Stanley Cup Playoffs Brings Environment Change For Bruins

The Boston Bruins have had monumental success against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Leafs haven’t beaten the Bruins in a postseason series since 1959, but that doesn’t mean Boston is complacent heading into Game 1 of the first-round series on Saturday night.

“There’s more urgency in what we’re doing,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Friday. “You can tell practice, pace both days was tremendous. Second and third effort is there naturally. So, it’s just urgency, trying to get done what you want to get done, so that you’re prepared when the puck drops (Saturday night) is what is the exciting part.”

Montgomery added: “It’s why you want to be part of the NHL is to play in these games. The excitement level is high.”

In practice, the Bruins worked on one area they struggled with down the stretch — the power play. Montgomery shook up the two units by swapping Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand for Kevin Shattenkirk and Danton Heinen and was impressed with the puck movement.

“Both units today were converging toward the net,” Montgomery said. “I’m just happy with the pace of the power play.”

Even though Boston lost three of the last five games in the regular season, Montgomery is comfortable with where the Bruins are heading into the postseason.

“I like where we’re at. I feel more prepared,” he said. “I feel we know what our game plan is, how we need to play. Now it’s up to us to go execute and have a great effort. To be able to win in the playoffs, it all comes down to execution, and the most important part is the effort. You have to have tremendous second and third effort, or else you’re not going to touch the puck.”