NBC Sports NHL analyst Mike Milbury is known for his negative commentary, and he went after Jaromir Jagr during the first intermission of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday while the Boston Bruins were down 1-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Jagr, who was acquired by the Bruins during the regular season, has been a postseason disappointment. Though he registered nine points in 11 regular-season games with the B’s, Jagr has failed to score a goal in 17 playoff games. He does have seven assists, three of which came during the Eastern Conference Finals sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the 41-year-old has been noticeably slow on the ice, which is something Milbury focused on in his analysis.
“He can’t skate in this series. They gotta get him off of this line. If he can do something when he gets the puck standing still, fine. But he can’t forecheck, he can’t participate with this line. He turned the puck over repeatedly. He can’t get anything going here. They can’t sustain anything with him on this line.
“Absolutely lazy in a Stanley Cup Finals … that to me is a guy that is too tired to play in this final. That is a guy that has to be replaced.”
People may not like Milbury’s confrontational style, but it’s hard to disagree with him. Fans have been waiting for Jagr to score in the playoffs and he just hasn’t done it. He is 41, was given the morning skate off, and you can tell he is slower. That doesn’t mean he’s useless, it just means he’s not “Jaromir Jagr” anymore.
