The Bruins just played two games in front of a raucous Boston crowd, as TD Garden is back to operating at near-full capacity more than one year removed from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, the Bruins' second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Islanders will shift to New York, where a sure-to-be rowdy atmosphere at Nassau Coliseum awaits for Games 3 and 4.
Although the Islanders stole home-ice advantage with a 4-3 overtime victory Monday night in Game 2, the Bruins are no strangers to holding their own in enemy territory. And as Boston coach Bruce Cassidy explained Tuesday, teams sometimes can feed off playing in a hostile road environment.
"I think it's when you're in a playoff atmosphere, even regular season at times when the crowd is into it, I think as a visiting player, you hear it, too. You have ears," Cassidy told reporters during a video conference. "And yes, it's gonna push your guys because it's your fans. But it's just the atmosphere that should get you excited to play. So that's when I say both sides can sorta get into the game because of the noise -- especially after the last month when buildings were very, very quiet and it's sorta an inner drive type of thing where you've gotta manufacture your own energy and sorta atmosphere in your head.
"So in this regard, it certainly helps the home team more, I'm not gonna lie to you. But I do believe the visiting team can get some juice, as well. It's sorta like, 'Hey, it's us against the world tonight. Let's give them a reason to sorta get on their own team, etcetera.' "
There's expected to be 12,000 fans in attendance at Nassau Coliseum when the Bruins and Islanders square off in Games 3 and 4 on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. You can bet it'll be extremely loud and that the first few minutes of each contest could go a long way toward setting the tempo.
The last thing the Bruins want to do, especially after dropping Game 2, is fall behind early. Mounting a comeback in that situation could prove difficult -- certainly more so than in your own building.
"From the puck drop -- that's usually when they're at their loudest, the home team (fans haven't) seen their team in a couple of games and they're gonna be excited because they've got a big overtime win," Cassidy said. "So that's where we have to use it to our advantage and play the right way early on, not allow the crowd to sorta get behind them early on by allowing them opportunities to play to their strengths. That's where you say, 'Hey, let's get to our game first.' And that can help diffuse some of that and still play to our benefit."
The Islanders, to their credit, overcame a fired-up TD Garden crowd in Game 2 after the Bruins took Game 1 in Boston. It's up to the B's to answer back, and they're clearly welcoming the challenge.
