Getty Images If there’s one area of their game that the Boston Bruins need to improve upon going into Monday’s contest against the Carolina Hurricanes, it’s their power play.
Through four games, Boston has converted on just one of 17 opportunities with the man advantage and have squandered entire two-minute stints without managing a single shot on goal.
Still, Bruins coach Claude Julien isn’t buying into the argument that this is a major cause for concern. If anything, he’s more annoyed that he keeps getting asked about it.
“I thought I’d be able to get away for at least one day without a power play question,” said Julien in a CSN New England. “The results haven’t been there, but I’d say in three of the four games that we moved the puck well, we hit a post and we had a goal disallowed. A lot of stuff has happened.”
His argument runs deeper than that though. He pointed out that the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup last season despite their power-play struggles (the Kings ranked 12th in the playoffs with a 12.8% success rate) and, for that matter, the Bruins won it all in 2011 while faring even worse than the Kings in that regard (Boston converted on just 11.4% of power-play opportunities in 2011).
“We want it to work well, but it’s not the end of the world,” Julien added. “We’re still winning hockey games.”
The Bruins are 3-0-1. As long as they keep excelling in five-on-five situations, it will be easy for Julien to continue to shrug off those kind of criticisms.
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Sens’ Murray has ‘talked to a number of teams’ about moving up at draft
Jun 19, 2013, 11:17 AM EDT
AP
“If you move up, there’s a chance to maybe get that better player.”
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The duo spent the last three seasons together in Vancouver.
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He’ll be in charge of working with defensemen.
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Chicago has once again found themselves behind the Bruins.
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Both were scheduled to become restricted free agents this summer.
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Ken Cruise showed off his work at Game 3.
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Boston has a 2-1 series lead.
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Looks like Seth Jones might not be the number one selection.
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Wednesday’s collection of links.
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It’s the first NHL game on NBCSN to surpass 4 million viewers.
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They beat the Syracuse Crunch in six games.
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“It’s going to be a strong, solid franchise just like Winnipeg is now.”
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Report: Flyers will buy out Briere, Bryzgalov another story (Updated)
Jun 18, 2013, 9:27 PM EDT
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Things are getting dramatic in Philadelphia.
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His annual cap hit is a hefty $7,727,273.
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Coburn might be heading the other way.
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He also loves 2013 NHL Draft prospect Darnell Nurse.
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The coach already had him picked as Plan B if Marian Hossa couldn’t play.
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Blackhawks coach knows his team has to improve in those areas.
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AP
Stemming from his arrest in 2011.
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“I’ve got a nice little scratch mark on my forehead from the claw marks.”
