On The Road: Practice In Boston

After not getting to bed until around 3 a.m. ET after playing in Nashville earlier that night, Colorado Avalanche players, coaches and staff had the opportunity to sleep in a bit Wednesday morning. While the coaches left for TD Garden a little earlier to get ready for afternoon practice, many of the players met at the hotel restaurant for a late breakfast at 11:00 a.m. before taking the bus to the home rink of the Boston Bruins 45 minutes later.

It took the bus about 20 minutes to maneuver through Boston's winding streets, but the most impressive part about the driver's skills came with getting to TD Garden's loading dock. There is a narrow ramp with only a few feet of room on either side that large vehicles need to back up in order to get to the event floor of the arena. The reason backing up the ramp is necessary is because once you get to the top, there is not enough room for any large vehicles to turn around with equipment and other trucks stored in the area as well.
Upon arrival, the team went through their pre-skate routine before taking the ice for the 1 p.m. practice.
Several Avalanche players were absent from the ice, as Tyson Barrie, Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon were all out sick while Francois Beauchemin was dealing with a minor hand injury.
Fedor Tyutin, who was previously out with a lower-body injury, participated fully in practice and should play on Thursday against the Bruins, while Landeskog's status for the contest is questionable. The Colorado captain was also dealing with an ailment to his lower body and was supposed to take contact in the on-ice session as the final hurdle before he could return to the Avs' lineup, but the illness might delay his comeback.

Head coach Jared Bednar noted that he hadn't ruled Landeskog out of the game in Boston, but it is dependent on how he feels after Thursday's morning skate and if the team's training staff clears him.
The practice itself wasn't too long as the players were on the ice for about 45 minutes. With the team playing four games in six nights, the coaches need to find a balance of not overloading the players while still being able to get the work in.
Near the end of the session, the Avs played a spirited 2-on-2 game between the blue lines that got the competitive juices flowing.

After practice, most of the team took the 2:30 bus back to the hotel. There were a couple players getting extra treatment that hopped on the second trip about half an hour later.
Some of the Avs grabbed the post-skate meal that was provided to them at the rink, but others decided to check out some of the city's other dining spots for lunch. The team was then free for the rest of the afternoon and evening to catch up on some rest, explore Boston and get ready for Thursday's tilt.