For Sweeney, rest is best
GM sees positives in break
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney stressed the need for organizational time management during a press conference yesterday at Warrior Ice Arena.
The Bruins advanced to the Stanley Cup finals for the third time in this decade with a four-game sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. The Bruins secured the Prince of Wales Trophy with a 4-0 victory Thursday night.
The Bruins’ potential opponents in the Cup final — either the San Jose Sharks or St. Louis Blues — are deadlocked at 2-2 in the Western Conference final. The two teams will face off in Game 5 today (3 p.m.) in San Jose.
The Bruins did not practice Friday or yesterday and will have 10 days between the Carolina closeout and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on May 27 at the Garden.
“I think in the short term it will be really beneficial for our group,” Sweeney said. “The players themselves had a seven-game series (Toronto), a six-game series (Columbus) and fortunately closed it out quickly against Carolina.
“But we’ve been pedal to the metal mentally and physically and in the short term it will help us a lot. It is incumbent on us to simulate as best we can what is going to be required of us going forward.”
Sweeney said 10 players from the Providence Bruins will be brought up when practice resumes Sunday.
Chara on mend
The main beneficiary of the extended downtime is defenseman Zdeno Chara. The Bruins captain missed the finale against Carolina with a lower body injury, but he did participate on skates in the postgame handshake and team photo.
Chara, 42, played in 16 straight playoff games and averaged 22:31 of ice time, second behind blue line mate Charlie McAvoy (24:20). Sweeney is confident Chara will be ready for Game 1 but ruled out defensemen Kevan Miller (lower body) and right wing Chris Wagner, who suffered an arm injury blocking a shot in Game 3 against the ‘Canes.
“We have some time to continue to evaluate where guys will be,” Sweeney said. “Kevan had a little bit of a setback so I don’t expect him to be ready and I would be very surprised if Chris is ready.
“We have a lot of time to make the absolute right decision and give (Chara) time to get over something that has been nagging him but we are confident.”
Saving strength
Sweeney credited coach Bruce Cassidy for appropriately managing goalies Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak during the regular season. Rask appeared 46 games and went 27-13-5 with four shutouts, 2.48 goals against average and .912 save percentage.
Halak, who signed last July 1 to replace Anton Khudobin, appeared in 40 games and went 20-11-4 with five shutouts, 2.34 goals against average and a .922 save percentage.
Halak’s success enabled Cassidy to keep Rask fresh for an extended playoff run. Rask has been phenomenal over the three series and is the Bruins’ lead contender for the Conn Smythe Trophy. Rask started all 17 playoff games and is 12-5 with two shutouts, a 1.84 goals against average and a .942 save percentage.
“Tuukka was the first one to acknowledge how important Jaroslav was,” Sweeney said. “We were very respectful of the position itself knowing that we needed to find a balance.
“We didn’t have an exact number. We had mapped out the starts of the year and outside of injuries didn’t deviate from it and it’s a testament to the way both players were playing.”
A few good men
Sweeney’s biggest contribution to the playoff run was the NHL trade deadline acquisitions of left wing Marcus Johansson (New Jersey) and center Charlie Coyle (Minnesota), who along with Danton Heinen comprise the third line.
Coyle has played in all 17 postseason games, averaging 15:24 minutes with six goals and six assists. Johansson has been in 15 games, averaging 13:20 minutes with three goals and six assists.
Sweeney conceded the biggest surprise of the playoffs has been rookie defenseman Connor Clifton, who has appeared in 12 games as a result of injuries and suspensions. Clifton has been a reliable partner to Matt Grzelcyk and scored his first career goal in Game 2 against Carolina.