TAMPA – Just hours after seeing their four-game winning streak end in Sunrise, the Bruins were back to work for a late morning practice at the Lightning’s training facility. Coach Marco Sturm said the message ahead of Saturday’s game against Tampa is to reinforce the resiliency that the team has embraced all season long.
“I think overall, every time you're a little bit harder on them, I feel like they respond better,” said Sturm. “[Thursday] again, [the Panthers] have a lot of guys out and we've seen that picture before. I’ve seen it before. We just took it a little bit too lightly, I thought. Maybe I'm wrong, but that just can't happen, especially this time of year, so that's why it was so frustrating…we didn't, we didn't play our game for 40 minutes and that cost us the game.”
Sturm also made sure there was an emphasis on net-front battles during the brief on-ice session.
“This time of year, you don’t score the cute ones anymore,” said Sturm. “The best example was Florida [on Thursday], the goals they scored, good screens, and we didn’t have very much. A little bit more at the end but it was just not good enough and that was something we addressed today.”
David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy did not hit the ice as they took the skate off for maintenance.
Wait, There’s More
Sturm on the Red Sox’ home opener at Fenway Park: “Only good things…they are one of us, let’s put it that way. We are all one, Boston is all one. It’s a small sports town and the Red Sox are a big part of it. I think it will be buzzing today. Nice to see baseball back in our town and I wish the Sox all the best this year. I know they didn’t start the way they wanted, but I think it’s a good time now to start at home a new streak and a good season.”
