Practice Report: Bruins Return to Ice After Break

BOSTON –– The Boston Bruins are back at it.

After two weeks off due to the Olympic break, the B’s returned to Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday as NHL practices resumed.

“We want to treat it like training camp,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “For a first practice, I thought it was good. And tomorrow we’re going to continue that. We’re going to touch on some other areas of our game and go from there.”

The Bruins were without their members who are participating in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026: Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman (USA), Henri Jokiharju and Joonas Korpisalo (Finland), Elias Lindholm and Hampus Lindholm (Sweden), and David Pastrnak (Czechia).

Those not in Milan, Italy, took the time to rest and recover from a busy opening 57 games to the 2025-26 campaign.

​“Obviously, with the condensed schedule, guys get kind of banged up and things kind of weigh on you throughout the first part of the season,” Morgan Geekie said. “I just recharged and used it as a mental break more than anything. Just come back ready to go.”

Geekie entered the break on an eight-game point streak; he scored seven goals through that stretch, and leads the Bruins with 32 goals through 56 games this year. He went to Florida with his family for a week and has been watching the Olympics as well.​

“My daughter doesn’t get to watch TV very often, but we have the Olympics on. It is cool to see her ask what every other sport is,” Geekie said. “Being Canadian, I’m sure curling is a little easier to get across. She loves figure skating, things like that. We’ve paid a lot of attention to that. My wife loves the figure skating, too. I’ve watched more this year than I have in my whole life.”

Pavel Zacha skated with the Bruins in a non-contact jersey on Wednesday. The 28-year-old forward was supposed to represent Team Czechia at the Olympics, but had to pull out of the tournament due to injury. Zacha suffered an upper-body injury on Jan. 29 against the Philadelphia Flyers, and did not travel with the B’s for their last two games in Florida.​

“That was one of the most frustrating things. Especially, two things you are excited for was the outdoor game and the Olympics, especially mid-season. Making the decision of not going was really hard,” Zacha said.

“Watching the [Olympic] games now, it is hard to watch a little bit that I can’t be there and experience it. It wasn’t the easiest. But on the other hand, not missing too many games in the regular season with the break; it’s also good that I had some time to kind of slowly come back.”

Zacha has posted 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) through 54 games this year as the stalwart second-line center. He will continue to work towards Feb. 26, when the Bruins host the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“Timing is everything and, unfortunately, timing was not on his side…We feel for him,” Sturm said of Zacha. “I think the last couple days, he’s been here, had treatment. He’s definitely on the right track. Hopefully, it’s going to continue like this so we can have him back 100%.”

Michael DiPietro joined the Bruins for practice; he was recalled from Providence on an emergency basis with both Swayman and Korpisalo away for the Olympics.

DiPietro – who was traded to Boston in October 2022 – leads all AHL goaltenders with a 1.64 goals against average and a .942 save percentage, recording an overall record of 21-5-0. The 26-year-old is in his third full season with Providence.

“For me, it’s being a well-balanced player on and off the ice and person,” DiPietro said. “When and if the time comes, I get the opportunity, whether it be this season, next season, whatever, I just want to take the ball and just run with it.”

The P-Bruins sit atop the AHL Atlantic Division. Their 37-8-1 record is ranked second in the league – two points behind first place. DiPietro has been a key piece to that success.

“The team is definitely clicking. I think a combination of things. We have a phenomenal coaching staff,” DiPietro said. “The guys in the locker room really just focus on ourselves. We gel really closely as a team, and even coming up here for a couple days for practice, I miss the boys down there, just hanging out at the rink and being with them.”

​There will be no easing into the final stretch of the NHL season for the B’s, who are in the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Columbus Blue Jackets – who are Boston’s first opponent back – are four points behind, chasing the same position.

The Bruins are embracing the pressure, though.

“It’s great that we are in the right spot we wanted to be in and have something to fight for. I think everyone is excited to come back and give it their all,” Zacha said. “It is really exciting for us after last year, missing the playoffs, being in the run. We'll do what we can to keep getting better with the season like we did so far.”