s why the second line scoring more the Zaka line. Keep going, guys. Keep going. Just give it a little more because again that the opponent like tonight it’s an easy matchup so to speak against the Hnu line, the H Nadina of line along with Pasta and Geeki. Yes. Okay. Okay, so we mentioned depth scoring, secondary scoring, which was a question mark at the start of the season, but guys, during this good stretch, what else has contributed to the Bruins wins, buying into the system. We’re going to get into that a little bit more. PKA, PPP, goalending, where do you guys want to take it? Uh, actually, let’s skip goending because we’re going to get in depth with those guys, but what else has contributed to this win streak? Well, to me it’s the team structure and you’re starting to hear the coach with his, you know, postgame interviews with Andy Brickley be a little bit more pleased with what he’s seeing throughout a game. That that means you’re you’re allowing yourself to be in every hockey game because you’re you’re allowing two maybe three on a a given night rather than four or five. The Bruins have cut that down immensely. And to Billy’s point about you’re not you know you don’t have two or three big scoring lines, that is going to be very important. The other thing that we saw last game, staying out of the penalty box. That’s where I was going to go. That’s huge. That Yeah. And what does that usually mean? In theory, you’re moving your feet better, faster. Well, better. You’re just You’re not Well, right. You’re anticipating better. You’re close. So, a little later in the show, we’re going to show you when the Bruins kill plays better down low in their own zone. That’s when their D is better. And that doesn’t allow teams then, what are we even talking about? The transition from zone to man to man when they ride up the wall, right? And that leads to issues up top. So to Barry’s point, the D’s been a little better. Marco’s been a little bit happier. Still a long way to go. I’m going to repeat exactly what he said because there is. But when they kill plays down low quicker, better that usually eliminates the chaos that can ensue, especially up top in the defensive zone. So we’ll show that a little later in one of our breakdowns. Okay. Well, let’s take a look at some of the numbers. We keep talking about it. Show me, don’t tell me. We keep talking about the Bruins and how they’ve been playing throughout the season. And there were momentum swings. They started with that three-game win streak. Marco Sturm almost joked and said, “I wish it didn’t happen.” In a way, uh, when they were down at a sixgame losing streak, won 7-0, and then in their last three games, we’re looking at goals against per game average. Adam Pelerin is with us uh at USB, UBS, UBS, it’s UBS Arena. I always get that mixed up. Uh, Adam Valerin, USB court Arena, guys, I always do that. I always do. Uh, Adam, ignore me. I’m just my usual self today. Why don’t you save the show? Take it away. Tell us what you’re hearing from Marco Sturm during this great win streak right now. Well, as you guys talked about, he spoke this morning at UBS Arena. It is hard to keep track of all the sponsored arenas these days. They keep changing. Anyway, I digress. Uh, we talk about the compressed schedule being a big storyline for all 32 NHL teams this year because of the Olympics. Uh, Bruins no exception. We talked about the backtobacks that the Bruins had in the first month of the season. Well, they’ve also faced opponents multiple times. In fact, they face the Anders tonight for the second time. It’s the third opponent they’ve seen twice already in the first month of the season. Now, the good news for the Bruins is that the second matchup against the Sabres and Avalanche went very well and they’re hoping that it’ll go well tonight against the Isisles as well. It’s good. It’s kind of, you know, when you do the pre-code, it’s kind of refresh your memory very quickly. Um, no, it’s a good team. It’s a good hockey team. They uh they play connected very well. Um, so I think this will be exactly the game was in in in Boston the other night. Uh, whoever makes more mistakes. Um, um, you know, going to have a tough time. So, um, again, I feel like it’s going to be a tight game tonight. And, uh, and we also we feel like as a group we we’re due for a good road game. again. It’s been a while uh since probably game one. We won that game. Um so we want to start something for now. By the end of November, the Bruins will have had four rematches against other opponents on the schedule as well. In fact, they’ll see two opponents three times before the end of November. The Senators and this Islanders team who they will see on Thanksgiving Eve, guys. Thank you, Adam. Yeah, odd schedule with the Ottawa Center, seeing them so many times in the course of like 3 weeks, but we don’t make the schedules. You are coming back with Fraser Mitten who we talked about on the show and we’re going to talk a little bit later on. Direct like not not holding on to it, overthinking it, just being really direct and like being a shooting threat. Every time you get the puck, you want to be a threat out there, make guys having to either go to you and you can pass it along or you take it to the net. What’s the secret on the entries getting getting a clean entry? you know, that that was something that was, you know, you guys had struggled with in the past. Yeah, I think uh it starts with always putting the puck in a better spot when you hand it over. Like you don’t just want to pass it for the reason and passing it. Like you you you want to try to make a read out there and I think we have a great coaching staff here talking about power play. Obviously spotter’s been great for us giving us a good game plan. And if you get all five guys sticking to that game plan, that’s when how you break teams down. And I think we’ve been good so far, but we can still improve and get even better at just sticking together out there as five and stick to our game plan. Well, the guys are going to kind of show us what Hampus was talking about. But first, they say the past is in the past, not when it comes to sports. We love comparing things as we take a look at the Bruins power play through the first 14 games over the last two seasons. You guys can see the numbers for yourself. An improvement this season. and Bill and Barry with more as to why that’s happening and more of those details in their breakdown. Yeah. So, so it’s it’s it’s great numbers right there, right? It shows you how much better it’s been. Hampus brought up Steve Spot who comes in as the associate head coach and he ends up getting uh uh you know, this is a big opportunity for this Bruins team to get better on the power play. This is what spotter strength is. So, good for them, good for him. Um, look, your high-end offensive player when you played, was there one guy, one coach or one player that really helped with the power play more than others that you can remember? Yeah, Jean Rattell. And I also thought for me, uh, one of the guys who played who was kind of a quarterback and became got into coaching afterwards, Brad Park was exceptionally gifted on the power play. He saw the ice so well. All right. Well, you can’t have a great power play if you cannot get the puck into the zone. and Barry and I and Razer when he’s here, we’ve talked at length about how much better the breakouts and more importantly the entries have been. Last year they were bad. I don’t know how else to say it. That’s why they were dead last almost. Exactly. So, what we’re going to do first is we’re going to just show you some clips of last year. Sorry folks to do it to you. Take your thumbs out on this one. We’ll show you they weren’t good. Go ahead and we’re going to roll a couple and you’re going to see that the depth isn’t there. And you got guys look past doesn’t pass the puck once cuz he’s up at the line. Now, here you go. Watch again. We got a pass counter. Here’s another good example. Bringing the puck up the ice. But look at how guys are stationary. Barry up top. What’s going to happen here? Now all of a sudden you got nobody supporting. You don’t even make the zone. You don’t get the defenders to back in. Bill, here’s another one. You got Mitchell bring up middle the ice. And the look again. Now 95 Lati is a pass to nowhere. You isolate the man in the middle. We’re going to roll it again now. And look at how the Bruins again are stationary and nowhere to go. It’s one against three. And you make that backhand pass. the pass counter. It’s not being utilized. All right. Now, this is this year, Barry. Look at how different it looks. And look at how they come up. Four guys linear together. Yeah. Not only linear, Billy, but with with some speed. Now, all of a sudden, that means the opponent’s got to back in a little bit. And I’m also staying closer to each other for what? Twoon ones. Right. You create Go ahead and roll it. Now, you create options with the pass. He can go left, right in. All right. Good. Four passes from breakout to entry. Now, here’s another one. Makavoy kicks back. Watch again, folks. Four guys are going to be basically in a almost in a line. And now you’ve got movement coming. And you see how much depth is created between the opponent and the Bruins that allows for the puck to get in. Four passes again. Barry, here’s another one. A little bit different, but similar. Yeah. And I think the the other key here too, Billy, is that you don’t know which side they’re going to be going up. So that way the defenders can’t cheat. Now all of a sudden, you got one pass. Look at the speed going. Now I got a twoon one. I got a threeon two. I have the power play. I am outnumbering them. That’s exactly what the Bruins have done. They have metamorphised that they’re at their breakout. While the kickback, the first pass, which I’ll be honest with you, in the past I always at. But the kickback pass and allows everybody to come up. Now, it works because they’re not so separated. They work their way back. They come up almost, and I say linear, it’s not stationary, but as Barry said, it’s connected and they have options. that so much better this year. Yes, it is. Now it’s a weapon and even if you like we always say, even if you don’t score, at least you’re getting positive momentum off it that can carry over to the next shift. There’s nothing worse nothing worse than being on the power play and then get your backside handed to you because you can’t get the puck into the offensive zone. It is such
The Boston Bruins are on the road as they take on the New York Islanders. Sophia, Billy, and Barry discuss tonight’s game on Bruins Pre-Game Hub.
