The players won't be the only ones that lean on Bergeron's experience. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, while having been behind the bench for three Games 7 with the Black & Gold, will be conferring constantly with his captain over the next 24 hours.
"A lot," Cassidy said when asked how much he'll speak with Bergeron. "We talked today about practice, meetings [on Saturday]. Just how we set up our next two days because players are creatures of habit. The 4:30 game is a little different for us. We talked through that. As coaches you want to get through what we get through in terms of preparation and they would like to have their routine.
"Then once the puck drops you rely on him on the bench to say the right things in between periods. Again, the motivational part of it is basically gone now. The guys know what's at stake. It's about keeping the guys in a good place, keeping composure, there's going to be ups and downs [Saturday], there's gonna be bad shifts and good shifts.
"I think last night was a great example. When they scored and made the game 2-1, I thought we got right back on the horse and away we went and that was a great sign for me that these guys are OK, stuff happens, put it behind you, and let's go."
Cassidy, who added that he's "fortunate to have Bergy and [Brad Marchand] who went through it on the biggest of stages," said the Bruins will do their best to approach Saturday's win-or-go-home matchup as they would any other game throughout the season.
"We need to win one game on the road," said Cassidy. "We need to have the urgency level, but you try not to talk about the do-or-die mentality. What do we need to do to win the game, what did we do well [Thursday night] to help us win the game, and that's how we are going to approach it [Saturday]. A lot of the guys have been through different levels of hockey. I don't need to bring it to their attention."
One thing, however, that Cassidy will most certainly bring to his team's attention is avoiding the penalty box. In the three games at PNC Arena this series, the Hurricanes have had 17 power plays and converted on four of them.
"Well, we can't allow it," said Cassidy. "We just have to make sure we get the kills…we have to stay away from the stick fouls, anything after the whistle - those type of things have not gone our way. We have to get out of there after the whistles, that has been message to the guys. I thought we need a better job there last time…that's where we have to keep our composure.
"We can't control what's called for or against us, but if we do get called we have to make sure, again, our kill is solid and we are structured. They are trying to get pucks to the net a little quicker than they were in the beginning and we have to make sure we are ready for that. That's the challenge in front of you."
The Bruins' other focus will be, once again, getting off to a good road start. Despite coming out strong from the jump in each of the three away contests in the series, Boston has yet to strike for the opening goal. The Black & Gold finally - for the first time in nine total meetings, regular season and playoffs - in 2021-22 notched the first tally in Game 6.
"Scoring first would help - actually had better starts there than home ice," said Cassidy. "That's a little bit of puck luck and some determination. Then not get rattled no matter what happens. If they score first, we can't let it bother us; the game isn't over. I'm not trying to be negative, but if certain things happen, it shouldn't matter.
"We can't change the way we play. At the end of the day everyone pulled on the rope…[in Game 6], everyone's doing their part - and that's usually what it takes. The players that play the best will determine the outcome and we are preparing for it to be our guys."
