Full arenas ramp energy level as Isles face Bruins
As a rink in the NHL’S all-canadian North Division welcomes fans on Saturday night for the first — and possibly the only time — in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Boston Bruins will welcome nearly a full house at TD Garden.
About 2,500 faithful will pay high prices to be in Montreal’s Bell Centre for Game 6 of the Canadiens’ first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, the Bruins have been given permission to sell most of their 18,000 seats as they open Round 2 against the New York Islanders on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET).
The Bruins were allowed 25-per-cent capacity — about 4,500 fans — for their series against the Washington Capitals, but a full building will surely change the atmosphere.
“There’s some anticipation because it’s been a long time and you kind of forget what it’s like,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said Friday. “I thought it was getting loud in here with 25-per-cent capacity against the Caps, so I can only imagine what a full house is going to be like . ... It’s going to be nice to have everybody back in there.
“It will be good for all sports to get back to having your typical home-ice advantage, in terms of the crowd creating energy and being behind you. All that will be great, and it will probably be a little bit shocking at first, to be honest with you, because you’re just so used to the quiet throughout the game. It will be good for both teams because crowds are there for the home team, but they can also get the visiting team into it, too. It’s just good for the game, period.”
It has been somewhat eye-opening to tune into games in the United States and see fans in the stands. The vaccination rate south of the border has levelled off, but state governments have decided it’s safe to reopen.
The Islanders will also have nearly a full house at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum for their home games, so there should be no shortage of energy, especially since the Bruins haven’t had a sellout in nearly 15 months.
“I’m really excited. I’m looking forward to it,” said Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron. “I’ve said this before, but from the bubble to the start of the season, you really had to adapt and adjust to not having fans. And in a way, you almost forgot how special it is to have them in the building.
“When we went up to 12 per cent and then 25 per cent, it makes such a big difference with the impact that they have on the game. The energy they bring is something you can feed off and it’s amazing.
Having close to a packed Garden (on Saturday) is going to be special. You don’t want to get too high and waste your energy. You have to soak it in and stay in the moment, but it does make a difference as far as energy goes with the lift you get out of that crowd going wild.”
The Bruins and Islanders are familiar foes. They faced each other eight times during the season, with New York winning the first five games before Boston took the last three. Boston came into the post-season with a 12-4-1 record down the stretch and was one of the NHL’S hottest teams after acquiring Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres. The Islanders are without captain Anders Lee, but Cassidy has a lot of respect for centre Jean-gabriel Pageau, who had five goals and eight points against Boston this season.
“Pageau had a good series, but he always does, he’s a good player and always plays well,” Cassidy said. “He’s one of their most effective players against us because they use him in so many different situations. We have to keep an eye on that, as well.”
Cassidy suggested Thursday the teams have a lot in common.
“There are a lot of similarities in these two teams with the way we play. We’re playing ourselves a little bit, and it should be really hardfought,” Isles coach Barry Trotz said Friday.
“All of the games this year have been pretty close. They’ve been hard-fought and hard-nosed. Hopefully, we can find a way to come out on top.”
Of course, the biggest difference between these two teams is in the net. Not only does Tuukka Rask have a Stanley Cup ring from the Bruins’ 2011 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, he’s back in these playoffs and he’s healthy. Isles goalie Ilya Sorokin is getting his first taste of post-season experience, but the pressure will ratchet up a bit in this round.