Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

[Friend_of_BU_Hockey]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

"Is anybody alive in here, anybody alive in here, anybody alive in here? Nobody but us..."

What a strange season it has been. On the one hand, I could see the team losing this weekend, and it going down as DQ's most disappointing season so far. On the other hand, given the talent, this team could hit it's stride and go on a nice run, with a Beanpot title game rematch to earn an auto-bid (I don't know if they would actually meet in the final or prior to it).

I'm going to predict BU wins in 3 games this weekend.

My gut feeling tells me the BU-UCONN series will go the distance. But can flip a coin to determine who will advance to the Garden.

Strange, frustrating, disinterested, indifferent are just some of the adjectives I can use to describe this season. With the exception of a handful of games, this team has elicited as much excitement and emotion as a tax audit. There's a nice collection of individual talent that, unfortunately, hasn't demonstrated much consistency nor ability to be greater than the sum of its individual parts.

Even if BU advances to the Garden, I'm not confident in the team's ability to put together 2 great games in that setting.

[Scarlet]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Tomorrow’s nor’easter is named Quinn. Heh.

[Bomber]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

My gut feeling tells me the BU-UCONN series will go the distance. But can flip a coin to determine who will advance to the Garden.

Strange, frustrating, disinterested, indifferent are just some of the adjectives I can use to describe this season. With the exception of a handful of games, this team has elicited as much excitement and emotion as a tax audit. There's a nice collection of individual talent that, unfortunately, hasn't demonstrated much consistency nor ability to be greater than the sum of its individual parts.

Even if BU advances to the Garden, I'm not confident in the team's ability to put together 2 great games in that setting.

Again, you nailed it. The section in bold in particular. Spot on.

I think they get thru this weekend (in front of nobody. Whine, whine, whine. ) Then lose in the Semi's.

I watched the Jimmy V / NC State 1983 30 for 30 last night. This BU team is less than the sum of its parts. Winning teams are usually greater than the sum of their parts. #NeedATeamBuilder

BU Hockey: Meh

[brassbonanza]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Again, you nailed it. The section in bold in particular. Spot on.

I think they get thru this weekend (in front of nobody. Whine, whine, whine. ) Then lose in the Semi's.

I watched the Jimmy V / NC State 1983 30 for 30 last night. This BU team is less than the sum of its parts. Winning teams are usually greater than the sum of their parts. #NeedATeamBuilder

BU Hockey: Meh

Unfortunately agree. I know that to some extent the here and there play over the last few weeks of February was due to some injury/illness/Olympics impacting the lineup. Hopefully this extra week off allowed time for players to heal and get healthy. That said, I too don't have high expectations. They've played most of the year like an 8-cylinder engine with only five working at once.

[defkit]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Unfortunately agree. I know that to some extent the here and there play over the last few weeks of February was due to some injury/illness/Olympics impacting the lineup. Hopefully this extra week off allowed time for players to heal and get healthy. That said, I too don't have high expectations. They've played most of the year like an 8-cylinder engine with only five working at once.

I'd like the coaching staff to watch the Bruin's Power Play from last nights game. So much more moving around, rather than just passing around the box. It seriously shouldn't be that hard to come up with a good power play.

[Bomber]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

I'd like the coaching staff to watch the Bruin's Power Play from last nights game. So much more moving around, rather than just passing around the box. It seriously shouldn't be that hard to come up with a good power play.

Are the Bruins using the Blackhawk's Rubik's Cube system? I freakin' love watching that. (Need to watch more Bruins.)

[Friend_of_BU_Hockey]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

I'd like the coaching staff to watch the Bruin's Power Play from last nights game. So much more moving around, rather than just passing around the box. It seriously shouldn't be that hard to come up with a good power play.

Despite what we see, BU's PP is 10th nationally @ 22.6%. The PK has been atrocious @ 78% - 47th nationally.

As a follow-up to my previous post where I wrote "hasn't demonstrated much consistency nor ability to be greater than the sum of its individual parts", I have growing frustration over the team's inability to be more productive offensively despite the perceived talent. In the post-Eichel years, the team's GPG has been a very modest:

2015-16: 3.18 GPG
2016-17: 3.15 GPG
2017-18: 3.09 GPG

This season, 37 of the team's 105 goals scored (35%) came in 5 games. In the other 29 games, the 68 goals scored represents a meager 2.34 GPG.

Is this a byproduct of the system the team is taught to execute and struggles to consistently? Does the system need to be adjusted to optimize the talent? Or does the staff not have the right players for the style they really want to play?

One theme about the recent BU teams is the lack of secondary scoring. I know the coaching staff are strong proponents of having their best players play together, and playing them considerably more than role players. The risk is that if your top players aren't producing, the depth players on the rosters are barely productive from a box score standpoint.

[defkit]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Despite what we see, BU's PP is 10th nationally @ 22.6%. The PK has been atrocious @ 78% - 47th nationally.

As a follow-up to my previous post where I wrote "hasn't demonstrated much consistency nor ability to be greater than the sum of its individual parts", I have growing frustration over the team's inability to be more productive offensively despite the perceived talent. In the post-Eichel years, the team's GPG has been a very modest:

2015-16: 3.18 GPG
2016-17: 3.15 GPG
2017-18: 3.09 GPG

This season, 37 of the team's 105 goals scored (35%) came in 5 games. In the other 29 games, the 68 goals scored represents a meager 2.34 GPG.

Is this a byproduct of the system the team is taught to execute and struggles to consistently? Does the system need to be adjusted to optimize the talent? Or does the staff not have the right players for the style they really want to play?

One theme about the recent BU teams is the lack of secondary scoring. I know the coaching staff are strong proponents of having their best players play together, and playing them considerably more than role players. The risk is that if your top players aren't producing, the depth players on the rosters are barely productive from a box score standpoint.

One thought I have is that DQ giving so much playing time to the top 2-3 lines (epitomized during Eichel's season, but certainly last year as well) resulted in the 3rd and 4th liners not developing much. Which means they don't play as much, and the cycle starts again. Is Phelps really much better than he was a freshman? Roberto and Olsson had other reasons for missing time, but again, I think Olsson in particular looked better as a freshman than he does now. It's not as if nobody has developed, but I think the lower line guys haven't shown much improvement though the years.

[Bomber]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Also, with a few exceptions, it doesn't feel like top 6 status is necessarily earned. It's awarded based on draft status and pedigree. I'd love to see a line-break down on goals scored. Has the 4th line even scored this season?

And yes, Olsson has been a shell of himself this season. I really like Curry's spunk, but either he's been hurt or he's in Mooksville, because we haven't seen much of him the second half.

BU Hockey: Two More? Three More? Four More?

[defkit]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Also, with a few exceptions, it doesn't feel like top 6 status is necessarily earned. It's awarded based on draft status and pedigree. I'd love to see a line-break down on goals scored. Has the 4th line even scored this season?

And yes, Olsson has been a shell of himself this season. I really like Curry's spunk, but either he's been hurt or he's in Mooksville, because we haven't seen much of him the second half.

BU Hockey: Two More? Three More? Four More?

I agree to some extent, but once there, if you aren't producing, DQ does make adjustments. Bobo isn't a draft pick but has earned his spot with his goal scoring through the years. Most of us thought Crone would be a point-producer, and DQ had him in top-6 roles for the first third of the season, but when it became evident he wasn't contributing, he dropped him down (he has seeming since moved up with some production). I think Tkachuk probably benefited most from his name/draft status, but at times he has looked very good, so I think DQ was just trying to let him work through it more. The NTDP guys are so much younger than the other guys that it really can take time to adjust (unless your name is Eichel, Keller, Kessel, etc.).

Curry should be in the lineup every night - his hustle alone helps get the team and fans going. He shouldn't be on anything above the 3rd line, but he has earned his spot IMHO.

[brassbonanza]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Curry should be in the lineup every night - his hustle alone helps get the team and fans going. He shouldn't be on anything above the 3rd line, but he has earned his spot IMHO.

Agree on Curry, though at one point at the beginning of February I had heard he was nursing a small injury. Don't know if that's contributing to his lack of play recently.

[DLG]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Agree on Curry, though at one point at the beginning of February I had heard he was nursing a small injury. Don't know if that's contributing to his lack of play recently.

Another example of not knowing about injuries or other issues- Has Quinn ever been asked about Curry?

[brassbonanza]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Another example of not knowing about injuries or other issues- Has Quinn ever been asked about Curry?

Not to my knowledge.

[BlackI]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Step it up a notch. Go hard until you meet Maine. What gives? Year after year great recruits. Go be hard and win. Better off than what we got rebuilding.

[Scarlet]

Re: Boston University 17-18 - thread El Segundo

Hey kids, it’s game day!!