I, for one, am not complaining about a two-week hiatus at the end of February, which usually presents itself as the most dreary winter slump here in New England. For the players, it’s a chance to get a longer All-Star break before returning to practices in the second week. And for some very fortunate, talented stars it’s the opportunity to play in the Winter Olympic Games.
But right now, all NHL players are paying the price.
The Bruins' last game was a 7-2 win over Toronto on Saturday night. The B's don’t return to game action until this Thursday at the TD Garden, against the same Phil Kessel-led Maple Leafs team that left Boston with hanging heads just a few days ago. That's four days in between games for the Bruins before they face off for three games in five nights, and then four games in six nights the following after that.
Head coach Claude Julien said the biggest challenge in this stretch is to remain mentally strong. Three practice days at Ristuccia Arena have allowed the coach to hone in on areas that need fixing.
“We try to touch up on everything we can,” said Julien after Tuesday’s practice. “In three days on the ice, we can cover most things that need improvement in our game.”
The players agree with the coach’s emphasis, and also have some thoughts of their own concerning this stretch.
“Boring,” said Bruins center David Krejci. “But that’s the business.”
Michael Ryder feels the same way: “I’d rather be playing, but it’s nice to have the time to rest.”
The schedule is bizarre, and there have been many back-to-back nights where the Bruins have flown from one city to the next.
Take last week, for example. The Maple Leafs arrived in Boston early on Friday morning, hours after playing on Thursday night in Columbus. On Friday, they practiced at the TD Garden at the same time the Bruins took the ice for their morning skate at the Bell Center in Montreal. The Canadiens, meanwhile, had flown in on the same schedule as the Leafs. They played the Sabres on Thursday night in Buffalo while the Bruins dined in their city. Long story short: The Bruins were waiting for the Canadiens in Montreal, Toronto was waiting for Boston in Beantown. … Everyone was ready for a game, it seemed, in the wrong city.
Didn't the NHL figure that out? Wouldn't it have been better for the Bruins to be in their own city, waiting for Montreal or Toronto, not the other way around?
“It feels weird,” said Patrice Bergeron when I asked him about the fact that Phil Kessel was probably dining in the North End while he was enjoying a meal North of the Border. “There have been lots of back-to-backs, and it’s weird the way the schedule is balanced. So far, I don’t mind the breaks in between games. It allows us to make sure we’re where we need to be when the games start.”
Where the Bruins need to be is in their own city. But unfortunately, this year is just going to have to be strange. All I can say is just wait until March, when the Bruins play 16 games in 30 days. By then, they’ll be wishing for breaks like this week.
And something tells me “boring” won’t be the first word that comes to Krejci’s mind.
