The Bruins may not be resuming game action until at least Saturday afternoon, but that doesn’t mean that Bruce Cassidy’s crew will remain dormant this week as the NHL continues to navigate through this recent COVID surge.
With both Monday’s game against the Penguins and Wednesday’s road contest against the Senators now postponed, the Bruins suddenly have six straight days of practice afforded to them — with Cassidy likening this open slate of ice time to the bevy of on-ice reps that is usually only available at the start of every NHL campaign.
“We obviously got some things to cover, we get an opportunity to run almost like a mini training camp,” Cassidy said on Monday. “And most of our guys are out here, right? So we're fortunate in that regard, knock on wood, that we don't lose anybody else. It's only Charlie Coyle, and then Brandon (Carlo) for half the week, we should see him later in the week. So in that regard, we can get some good work done with the full group.”
Given that the Bruins have not played in an actual game since Dec. 16, it’s to be expected that the main priority over the coming days is to shake off the rust that has formed over this extended break — especially for a number of players that have spent most of the last week-plus in COVID-19 protocols.
"I think we have to make the best of it,” Patrice Bergeron said. “I think obviously resting and making sure you recharge your batteries and be ready for the rest of the year — it's going to be a lot of games in not that many days, as we all know. So, I think right now, (it's about) being able to use that to our advantage if we can.
“I mean, obviously, some guys got hit with COVID and some felt it a little bit more than others. But that being said, I think we were able to rest and spend some time at home and find ways to recharge your battery mentally and also physically and be ready for the next stretch, will which will be a pretty big one.”
So aside from getting their legs back under them, what else will the B’s focus on over these six days of practice?
Let’s take a look.
Brace for a hectic sprint through the regular season
In the short term, it looks as though Cassidy doesn’t need to fret about the conditioning level of his team coming out of this extended break.
"Yesterday was excellent. You're almost sitting there halfway through practice, I was looking at Chris Kelly and said, 'Jeez, too bad we weren't playing tonight, these guys are flying,’” Cassidy said when asked if players were rusty upon returning to the ice on Sunday. “And there's always that residual effect the next day. I don't think were as clean today early on. Now that could be late afternoon practice bleeding into the morning. So let's see how we go as the week goes on.”
All things considered, the Bruins very well could come out of this COVID-fueled shutdown better than most teams — with Boston handed a longer break from the grind of the NHL season and ample time for most of their keys cogs to clear their respective quarantines.
With Brandon Carlo expected back on the ice mid-week, the Bruins could resume game action on Jan. 1 against Buffalo with just one player in COVID-19 protocol in Charlie Coyle — a far cry from where the B’s were just a week ago.
But even though the B’s might have dodged a few bullets in the immediate future thanks to this sabbatical, more headaches lie on the horizon when it comes to a backlogged schedule that — even with three weeks freed up in February — is still going to tax even the strongest rosters.
In total, the Bruins have until the end of April to squeeze in 56 games, with plenty of back-to-back and 3-in-4 slates on tap for Cassidy’s crew.
Not only does that accelerated schedule present challenges just in terms of the general wear and tear that accumulates over time — but such a workload severely limits just how much runway coaches can have in terms of scheduling practices and finding ways to sort out concerning trends that sprout up over the span of a season.
As such, the Bruins will attempt to cram as much as they can into this six-day practice schedule. Because come March and April, there may not be much of an opportunity for Cassidy to schedule a lengthy stretch of on-ice sessions.
“This week's important to get our practice time in and revisit whatever we have to. Systematically, I think for the most part this year — like everybody, there are things you got to tweak,” Cassidy said. “But for us, it wasn't major breakdowns one after the other in that area. I thought we grasped it well for having a lot of new guys. I just thought there were key moments in games where we let points get away because the other team just outplayed us in those moments or out-executed us and made the right play at the right time to swing the game.
“This week, we're using it to prepare for that stretch, get some of your conditioning back. I don't know how much you can get back when COVID is still a bit of an unknown in that part about the recovery, but we're going to work on it as best we can. Because as you pointed out, there isn't going to be a lot of practice time going forward in terms of consecutive days. It'll be here and there and it'll be about fine-tuning some things and that's the way we look at it.
“I think every athlete wants to play, so for us, the number of games we have — I think guys get excited about it. Because they want to play, right? It's just when you're in the soup or the thick of it, the recovery does become important and that's looking ahead.”
Fighting inside
For as much as we’ve discussed here on this site that the Bruins’ offensive production (or lack thereof) has been hampered at times by a lack of puck luck, it’s pretty easy to map out how Boston can also significantly help its odds when it comes to finding the back of the net with more regularity.
Yes, the Bruins’ goals scored above expected totals signify that Boston is overdue for a deluge of tallies. And all things considered, Boston is peppering the net at a healthy clip — ranking second in the NHL with 35.78 shots per 60 minutes at 5v5 play.
But when it comes to generating high-danger scoring chances, the B’s are sorely lacking — ranking 23rd in the NHL with just 9.97 high-danger looks per 60 minutes of 5v5 action.
As Cam Neely noted last week, the easiest remedy to alleviate those woes isn’t to rattle off more dangle-fests or other highlight-reel moves. Rather, it hinges on burying more “ugly goals”, which only become tenable with more bodies present in and around Grade-A ice.
As a result, Cassidy will look to set aside more time this week to draw that more out of players when it comes to fighting inside — whether that be a steady dose of battle drills or more small-area drills to close out practices.
Bruins going with some small-area drills as Group A practice starts to wind down. pic.twitter.com/MZIIL2ITAP
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 4, 2021
"Well, it's a mentality. It's a bit of habit. We're trying to create the habits in practice and we have been for a while — this is not new," Cassidy said. "But clearly, we need to get that message through better. And the players need to buy into it better. And sometimes you got to go outside your comfort zone to do that. So that's where we got to meet halfway. And we're trying to build more practice drills that involve that — especially this week where we haven't been playing a lot, so there's not a lot of stress.
“You have time to recover. ... So that's something we'll certainly incorporate and have in the past on the right days. But like I said, I truly believe it's more of a mindset that has to be built into the individual and then into the group. And then they've got to want to do it. So that's where we're at right now with that. I think getting a few more second chances around the net will obviously lead to more goals.
“And I think we have at times. We're just, I honestly believe our shooting percentage will change if we keep creating the amounts we've had, up 'till this point. I do believe we've had some tough luck around the net, including posts. But that's the way it is. So the solution is we've got to create more of those chances."
Tweak special teams
In the grand scheme of things, the Bruins’ special-teams units have not been the biggest determinant in Boston’s current 14-10-2 record. But given the high standards that the B’s have set over the last few years on both the power play and penalty kill — it sure seems like those two units are both a step or two behind Cassidy’s expectations.
The power play is currently operating at a 23.7% success rate — good for eighth in the league. Even though the personnel could be due for a reshuffle, especially upfront with Nick Foligno at the netfront, Cassidy’s primary gripe has been the club’s struggles with clean entries into the offensive zone.
“I think if there's one area we haven't been as clean — it's entries," Cassidy said. "I don't know how many goals we've generated or how many good chances we've generated off the rush, whereas in years past we've scored goals off the rush. So I'd say that's the one area we can have an uptick in percentage-wise or goal-wise.
"Certainly cleaner entries and more of a threat on the entries to attack. I think the other areas have been good. Obviously, in some games, o-zone, your pressure beats you. Other days, you're better against it, but in general, those and face-offs have been good. It's the entries.”
Boston has the weapons in place on the man advantage to eventually bump those scoring totals up, but the penalty kill continues to be a work in progress. After holding court as a top-three ranked unit over the previous two seasons, Boston’s PK has dipped down to 13th overall (81%) this year.
Of course, some of those struggles have to do with the roster turnover, but Cassidy added that a lot of the sequences that have led to a power-play goal for the opposition have usually started with a self-inflicted miscue.
“We've given up a couple of tough ones that have hurt our numbers,” Cassidy said. “I think one, we pulled our goalie on. And as the year goes on, those numbers don't get skewed as much because it's only one goal, but I think it happened twice. … So as I said, as your sample size gets larger, they just don't matter as much, but they probably bend the numbers in the wrong direction a little bit.
“But after that, I would say our clears are still a work in progress. That gets us hemmed in at times. I think they're better than they were a few years ago when we really were struggling and now we've at least got shared responsibility on them. Our guys are communicating better, so maybe a little short-area pass is better than trying a no-look clear, but that is still an area we can get better on.”
OTHER NOTES
Bergeron comments on NHL’s ruling on Olympics
Like many NHLers, Patrice Bergeron expressed concern with several conditions regarding the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics over the past few weeks— whether it be the rising number of COVID cases or China’s strict quarantine measures.
That being said, if the decision was still up to Bergeron, he still would have made the trek to China if the NHL allowed players to participate — given that the 2022 Games likely stood as Bergeron’s last shot of representing his country on such a stage.
Even though his comments were perhaps not as pointed as his linemate Brad Marchand in regards to the NHL pulling the plug on player participation, Bergeron remained disappointed in the final ruling from the league.
"I would have gone,” Bergeron said. “It would have been my last chance to experience it. I was there twice, I was able to live it. I feel for the guys that haven't had a chance, and this might have been their last chance to go. I really do. I think it's disappointing as an athlete and as a competitor. I think you want to be part of those events. I was fortunate enough in my career to do that twice and to live it and experience it and have some amazing memories out of it.
“So I guess that's the silver lining, if you will, of that whole thing. But you're right, I had some question marks about going with what was going on in the world and the outbreaks and all that and leaving my family behind. But I had a discussion with my wife, and it was my last chance and I wanted to be a part of it.”