The Bruins had two very up-tempo practice sessions Tuesday, and head coach Claude Julien is hoping for a more crisp performance from his squad against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
"Like I said the other night, I thought that resembled more of an AHL style game, but I think it's starting to come around,” Julien said, referring to the Bruins’ 2-1 win over the Canadiens in Quebec. “The new guys are getting used to how we want to play, and at the same time, I think the fact that everybody had a day off at one point in the last two days [makes us] a lot fresher out there."
Dany Sabourin will start at goaltender for the Bruins on Tuesday night, and Julien is hoping to make a decision soon on whether Sabourin or Tuukka Rask will be Tim Thomas’ backup this season.
“It’s not over yet,” Julien said of the goalie competition. "Tuukka has played two excellent games, and Sabourin played the one good game in Toronto, and he gets a chance to play [Tuesday night]. We'll probably get closer to that decision after [this game]."
Defenseman Andrew Ference skated, had a solid session and will suit up in Columbus for his first preseason game. Ference expects to see action against the Blue Jackets and in two of the last three games after this one. According to Ference, the pain from his surgically repaired groin is gone. Now, it is a matter of building the strength back up.
“The plan all along was to get into two to three games at least before the regular season starts,” Ference said. “There’s no point in rushing it, and it’s all about getting that strength back so I don’t reinjure it. But yeah, I think I can play in two of the final three games after this if [Tuesday] goes well.”
While Ference knows practice is important, he is ready to start playing in games.
“I know we need practice, but honestly, I’m ready to get in,” he said. “You can all do so many drills but you want to experience the action of a game and play, so yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
Forward Marco Sturm worked out off-ice and had a maintenance day. One can probably expect plenty of those with Sturm coming back from major reconstructive knee surgery.
Here’s the lineup for the game in Columbus where the Bruins come in with a 3-1 preseason record.
Forwards: Patrice Bergeron, Zach Hamill, Chuck Kobasew, Drew Larman, Guillaume Lefebvre, Milan Lucic, Mark Recchi, Marc Savard, Vladimir Sobotka, Shawn Thornton, Blake Wheeler, Trent Whitfield
Defense: Johnny Boychuk, Drew Fata, Andrew Ference, Derek Morris, Andy Wozniewski, Mark Stuart
Goalies: Dany Sabourin, Tuukka Rask
