Bill Clement, John Boruk, and Al Morganti discuss James van Riemsdyk's big step forward against the Boston Bruins, taking a look at some video from the game.
As we've discussed a few times this season, one of the major differences in JVR's game is his ability to use his size to shield the puck. On Monday against the Bruins, that was on display along with a quickness in getting around defenders, even the giant Zdeno Chara. Against a lesser goalie, JVR may have had four goals that night, or at least contributed to a few more for his linemates. They got to the net very well as Clement points out above, but on a few of those plays, it simply wasn't enough to beat Tim Thomas. That's one area where JVR may still have room to grow, adding some finishing skills in tight (not that he's currently lacking—he just may get that much better).
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