Need to Know: Bruins vs. Coyotes

BOSTON – Jim Montgomery knows the Bruins are going to lose games.

Such is life in the midst of an 82-game grind through the National Hockey League.

What he will not accept, however, is a dip in effort, which is what he believes was the case during Boston’s loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.

“It's more about the standard that we expect here – we know we're going to lose games,” said Montgomery. “You don't want to lose games because of a listless effort. That's the standard that we're not going to. We're not going to accept that. And we just talk about it openly and honestly and we move forward.”

Montgomery noted that Wednesday’s practice, which was without captain Brad Marchand as he attended the funeral services of his grandmother, was also not up to par. As such, Boston made sure to dig in for a strong on-ice session Friday morning in preparation of Saturday’s matinee against the Arizona Coyotes at TD Garden.

“It was awesome,” Kevin Shattenkirk said of the effort during Friday’s practice. “We had a great meeting before practice. Today was a great reset. Monty had us ready to go. The guys were ready to go.

“I think it's great to see that, from a learning perspective…like we've talked about, maybe we didn't have the best couple of days leading up to the Buffalo game and that's the result you get, so guys were very sharp today.”

Shattenkirk echoed his coach’s sentiments, saying that the Bruins know there are going to be dips throughout the year, but responding quickly is crucial to maintaining the team’s overall success.

“It's a long season,” he said. “There's going to be highs and lows and you're not going to have your best all the time. But good teams find a way to play their best at 70-80% or put a bad practice away and show up the next night for a game. That was a slip up on our part. But I think everyone's feeling good about today.”

The veteran blue liner added that it’s up to some of the other leaders in the room to carry the baton when Marchand – or other parts of the existing leadership corps – are sidelined, which he admits may not have been the case during Wednesday’s practice.

“I think we're all starting to learn as leaders here,” said Shattenkirk. “I wasn't here last year, but when you have a veteran team, if you have a bad practice like that, guys know how to correct themselves and get themselves ready in a game. Maybe we have some younger guys here that we need to say, ‘Listen, that wasn't good enough. Let's make sure we're sharp tomorrow.’

“So again, it's a learning experience for everyone. I think us as leaders…knowing that it can't all come from Brad, it’s got to be us setting the example and then not being afraid to voice our opinions as well.”

McAvoy Not Ruled Out

Charlie McAvoy did not practice on Friday after leaving the loss to Buffalo with an upper-body injury in the third period. Montgomery, however, did not rule out the blue liner for Saturday’s contest against the Coyotes.

“Day to day,” said Montgomery. “We're hopeful for [Saturday]. I do want to rule out it's nothing with the head. It's the upper body. Nothing with the head.”

If McAvoy is sidelined, Shattenkirk said it will be up to the rest of the defense corps to elevate their games in his absence.

“We have guys that are capable of coming in the lineup and contributing and we're all going to have to do it collectively as a group,” he said. “And we have guys like [Brandon Carlo] and Hampus [Lindholm] who are going to be leading the charge there and making sure that the rest of us are following them and going in the right direction.”

Wait, There’s More

• Montgomery said that Matt Poitras, who was a healthy scratch on Thursday night, will be back in the lineup against Arizona. “It is something we've been discussing, trying to put him in situations to have a lot of success,” Montgomery explained postgame. “So, this was planned, he'll be back in the lineup on Saturday. And this is an opportunity for him to build some strength and rest into his program…it's a grind. It's a tough league, and this is why we think he can help the Bruins the most and help his game the most in a positive fashion. So, this has been in the works for a little while.”
• Jeremy Swayman, who did not dress on Thursday night as he dealt with an illness, was back at practice and is expected back in uniform Saturday afternoon. Montgomery did not name a starting goalie.
• Arizona (13-10-2, 28 points) is tied with Nashville for the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. The Coyotes are coming off a 4-1 loss to Philadelphia after winning five straight games against the last five Stanley Cup champions (Washington, St. Louis, Colorado, Tampa Bay, and Vegas). Clayton Keller leads the Coyotes with 24 points (eight goals 16 assists) in 25 games. Michael Carcone paces the club with 12 goals.

Friday’s Practice Lineup

FORWARDS

Brad Marchand – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

James van Riemsdyk – Charlie Coyle – Trent Frederic

Jake DeBrusk – Matt Poitras – Danton Heinen

Oskar Steen – Johnny Beecher – Morgan Geekie/Jakub Lauko

DEFENSEMEN

Hampus Lindholm – Ian Mitchell

Matt Grzelcyk – Brandon Carlo

Mason Lohrei – Kevin Shattenkirk

GOALIES

Linus Ullmark

Jeremy Swayman

Brandon Bussi