B’s anything but struck by Lightning
BRUINS NOTEBOOK
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Tampa Bay Lightning and first place in the Eastern Conference are well within the Bruins’ reach. Tantalizingly so, in fact.
After the Bolts’ loss to New Jersey on Saturday and the B’s 2-1 overtime win last night over the Wild, the B’s are just two points behind Tampa with not only a game in hand, but the B’s still have two head-to-head matchups left against the Atlantic Division leaders.
But ask the B’s about Tampa and you won’t get much more than a shrug. They remain concentrated on what they’re doing themselves and nothing else. It’s been a winning approach, so there’s little sense in changing it now.
“I don’t think a whole lot’s changed in the last 2-3 weeks. I seems like they’re right there, but they’re not. I think guys are mindful of it, but when the puck drops, no one’s thinking about that,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “It’s the game in front of you, play well, play our game. And yes, the (getting) healthy part is even more on my mind than Tampa. Guys are trickling back in, others are skating, so it looks like we’re progressing anyway.”
If they play the way they can down the stretch, Brad Marchand figures, they’ll be fine.
“I don’t think we’re overly concerned with Tampa. It’s more playing our game,” said Marchand. “Things will work themselves out at the end of the day. Wherever we end up, we end up. It’s more about focusing each day at our game and being a good team. If we do that, then we’ll put ourselves in a good position. It’s tough to look at the light at the end of the tunnel and say that’s where we want to be. Obviously, there are goals that we want to hit. But it’s all about the process and I think that’s why our team has been so good this year, because that’s all we’ve been concerned about, the process each day and letting it work itself out at the end of the day.”
Shake it up
Cassidy made a tweak to his forward groupings by moving Brian Gionta up to play with David Krejci and Ryan Donato while Danton Heinen dropped down to play with Riley Nash and Tommy Wingels.
“Nash and Heinen have played together before and (David) Backes I don’t think is too far out, so those guys can maybe reconnect. Then maybe it gives Gio some looks on more of an offensive-oriented type of line. That’s all that is,” said Cassidy. “Danton’s back on his strong side.”
Donato was a teammate of Gionta’s on Team USA at the Olympics in South Korea but did not play on the same line as the veteran and was looking forward to the experience.
“He’s a great player and veteran player, so he’s going to be in the right spots always. He’s always going to know right from wrong. I can learn from him and just be a sponge and soak up all the knowledge that he has, implement it into my own game and try to make myself a better player as well,” said Donato.
Positive vibes
After missing two games with an upper-body injury, Torey Krug was back in the lineup last night. The B’s are also optimistic on a few other injured players. Backes (leg laceration) has not skated yet but has been cleared for office workouts. Of the wounded home in Boston, Cassidy said that both Zdeno Chara (upper body) and Charlie McAvoy (knee) have begun skating. The coach said Jake DeBrusk (upper body) is almost back on skates.
Rick Nash, out with what’s been termed an upper-body injury since he was a late scratch for last Monday’s home game against Columbus, has not yet skated and Cassidy did not have a time frame on him. …
Tuukka Rask (24 saves) got the win last night and Anton Khudobin is scheduled to play tomorrow in Winnipeg. …
Paul Postma and Jordan Szwarz were the scratches. …
Wild coach Bruce Boudreau captured his 500th NHL victory on Saturday night with Minnesota’s win over Nashville. How did he celebrate?
“I went home and went to bed. I’m not 25 anymore,” deadpanned Boudreau.