lol, leading scorer (Krejci) is 25th in the league in points. leading goal scorer (Marchand) is 42nd.
Boston Herald grades so far. Some strange ones, lots of homer grades. Goalies Tuukka Rask ? A- At 23-13-4, with a 2.11 goals-against, a .928 save percentage, and five shutouts, he is one of the NHL?s best puck-stoppers. Had a tough stretch in January, allowing 21 goals in seven starts and getting yanked twice. He?ll be carrying a heavy responsibility at the Olympics and for the B?s the rest of the way. Chad Johnson ? A- Steady, simple and always square to the puck, the 27-year-old has proven an excellent backup (17 games: 11-3-0, 2.13, .924). Could easily play 8-10 of the final 25 games. Incomplete: Niklas Svedberg (one game, 1-0-0, 1.97, .943). Defensemen Johnny Boychuk ? B+ Has matured at age 30 into a fine all-round D-man and mentioned as a possible Team Canada candidate. Has 2-14?16 and a plus-27 (second-best in the NHL) in 21:02 icetime. Zdeno Chara ? A His 13-13?26 numbers are up, due to his getting most of his team-best eight power-play goals while playing forward. Could get his first 20-goal season. Otherwise, a typically strong year, with a plus-11 in 24:57 average playing time. Torey Krug ? B+ At 22, undersized D-man still struggles at time defensively, but his dynamic play with the puck has altered the Bruins. Has 12-20?32 totals and a plus-11. His 16 power-play points have spurred an overdue rebirth of the power play. Dennis Seidenberg ? B Was delivering his usual strong season (1-9?10, plus-11) when he was lost for the year on Dec. 27. The dropoff in team defense for a spell after he left was evidence of his importance. Dougie Hamilton ? B Only 20, he has settled in as a solid two-way player, with 6-8?14 and a plus-13. Very good mobility and puck-moving, and he likes to jump into the attack. How good will he be in a couple of years from now? Kevan Miller ? B The find-of-the-year for the Bruins ? signed as an NCAA free agent three years ago, now a solid part of the D-corps. Very strong and physical, and can drop the gloves. Matt Bartkowski ? B Somewhat uneven in his play earlier, but he?s settled in well in Seidenberg?s absence. Has 10 assists and a plus-16 in 42 games. If the B?s trade for a defenseman, he could lose playing time. Adam McQuaid ? B The hard-luck, oft-injured 27-year-old has been fine when healthy, playing just 30 games, with 1-5?6 numbers and a plus-12. And he?s fought seven times. Incomplete: David Warsofsky (six games, 1-1?2), Zach Trotman (two games, 0 points). Forwards St. BigFat ? A Started well with 6-6?12 in the first 11 and has been a consistent force, with 17-24?41 and plus-21. Easily leads the team with 172 hits. David Krejci ? A Team?s first-line center has eliminated the periods of sub-par play that flawed recent seasons, been a consistent point-producer (13-37?50 in 57 games) and a sound all-round player (plus-25 and 51.5 percent on faceoffs.) Patrice Bergeron ? A B?s all-round standout has 16-22?38 and a plus-25, while winning 59.7 percent of faceoffs ? tops in the NHL for fulltime centermen. Jarome Iginla ? B+ His production early wasn?t great, with five goals after 29 games. But he?s had a dozen goals in 28 games since. Most importantly, his presence and strong play seemed to have stabilized the line and made his linemates better. Reilly Smith ? B Not even assured a spot on the NHL roster, Smith has been a Godsend for the B?s, with 18-24?42 and a plus-15. This from a guy who had 3-6?9 numbers in 40 games before this season. Daniel Paille ? B Quietly underrated forward has contributed in many ways, with 8-5?13 totals and a plus-7. A fourth-liner here, could play bigger role on many teams. Brad Marchand ? B- Struggled badly to find his hands and skating legs through the first couple of months, with 4-9?13 numbers in 31 games. But has been on fire since, with 15-9?26 in the last 26. Is plus-23 and seems to have curtailed his on-ice antics. Carl Soderberg ? B- After a slow start (one goal in 13 games), he?s been quite impressive lately. Big, strong guy who takes the puck to the net hard. Has had brilliant power play chemistry with Smith, resulting with five PPGs. Loui Eriksson ? C Looked uncomfortable in new system early, then set back by two concussions in 45 days. Since returning in early-January has seemed more involved offensively (6-14?20 totals in 37 games). Very responsible defensively from the start. Gregory Campbell ? C Acknowledged that playoff broken leg affected his play early. Has 3-9?12 totals in 57 games and a key penalty kill role, plus four fights. Ryan Spooner ? C Just 22, he?s filled in pretty well for the injured Chris Kelly, with 11 assists in 22 games, including six power-play assists. Needs to get stronger and better on faceoffs, though (41.0 percent). Shawn Thornton ? C Has done his job well in limited icetime (8:13 average), with 4-1?5 and a plus-2. Has had seven fights. Chris Kelly ? C Lost 22 games to a broken leg and has just 4-5?9 totals in 35 games. Jordan Caron ? D Only one goal in 25 games and a minus-6, averaging 10:59 in icetime. Incomplete: Matt Fraser (14 games, 2-0?2); Nick Johnson (nine games, 0 points); Justin Florek (three games, 1-1?2); Craig Cunningham (one game, 0 points). Management Coaches ? A Give Claude Julien and his assistants a ton of credit for maintaining the B?s effort and sound system even as a parade of players had to be brought up from Providence (AHL) because of injuries and illness. Give the P-Bruins coaches credit, too, for sending guys ready to step in and contribute. Front office ? B Getting Smith as the throw-in with the Tyler Seguin-Eriksson deal was a bonanza. Free-agent signee Iginla has been very good and made his line better; it seems likely the B?s will try and re-sign him. Johnson was another good free-agent addition. The excellent depth built in this organization saved the team the past couple of months.
^^^ Please Note: this assessment was made whilst wearing Franks' Br00nz-A-Vizhun Goggles ^^^ if reilly smith's numbers are better than Looch's, but looch gets an A, while smitty gets a B... why in the f**k is boychuk getting a B+? ooooohhhh, because of fights. f**kin' sullys.
Boston needs this guy. He's pissed plenty off around Chicago so he can't really land interviews anymore. If you're going to go homer this is how it's done:
the only thing i edited was STBigFat, the name and not the grade or anything else. http://bostonherald.com/sports/bruins_nhl/2014/02/bruins_report_card_at_the_break
