WILMINGTON, Mass. — Thanks to a Rush concert at the Bell Centre next Wednesday night, there will be an extra day between Games 3 and 4 of the Bruins' opening-round playoff series against the Canadiens.
But the Bruins won't be spending any extra time in Montreal. The club announced on Tuesday that after Game 3 on Monday, they will travel to Lake Placid, New York to practice at the USA Rink at the Whiteface Lake Placid Olympic Center for two days before returning for Game 4 in Montreal on Thursday.
The extra travel will get the Bruins away from the hostile environment they're sure to face in Montreal, while also giving them a chance for some team bonding. It could also provide an opportunity for a little inspiration, skating at the site where the Miracle on Ice took place 31 years ago when Team USA stunned the USSR, then won Olympic gold.
Prior to the announcement, Bruins coach Claude Julien insisted that the quirky schedule, which will also include Games 6 in Montreal and Game 7 in Boston on back-to-back night if necessary, won't impact either side any more adversely than the other.
"Both teams have the same schedule, so if it affects us it's going to affect them, right?" Julien said after Tuesday's practice at Ristuccia Arena. "It's a matter of us doing the right thing here and we're going through the process right now of making that sure we handle it the best way that we think we can."
It may affect the Bruins a bit more though. While the Canadiens will get to enjoy an extra day at home in the middle of the series, Boston will be traveling three hours across the border to upstate New York. That may be a small price to pay, however, for a respite from the Montreal media and a little historical inspiration from one of hockey's hallowed shrines.
