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Post by SeaBass on Jan 2, 2020 9:49:36 GMT -5
Please keep the content in this thread Gryz related.
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Post by kjc2 on Jan 3, 2020 6:59:42 GMT -5
I like Grz, he’s quick, very agile but not necessarily fast. I think last year he was keeping it simple and quickly moving pucks forward and out but this year he’s complicating things by keeping the puck too long at times. He’s too small to get caught up in one on one battles so it’s very important he move pucks quickly like he can.
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Post by SeaBass on Jan 3, 2020 10:09:18 GMT -5
I was hoping his offense would improve a little bit so we could move Krug but I haven't seen that happen yet.
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Post by KSJ08 on Feb 5, 2020 17:33:21 GMT -5
I would trade him or leave him open for expansion draft. too small & making bad decisions.
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 18, 2023 8:43:44 GMT -5
BOSTON — Matt Grzelcyk had an excellent regular season. The silky left-shot defenseman recorded a 70.37 goals-for percentage during five-on-five play, according to Natural Stat Trick. It was the highest GF percentage of any defenseman with 1,000 or more minutes. The metric painted an accurate picture of how well Grzelcyk checked and how promptly he turned defensive situations into offensive chances.
But before Game 1, Grzeclyk got bad news. He was out. Derek Forbort was in.
The Dmitry Orlov trade foreshadowed Grzelcyk’s Game 1 sitdown.
By deploying Orlov, Forbort and Hampus Lindholm on the left side of the defense, the Bruins placed either snarl or size — both in Forbort’s case — on each of the three pairings. This was an important feature for the Bruins defense in their 3-1 Game 1 win. The Panthers are not shy about pumping pucks from the point and sending angry men to the front of the net. Forbort is simply better equipped than the 5-foot-10, 176-pound Grzelcyk to counter the Panthers’ game plan.
“Forby’s so good at D-zone coverage,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “His penalty kill, he showed that today down the stretch there the last four-five minutes, he’s out there with (Brandon) Carlo killing a lot of important minutes for us, especially in the pulled-goalie situation.”
Game 1 was Forbort’s first action since March 16. That night in Winnipeg, former partner Neal Pionk, of all people, ripped a shot off Forbort’s right leg.
Forbort did not look like the postseason pace caught him off guard. In 17 minutes, 27 seconds of ice time, Forbort locked down the No. 3 pair alongside Connor Clifton.
More important, Forbort’s third-pair presence allowed Montgomery to roll Orlov with Charlie McAvoy. The No. 1 pair made an impact.
Orlov led all players with 22:32 of ice time. McAvoy landed a game-high eight smacks. The two connected at a high pace on the winning goal.
Orlov started the sequence by settling a puck in the defensive zone. After he faked going up the ice on his forehand, Orlov curled to his backhand to gain a step on Eetu Luostarinen, Florida’s first forechecker. Just as Matthew Tkachuk was about to close on Orlov as F2, the defenseman snapped a fast-moving backhander to McAvoy in center ice. The briskness of Orlov’s play gave McAvoy a step on his chasers.
“He was able to trap a couple guys there with a pass,” McAvoy said. “Then we’re just trying to transition quick and switch sides up the ice.”
McAvoy’s pass to Brad Marchand gave the left wing a step on Aaron Ekblad. Marchand took advantage of Alex Lyon’s leaky glove to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead at 2:41 of the second period.
Grzelcyk and McAvoy have a history of making such moves, too. The drawback with using the two former Boston University partners together in the playoffs, however, is how McAvoy can sometimes be tasked to execute the heavy defensive lifting.
That does not have to be the case with Orlov. The ex-Capital is thicker than Grzelcyk, better equipped to lean and thump and flex his muscles against ornery attackers. Orlov may not have Grzelcyk’s closing speed or quick stick. But the 5-foot-11, 214-pound bulldog is a capable defender who plays bigger than he is.
Claiming inside ice, after all, appears to be Florida’s preference. They have the personnel to do it, whether it’s Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell or Eric Staal. The Panthers went all out on the forecheck to pressure the Bruins defensemen, win wall battles and gain puck possession. Once they did, they sent pucks out to the point and converged on the net.
The Panthers (32 shots) had quantity on their side. But the Bruins did well to box out bodies and give Linus Ullmark opportunities to locate the puck. Ullmark (31 saves) did just that. The only time he was beaten was off an Orlov turnover that Tkachuk buried.
“It certainly seemed like it right off the bat,” McAvoy said of the Panthers’ chance generation. “They were going to try and funnel everything to the net and try to get bodies there. We’ve got to be able to win our races to the net to get under sticks, get on bodies and give Ully a chance to see it.”
The Bruins defense was not perfect. It did not always manage the puck efficiently in the defensive zone. It did not win most of its races.
It may have been because the Bruins were without Patrice Bergeron. The five-time Selke Trophy winner is their defensive conscience.
But the Bruins still managed a clear-cut victory. Three more are due to come against the overmatched Panthers.
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Post by kjc2 on Apr 18, 2023 12:09:14 GMT -5
I got to think they made the right call with Forbort over Grz. I think as soon as they traded for Orlov this was going to be the case. Grz will get in eventually, when not if someone gets banged up or he could go in for Clffy so he doesn’t get too rusty.
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Post by SeaBass on Apr 18, 2023 12:34:13 GMT -5
I got to think they made the right call with Forbort over Grz. I think as soon as they traded for Orlov this was going to be the case. Grz will get in eventually, when not if someone gets banged up or he could go in for Clffy so he doesn’t get too rusty. I think if he does play it will only be at home so Monty can line match him.
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Post by crafar01 on Apr 18, 2023 16:38:28 GMT -5
I got to think they made the right call with Forbort over Grz. I think as soon as they traded for Orlov this was going to be the case. Grz will get in eventually, when not if someone gets banged up or he could go in for Clffy so he doesn’t get too rusty. I think if he does play it will only be at home so Monty can line match him. That and/or against a team that isn't as heavy and as heavy on the forecheck as FLA.
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Post by KSJ08 on Apr 18, 2023 17:27:11 GMT -5
Grez is fine in reg season. He's just not built or can't play the heavy Post season. I have nothing against the guy. Hell he not only made it to the NHL, but has flourished there. He's just NOT a D man on this team, they can afford to roll out. He just can't handle the heavy forecheck or throw a hit like Cliffy can. I wish the man the best, BUT I don't want to see him in the line up in this post season as long as we have healthy options!
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