Monday night's matchup in Toronto kicks off a back-to-back and another set of three games in four days - all against Atlantic Division opponents - with the Bruins flying home from Toronto on Monday to turn around and face Ottawa back at TD Garden on Tuesday night, and then host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
"Well internally I will tell you, you're always, as a coach, worried about the short term and the big picture as well, try and do that balance, so it's something you've probably heard a hundred times," Interim Head Coach Bruce Cassidy said following Sunday's skate, before the team traveled to Toronto. "But for us, we're playing the game in front of us, which is the Toronto Maple Leafs."
Game time against the Leafs is set for 7:30 p.m. ET (NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub) at Air Canada Centre.
"I know what's coming next, I'm sure the players do, but I don't see any sense in worrying about it, to be honest with you," said Cassidy. "We'll play the game [Monday] night and prepare - had a good practice I thought, tried to address a few things we needed to address, get back to our pace because we had days off, and then [Monday] morning start zeroing in on Toronto and once that one's over, we'll go on to the next one."
"So, yes, it is an important week, I think we're all aware of that. We only have three weeks left, so they're all important [games] at this point. Unless you're Washington, and already in [the playoffs], and then, they've got their own battles. So everyone's got something to play for this year, we know what's at stake for us, but again, our emphasis will be on Toronto."
The Bruins are three points above the Leafs in the standings heading into the game, with 82 points. The Leafs have 79 with a game in hand.
