FOXBORO, Mass. — When the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens take the ice Friday at Gillette Stadium, do not expect to see players zipping around the ice or passes whizzing from stick to stick.
That’s because, in addition to battling each other, the Bruins and Canadiens also will need to compete against Mother Nature in the latest installment of the NHL Winter Classic.
“The conditions change the way you have to approach the game,” defenseman Torey Krug said Thursday after the Bruins tested the ice during an hour-long practice. “Our team really benefits from a simple style of game anyway, and we try to do that regardless of what venue we’re in, but you really have to simplify it. And that’s taking care of the puck.
“It’s almost like a chess match waiting for someone else to make a mistake, and then you have to jump on that opportunity and take advantage of it when it happens.”
Here are just a few of the factors unique to outdoor games that the B’s and Habs will have to deal with Friday:
ICE CONDITIONS
With no roof to protect the playing surface in the lead-up to these outdoor games, the condition of the ice always is the biggest question mark.
A few hours of freezing rain Wednesday night and warmer temperatures Thursday morning made for less-than-ideal conditions for the teams’ practices, but most players seemed optimistic they would improve before puck drop.
“It was tough,” Bruins winger Frank Vatrano said. “I think we were the first ones to skate on it. They took off the tarp from (Wednesday) night. The ice was a bit choppy and slow. Hopefully, the conditions are better (Friday).”
“It was soft,” B’s winger Jimmy Hayes added. “It’s really nice out right now. Having the whole team out there, it gets soft pretty quickly. They made ice in (Los Angeles) last year, so they can make it work.”
GLARE
The sun shone bright in the Foxboro, Mass., sky Thursday morning, prompting many players to sport eye black. Gillette Stadium’s configuration should minimize the glare during the game, but it was a major problem during practice, according to Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask.
“Somebody said that the sun was going to go behind the wall at 1 p.m., so it shouldn’t be an issue,” Rask said. “You can’t start the game at the other end as bad as it was (Thursday). We’re taking some shots at the end there from our D-man, and you can see half of those shots.”
A 2014 Stadium Series game at Yankee Stadium had to be delayed when glare from the sun made playing conditions too dangerous.
WIND
Wind isn’t often mentioned as a factor in outdoor games, but Krug said it was during one he played in college.
“I remember I played in Michigan Stadium when I was back at Michigan State, and I thought the wind played a huge factor, more so than the sun,” the defenseman said.
DEPTH PERCEPTION
Similar to how playing NCAA Tournament basketball games in cavernous football stadiums often results in lower shooting percentages, several players noted how having the nearest fans dozens of feet away from the rink rather than right up along the boards can affect their ability to read the puck.
“Just the depth factor is an adjustment on its own,” Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, who played in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park, said Wednesday. “It’s something I noticed at Fenway. I never thought it was something I would have had to adjust to, and that was the case. It’s going to be the same thing again (at Gillette).”
COLD
Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 30s or lower 40s Friday in Foxboro. That certainly qualifies as “chilly,” but Bruins forward Seth Griffith said that unless the game is a true ice bowl — like the 2014 Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, Mich., during which temperatures dipped below 15Â degrees Fahrenheit — most players will choose not to bundle up.
“If it’s a little colder, you wear a little bit extra gear,” Griffith said. “But for me, it was pretty hot out there. I mean, standing there, it’s probably a little chilly, but once you get moving around, it warms up pretty quick. So I think most of the guys just wore what they usually wear.”
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
