The Hockey Guy's posts tagged Bruce Boudreau

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• Anaheim Ducks open with Jonas Hiller in goal

  23 days ago

  Veteran Anaheim Ducks Jonas Hiller gradually rounded into form during the lockout-shortened season.
  
  His goals-against average during the first two months of the season were 3.43 and 3.23. His turnaround came in March, when he played in 13 games and started 12 of them.
  
  Hiller’s GAAs for the last two months were 1.95 and 1.94. His save percentages those months were .926 and .931.
  
  So coach Bruce Boudreau selected Hiller to start Game 1 of the playoffs over import Viktor Fasth, who carried the netminding load during the season’s first half and played a primary role in April as well.
  
  Boudreau used goaltending tag teams during his earlier stint in Washington, where he hand Olaf Kolzig and Critobal Huet, Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth and Varlamov.
  
  “I’ve had two guys,” Boudreau told the LA Times. “Like in Washington, we had Neuvirth and Varlamov when they were rookies and they both played the same equal amount. You didn’t know who you were going to start.
  
  “The first year we had Kolzig and Cristobal Huet, very similar situation, and then we had Theodore and Varlamov where I did switch and go to the first-year player after two games. Unfortunately, the teams I’ve coached, or fortunately, have had two good goalies and no real clear-cut (No. 1).”

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• Anaheim Ducks climb Western Conference ladder

  March 12, 2013

  With all due respect to the fast-starting Chicago Blackhawks, the Anaheim Ducks are the most imposing bunch in the Western Conference this season.
  
  They are 18-3-3 this season and 42-17-9 over their last 68 games.
  
  “We were third in the league from January on until the end of the year last year,” defenseman Francois Beauchemin told the Orange County Register. “I think we're playing probably the same way we did the last stretch last year. We were so far deep that we couldn't catch up.
  
  “Now this year, we started playing the way we finished last year. We're getting results out of it.”
  
  Here is why the Ducks are the best:
  
  

  • The addition of Viktor Fasth gave them a second elite goaltender to go with Jonas Hiller. This paid huge dividends earlier this season when Hiller battled the puck and minor injuries.
  • Ryan Getzlaf is playing like an elite center again. Corey Perry is mustering a salary drive as he approaches free agency. With Bobby Ryan jumping up on the Getzlaf/Perry line more frequently, the league needs to fear this No. 1 line.
  • Anaheim’s power play has converted 11 of its 28 power-play opportunities since Feb. 18. “The biggest thing is puck recovery,” defenseman Cam Fowler told the Los Angeles Times. “If we can get three, four guys into the corner and set it up all over again, we're going to have a good chance for pressure and more opportunities.”
  • The addition of Sheldon Souray and Bryan Allen beefed up their defense. And Beauchemin, with 16 points scored, has been playing like a Norris Trophy candidate since recovering from his serious shoulder injury. “He's healthy, the lockout did him wonders to get him healthy,” coach Bruce Boudreau told the Times.
  • Andrew Cogliano is using his speed and skill to add offense, as the Blues saw first hand. He has scored nine times this season.
  • Teemu Selanne keeps defying Father Time to add secondary scoring. He is one of 11 Ducks with five or more goals. Daniel Winnik, Kyle Palmieri (currently out with an upper body injury) and Nick Bonino have all played well in the supporting cast.

  
  “We do have some guys that can put the puck in the net other than Getzy and Perry and Bobby,” Boudreau told the Register. “You never think of our guys as offensive guys but if you look down the list, I think we're in the top three of teams scoring goals.”

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• Bruce Boudreau miffed by Anaheim's poor defense

  March 05, 2013

  Anaheim Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau is imploring his team to get back to defensive basics.

  His team lost consecutive games to the Phoenix Coyotes in 5-4 shootouts. Boudreau played each of his goaltenders and got the same result.

  This left him most displeased.
  
  “I was hoping it wasn’t a repeat,” Boudreau told reporters during his postgame briefing. “I’m more upset to give up … the last five games we’ve given up a four, four and five goals against. You can’t just give that up and expect to win this game. It’s not going to happen.
  
  “Even though we do a lot of preaching about defense, we’re going to have to get back to basics.”
  
  This slippage might bode well for rangy defenseman Bryan Allen, who is still trying to lock down his regular spot in the lineup. He sat out the last two games.
  
  “We’re putting out guys that we know should be able to play and should be able to defend,” Boudreau said. “Including last game, that’s four times, we take the lead and they scored within five minutes. A lot of times within a minute.
  
  “It’s not acceptable. If we want to be a good team, we’d better learn how to do this.”

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• Not so Fasth: Viktor suffers first NHL loss

  February 26, 2013

  As it turns out, Anaheim Ducks goaltender Viktor Fasth is human after all.
  
  He took an 8-0-0 NHL record into Monday night’s showdown across town against the Los Angeles Kings. He held a 2-1 lead deep into that game. He had an opportunity to extend his unlikely run.
  
  But the Kings stormed back for a 5-2 victory, tacking on an empty net goal at the end.
   
  “It has to come at some point,” Fasth told the Orange County Register after the game. “For every win you have, you get closer to a loss. Just start over. Work hard tomorrow in practice. We've got another game in two days. Have to forget this and move on.”
  
  Fasth stopped 20 shots, but allowed more than two goals in a game for just the second time in 10 appearances.
  
  “They're a good team but so are we,” Fasth said. “We really wanted to win this game. It didn't end up like that. We have to get back and work harder even next game.”
  
  Veteran Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller earned the victory the night before as Anaheim edged visiting Colorado 4-3 in overtime. Hiller also won his previous start, beating Columbus 3-2.

  With the Ducks playing five times in a seven-game span, coach Bruce Boudreau will use both netminders. Just because Fasth recently signed a two-year, $5.8 million contract extension doesn’t mean he is guaranteed the lead role.

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• Carlyle Out, Boudreau In, Ryan Safe?

  December 01, 2011

  The hockey world was getting all excited about the possibility that Anaheim forward Bobby Ryan was on the trade block.

  The Ducks were floundering and something had to give. As a much-coveted asset, Ryan could fetch an awesome return in a trade.

  What team couldn't use a proven goal scorer with a robust playing style?

  Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle relegated Ryan to his third line, hoping to create more scoring balance for his reeling squad. That move increased speculation about Ryan's future in SoCal.

  And then Ducks GM Bob Murray abruptly fired Carlyle and hired just-fired Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau. The NHL's annual firing season is well under way.

  Boudreau enjoyed remarkable regular season success in Washington. While Capitals GM George McPhee believed Boudreau had emptied his coaching bucket in D.C. and ran out of ways to motivate that team, Bruce insisted he was still fresh and ready to coach.

  So there is reason to believe his voice will be heard in Anaheim, where the Ducks had apparently grown weary of Carlyle. Among Boudreau's first challenges: Get center Ryan Getzlaf going again.

  He should also move Ryan back into a primary scoring role and convince Murray not to deal this gun.

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• Ovechkin Got Boudreau Fired, So Now What?

  November 29, 2011

  OK, Alex Ovechkin, it's your move.

  Your sluggish play got coach Bruce Boudreau fired. The mean coach with the profane vocabulary is gone.

  So now it is time to put up numbers and lead your team out of its morass.

  The Versus pundits noted this Monday night, noting that Boudreau’s recent struggles in D.C. boiled down his inability to spark Ovechkin.

  From his analysts chair, oft-fired NHL coach Mike Keenan noted that you can’t lose battles with their star players – and cited his struggle with Brett in St. Louis as an example.
  
  For the record, Ovechkin insists he had no issue with Boudreau. “I have good relationship with him,” Ovechkin told the Washington Post. “We have good relationship right away when they bring him in.”
  
  But he didn’t produce for Boudreau either. After scoring 50 or more goals in four of his first five NHL seasons, Ovechkin slipped to 32 last season and just eight in 22 games this season.
  
  During a span of four recent Washington losses, Ovechkin failed to register a point. His play has been lackluster all month, dating back to his Nov. 1 benching in the final minute of a game against Anaheim.

  His pouting appeared to be quite pronounced -- and very damaging to his team.

  For more on this and other NHL topics, check out this story on STLToday.com.

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• Boudreau Out, Hunter In For Capitals

  November 28, 2011

  If the Capitals screw up now, perhaps their new coach will slash them, spear them or check them head first into the boards.

  Dale Hunter was a fiery competitor during his playing days for the Caps. He was a more vicious and less skilled version of Mark Messier.

  He became notorious for reprehensible acts committed on behalf of his teammates. Given his penchant for delivering cheap shots, it's hard to imagine Hunter playing in today's sanitized NHL.

  But as a coach he should be just fine. He replaces the embattled Bruce Boudreau as head coach in Washington.

  Hunter has been cutting his coaching teeth -- and perhaps sharpening his coaching stick blade -- with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

  His extensive work with juveniles should prepare him for dealing with temperamental Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, who seemed to lose his goal-scoring zeal under Boudreau's thumb.

  Hunter is an interesting hire for Capitals GM George McPhee. Washington hockey fans love him, so he can expect a warm embrace when he coaches his first NHL game Tuesday night against the Blues.

  But how will Ovechkin respond? Will Alexander Semin come back to life or continue to drift?

  As for Boudreau, he did admirable work in Washington while posting a 201-88-40 record. Although he couldn't lead the the Caps to the Stanley Cup the franchise covets so, he did more than enough to merit further NHL employment.

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• Can Boudreau Wake Up Semin?

  November 25, 2011

  The Capitals aren’t going to trade slumping winger Alex Ovechkin. If push game to shove, that franchise would hire a new coach while hoping to revive Ovechkin’s formerly explosive game.
  
  But forward Alexander Semin is a different matter. He moved under the spotlight this week for all the wrong reasons.
  
  Beleaguered Washington coach Bruce Boudreau relegated him to the press box. This was Semin’s first “healthy scratch” designation since his rookie season.
  
  “It was a tough decision, but it was a decision that I thought had to be made for the group,” Boudreau told reporters.
  
  Ovechkin, who knows his away around Boudreau’s doghouse, tried to counsel his teammate.
  
  “I just told him, don’t think about it,” Ovechkikn told reporters. “It’s going to be hard. Of course it’s hard when you are healthy and you feel pretty good about yourself and you are not playing, it’s pretty hard. But it’s done.”
  
  Was Semin upset by the benching?
  
  “Of course he was upset,” Ovechkin said. “He’s a big boy . . . He’s not going to cry about it.”
  
  Semin, who is earning $6.7 million this season, earned penalties in seven consecutive games and scored just nine points in his first 18 games. He responded to the benching by scoring a goal and earning a plus-2 rating in a 4-3 victory over Winnipeg.
  
  Does Boudreau have Semin’s fill attention? Or will Alexander play his way onto the trade block?
  
  This situation bears scrutiny. Washington Times columnist Dan Daly offered this take:
  
  Boudreau, once again under fire, has been trying to get through to his players in all the ways a coach can — and I’m not just referring to his extensive sailor’s vocabulary. He sat Ovechkin at a crucial moment in the Anaheim game Nov. 1. He benched Semin for the whole of the Phoenix game Monday. And he’s put some veterans on notice by working 20-year-olds Cody Eakin and Dmitry Orlov into the mix. There are multiple motives behind these moves, but one of them, no doubt, is to root out the complacency that continues to plague the Capitals, from the captain on down.

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• Bruce Boudreau, Dead Coach Walking?

  November 20, 2011

  So where do the Capitals go from here?
  
  Washington fans were left pondering that question after the Capitals fell 7-1 to the slumping, injury depleted Maple Leafs Saturday night.
  
  “The other games, I think it was one or two areas that we got exposed, that cost us,” forward Mike Knuble told reporters. “Tonight it was just an (backside) kicking every which way.Even strength, short-handed, from the goalies to the D to the forwards, four-on-five, five-on-four – (a backside) kicking.”
  
  The Caps are 1-5-1 in their last seven games and 3-7-1 in their last 11. Beleaguered coach Bruce Boudreau has to be in major trouble as a result.

  What did Boudreau say to the team after this latest fiasco?
  
  “Just that we’re obviously a better team than we’re showing right now,” Capitals forward Troy Brouwer told reporters. “He just wants us to make sure that we’re playing good hockey, and giving ourselves a chance to win. And right now we’re not doing that.
  
  “With the coaches, they’ve got to find a way to make us get going. And us as players need to take it upon ourselves. There’s a lot that we need to fix around here right now. I think we have the guys in here to do it, and luckily it’s early.”
  
  Washington plays four games in a six-night span. How the team responds could say a lot about the rest of their season.
  
  “We’re obviously not getting the job done right now,” Boudreau told reporters. “To answer that question I have to talk about certain things that I don’t want to talk about.
  
  “You just have to work hard. You’ll get out of it. We’ll get out of it. You work hard, and it’s four games. It went from losing in a shootout, to controlling the game until the last 30 seconds, to losing fairly bad, to getting smoked. It feels like the end of the world, but it’s not the end of the world.”

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• Ovechkin Vs. Boudreau: It's On!

  November 02, 2011

  Our friends at Versus gave us a wonderful hockey game Tuesday night. Washington’s action-packed 5-4 overtime victory over Anaheim was fun to watch.
  
  As a bonus, we got some more drama from the Capitals: Coach Bruce Boudreau benched Alexander Ovechkin at the end of regulation play as his team was trying to tie the game.
  
  That got Alex’s attention. He got busy in overtime and contributed to the game-winning goal.
  
  Afterward, Boudreau explained why he sent out mucking forwards Jason Chimera, Brooks Laich and Joel Ward along with Nicklas Backstrom to play six-on-five with goaltender Tomas Vokoun pulled in the final minute.
  
  “I thought other guys were better than him and I thought there was just a chance that other guys might score the goal,” Boudreau told reporters. “I’ve got to put out the guys that I think are going to score the goal and 99 percent of the time Alex is the guy I think is going to score the goal.
  
  “I just didn’t think Alex was going to score the goal at that time tonight. You go with your gut feeling, thinking that line is going pretty good and I got lucky.”
  
  Ovechkin was most unhappy with that the decision at the time and expressed himself on the bench, insulting Boudreau in the process.
  
  The star winger addressed the matter diplomatically in his past-game chat with Versus: “Brooks Laich line play unbelievable. They dominate them. Again they deserved to be there when important moments coming.”
  
  But Alex did not make himself available to the D.C. media after the game, so we’ll have to use our imaginations to determine whether he really cooled down.
  
  Meanwhile, former NHL despot Mike Keenan was applauding Boudreau’s stand during a Versus panel discussion:
  
  “When is a teacher a great teacher? When the student is ready to learn. In this case Alex Ovechkin has to show a lot more respect to his coaching staff and to his team. There's a response here that's not a positive response. I give Bruce Boudreau a lot of credit for making this decision. He's delivering a message to the star player and his team. That kind of behavior on the ice is not acceptable: Details have to be looked at if we're going to be a championship team.
  
  “This is a great night. It took a lot of courage for bruce to do that. A lot of people will question if he had the courage to make that call – he did. The response was great. Eventually his top player came out and responded and made a great assist.”
  
  If Iron Mike were running the Capitals, he would torment Alex for a week or two and then trade him for several hulking muckers.

  But Keenan is not in charge, so the drama will drag on for a while in Washington.

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