Swaying the Numbers 

Before the playoffs started, I wasn’t very confident in my Bruins. A historical collapse last year to the Florida Panthers, (who infuriate me on a consistent basis for a multitude of reasons), the departure of St. Patrice, and a new regime of players stepping into big shoes were all contributing factors to the imposter syndrome that’s plagued my 2024 Bruins takes. Honestly, my fears have come true in the form of a game six defeat in front of 17,000 of the Boston faithful at the hands of the hated Florida Panthers. There were a plethora of reasons for my original doubt in this squad and most of them haunted us through the playoffs yet again. The team couldn’t consistently put together an attack while I still believe that comes down to a lack of star power outside Marchand and Pasta.

There are others that are starting to turn on Jim Montgomery. I do believe the criticism he receives is fair, but he’s one of the better coaches in the league and I despise the consistent hockey “fire the coach” scapegoat-ism. All these guys get recycled and re-hired immediately so was it really their fault? We get outshot by a metric ton in at least one period in every game leading to a landslide of a difference in total shots on goal, regardless of opponent. Our power-play has been abysmal and that’s keeping it positive… here’s looking at you Pasta 👀👀. What’s it been? 50 games without a power play goal? He was good in other places and still producing… but for the love of God, shoot the puck! Not every look is going to be perfect, but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. 

End of Line

Game Six was really no different than the rest of the series. Our first period looked really similar to game five and I had false confidence instilled in me. Whether that was a byproduct of hoping for the narrative from last season being completely flipped on its head or it genuinely being from what I was seeing on the ice is still up for debate. The one factor I and every other bruins fan has had confidence in this post season is definitely Jeremy Swayman. Another incredible outing not going his way after, and I feel for him that the one mistake he made was the one that put the nail in the coffin. How fitting though, Sway bailing this team out countless times, was as perfect as a goalie can be(tied for the highest save % in postseason history), and the team couldn’t bail HIM out ONCE. Every single member of that team owes the net-minder an apology and a drink as soon as they land in Cancún. 

$$$$

Speaking of owing Jeremy Swayman… Now that we’re officially into the Bruins offseason it’s time to extend our franchise goalie. He’s a restricted free agent and he should be signing a blank check to stay in Boston for the entirety of his prime. He should also get free beers in Boston for the rest of his life for the superhero performance he had through the first two rounds of the playoffs. PAY. HIM. End of message, repeat the line. As tough as that loss was, any game against the panthers is now a blood-feud. Needless to say, it was on full display in those six games. We hate them. They hate us. But the respect is mutual, and that could not have been clearer when every member of the Panthers gave Swayman his props in the handshake line. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said “I’ve seen a lot of good ones man, but that was up there with one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.” when he met Swayman at center ice after the game. The Garden showered their praise unto the Anchorage native as well, bringing Swayman to tears. If you haven’t heard his postgame interview, I highly encourage you to do so. He heard the crowd loud and clear and he gave the love back to them when addressing the media afterwards. The man deserves the money he’s about to get and we have to assemble some more talent in front of him this coming offseason so we’re not looking at a third straight elimination at the hands of that pesky team from Sunrise. 

What are your predictions for the Eastern Conference Finals? What are some all-time goalie performances that stick out to you? Let us know on The Sportsocracy: The Ocho which is live on YouTube, X, and Facebook, Wednesday night at 8:00 EST. Make sure to follow the Socials and share the newsletter out if you enjoy reading them!

Raffy Bombs!

In the nearly one hundred and twenty five years of Red Sox Baseball, nobody has ever done what Raffy Devers just did. Six straight games with a homerun is a different level of locked in. Before the Trip to the Trop, he etched his name into Sox history with a group of legends. He was tied with Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Dick Stuart, George Scott, Jose Canseco and Bobby Dalbec for the franchise record of five consecutive games with a home run. Alright alright, legend is a stretch for some of those guys but you get the point. 6 players in history have had 7 straight games with home runs and only 3 hold the MLB record of 8 consecutive games with a nuke. Unfortunately, Raffy isn’t going to be on that list just yet as his streak came to an end. But as of now, he stands alone in Red Sox history. 

Though this is an incredible feat that hasn’t been accomplished by anybody in the league since 2022, Alex Cora and Devers both agree he hasn’t quite hit his stride yet. A scary thought for opposing pitchers, no? “Little by little, he’s feeling comfortable. I don’t think he’s there yet,” said Alex Cora. “Probably if you ask him, he’s not there yet. He knows he needs to be more consistent, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish. He can hit the ball in the air and hit homers. Right now, it’s impressive. I’m not taking away from what he’s doing. It’s just being very real to where we’re at and where he’s at.” I don’t want to give any credit to Red Sox ownership because if they didn’t ink the deal with Raffy fans would’ve rioted after Mookie and Xander walked away to the NL East. Those were two guys who should’ve been lifelong Red Sox, and Raffy is no different. He’s a top option league wide for a middle of the order bat and he’s going to continue to be for quite a long time. This recent heater is just another reason why he’s going to live up to that contract. 

*also shoutout to Jaren Duran for stealing home last night, there’s nobody more electric to watch on this team and I hope he’s around for a long time!