Training camp is starting to feel more regular for the Bruins.
Bruce Cassidy returned to the ice to run Friday morning’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena for the first time since returning from China. The players Cassidy led to two wins over the Calgary Flames over there will reintegrate with the club in the coming days, with a more regular lineup expected for next Wednesday’s home game against Detroit at TD Garden.
Cassidy marveled over his experience in Hong Kong (aside from the traffic, anyway), but it’s now time to get to work back at home as the final two road games of the preseason come in quick succession tomorrow against the Red Wings and Monday in Philadelphia.
“Hong Kong, what a great spot. Mountains, ocean, skyscrapers all over,” Cassidy said.
“I am a little behind with the guys that are here. (Defenseman Cody) Goloubef, (forward Mark) McNeill, some of the players I don't know that well that are competing as depth guys.”
Crunch time is near.
The head coach thinks that the team coming back together as one will be a good boost as the heat of camp begins. Cassidy says it’s possible “two or three” players who trekked to China could play in Detroit tomorrow night, though the lineup has yet to be announced.
“I think getting our whole group together will get us re-energized come, probably, Tuesday,” Cassidy said. “We've got a couple games and some mixed practices to sort through here, but I think they'll be motivated being together. Sometimes (camp) drags on at the end, but because they haven't been together as a group that'll give us a little juice.”
It’s most likely at that point when the evaluation of players would take a back seat to deciding where players best fit into a potential lineup.
For one, Cassidy sees newcomer John Moore as an asset as the team looks to keep improving its overall play in the neutral zone and around the blue line based on his performance in China, but seeing where he and others ― especially those Cassidy did not get live looks at in the pair of games with Washington were played here in the States ― would best fit comes next, with additional looks during practice and the remaining exhibition games.
During his first media availability since returning from China, he pointed to Ryan Donato and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson as two players who had both positive and “young guy” moments during the two-game series against Calgary’s “full boat” of NHLers. As he’s mentioned many times since the start of last season’s great youth movement, that happens with more inexperienced players.
Another young center, Trent Frederic, teamed up with veteran David Backes on the penalty kill. Experienced NHLers but B’s newcomers Chris Wagner and Joakim Nordstrom did, too.
“We wanted to look at it. Does it mean it will stay that way?” Cassidy said of the former killing combination. “I think Sean Kuraly does a great job in there, too.
As far as the overall roster situation stands, “it could go down to the wire for a couple spots, of course, but that's how we're trying to get to (with evaluating and making roster decisions). Monday will be another big day for some of those guys. … We're trying to incorporate the youth if they're ready, or close to ready. We've still got a ways to go to evaluate that, but … I think they’ve all acquitted themselves well.”
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