Let the bonding start.
The Bruins start their first prolonged street journey on Thursday in San Jose and, as they do yearly, they talked in regards to the significance of getting away from dwelling and moving into that street bubble to grow to be a extra cohesive group on and off the ice.
Some years, it may be extra true than in others. But it’s a superb guess the 2023-24 model of the Bruins are a group that might use just a little little bit of away time. Boston’s roster has eight gamers who weren’t on the group final 12 months, together with a pair of rookies. Call it a transitional 12 months or a rebuild-on-the-fly kind of season. But who precisely the B’s are remains to be a wide-open query and any optimistic vibes they’ll bottle on the street might be wanted in the event that they’re to get again to the Stanley Cup match in April.
“To me it’s nothing but positives – and it’s not because I’m a positive person,” stated coach Jim Montgomery earlier than hitting the street. “It’s early in the year, these guys have got to get to know each other, they get to have dinner with each other, they get to walk around LA on their day off together, wherever they choose to go. It’s more about bonding time. You learn more about yourself as a hockey player and as a team when you’re on the road, in tough environments.”
There’s little doubt they are going to be rested once they face the Sharks after having performed simply two video games in eight days Here are a number of ideas on what to search for on the journey:
Offense from protection
The B’s want continued manufacturing from the again finish, particularly on the ability play.
It’s nonetheless not recognized what James van Riemsdyk will be capable to present at 5-on-5 – he’ll be on a brand new heavy line with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic – however he actually nonetheless appears to have it on the ability play. He scored two PP objectives within the B’s win over Nashville. The first one was an unpleasant bank-shot off the defenseman, however the second was a classic JVR tip in entrance of the online.
Charlie McAvoy, nonetheless rising into his position as quarterback of the primary energy play unit, delivered the puck to van Riemsdyk. That should proceed. Getting McAvoy to shoot the puck extra has been a minor theme in McAvoy’s nonetheless younger profession, however he’s received much more incentive now with van Riemsdyk within the lineup.
“I’ve got to get it there for him,” stated McAvoy after the 3-2 win. “He’s made a career in this league out of getting (to the front of the net) and he’s shown in practice that he can do it and get his stick on it. I’ve got to keep working on my chemistry with him and I’m really happy to see him tip that one in.”
For Jake’s sake
Jake DeBrusk was as soon as a participant who, if he wasn’t exhibiting up on the scoresheet, he wasn’t doing a lot for the group. He’s not the identical participant. DeBrusk performed a key half on the penalty kill that catapulted the B’s to their victory over the Predators.
That stated, he does must get on the board, and the earlier the higher. He now has an awesome likelihood to take action. After a year-plus of taking part in on his off wing with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, he’ll be transferring again to his pure left aspect to play on the highest line with heart Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. All three gamers can skate and Zacha is sweet on the soiled work of profitable battles alongside the boards.
The B’s must discover a reliable first line and this grouping is just not solely their finest shot at having one however the brand new configuration of the highest 9 forwards places a scoring menace on the primary three traces. Theoretically, a minimum of.
Nothing’s straightforward
This B’s group has no proper to count on any straightforward video games. They needed to grind out two wins on dwelling ice in opposition to groups within the Blackhawks and Predators that weren’t in most prognosticators’ playoff image. But the sport Saturday night time in opposition to the Los Angeles Kings ought to go a good distance towards telling us who the B’s are, or a minimum of who they’re in the intervening time.
The B’s are anticipated to enter battle with 19-year-old centerman Matt Poitras skating on a second line whereas Zacha, again taking part in heart after a 12 months on the wing, will heart the highest line and Coyle again at his acquainted third line position. The Kings will counter with perennial Selke candidate Anze Kopitar, newly purchase Pierre-Luc Dubois and Philip Danault, who himself has good Selke bona fides.
This might be an intriguing problem, particularly for Poitras.
Take their pictures
Opportunities to create offense ought to current themselves on Thursday. The 0-2-1 Sharks come into the sport having allowed 42 pictures per recreation of their first three.
Source: www.bostonherald.com