The Bruins haven’t had much time to catch their breath during their run to the Stanley Cup Final.
After outlasting the Maple Leafs in a seven-game slugfest in the opening round of the playoffs, the B’s had a whopping … one day off ... before battling the Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference Semifinal.
Going into the Eastern Conference Final against Carolina, Boston was granted just two days in between series.
But now, Bruce Cassidy’s club might not know what to do with itself after taking care of the ‘Canes by way of a dominant, four-game sweep.
The Sharks and Blues are still battling each other out in the Western Conference — with the best-of-seven series playing to at least six games following St. Louis’ victory in Game 4 Friday night. As such, the 2019 Stanley Cup Final will not begin until Monday, May 27 at TD Garden, with Game 1 slated to start at 8 p.m.
That means an 11-day break from game action for the Bruins — which stands as the longest stretch of off days for a club entering a Cup Final since the salary cap was instituted back in 2005.
Here’s the full schedule for the 2019 Stanley Cup Final:
BSJ Analysis
Before we get into the whole "rest vs. rust" debate — let's get the obvious points out of the way. A couple of days off the ice should do some good for a Bruins team that has taken its fair share of lumps this postseason, and has largely played every other day for the past five weeks.
On the injury front, any extended time off should help Zdeno Chara — who was held out of Game 4 against Carolina on Thursday due to an undisclosed injury. While the team officially tabbed Chara as "day to day" ahead of puck drop, Cassidy did note postgame that the veteran defenseman should be cleared for a return before Game 1 against St. Louis/San Jose.
"This time off will help him," Cassidy said of Chara. "I believe he'll be ready to go in Game 1, whenever that is. We don't think it's serious, but I've said that before about some of our guys and found out later ... I believe he'll be ready for the next round."
Kevan Miller also could have a chance to return this series with enough time off, although his timetable is a bit more murky, given the fact that the physical defenseman has yet to resume skating after suffering a serious lower-body injury back in early April. Even if Miller was cleared for a return, the case could be made that Connor Clifton provides more value in the third D pairing, especially if Miller is not 100 percent. Boston has yet to provide an update on Chris Wagner's status for the Cup Final, but based on multiple sources, it seems as though the fourth liner's season is over after blocking a shot in Game 3 vs. Carolina and injuring his arm.
Still, those three are far from the only dinged-up players in Boston's locker room — with an extended break giving the team a chance to lick its wounds ahead of a bout with either St. Louis or San Jose.
But still, a break of this magnitude does call for some concern.
As Sportsnet's Chris Johnson noted, 10 of the last 13 teams that have won the Stanley Cup were the clubs that entered the final round with the shorter turnaround.
Boston witnessed the dangers of an extended break firsthand during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Blue Jackets, who swept the Lightning in the opening round of the playoffs. Even with plenty of rest — and just one day off for the Bruins between series — Columbus was flat throughout the night at TD Garden, with Boston holding a 19-4 edge in 5v5 shot attempts in the opening period. Had it not been for Sergei Bobrovsky in net, Columbus very well could have found itself buried by the B's.
Despite a strong start, Bobrovsky faltered down the stretch against Boston — posting a .901 save percentage in Games 4-6 en route to an exit for the Jackets. The Bruins will have their fingers crossed that a locked-in Tuukka Rask doesn't face a similar regression due to rest, with the netminder simply unconscious right now with a .942 save percentage this postseason and a 7.07 goals saved above average rate. Absurd stuff, really.