Bruins use time off to work on digging deeper around the net - The Boston Globe
The Bruins, their record frozen at 14-10-2 since Dec. 16, posted a significant W Monday morning: None of their players were added to the COVID protocol list.
A humble victory, for sure, but perhaps a sign that the resurgence in the pandemic is loosening its grip on a club that has seen six games postponed and 11 players recently test positive.
Adding to the win column: Prized left winger Taylor Hall was released from the sick bay list and rejoined his teammates for Monday’s 40-minute workout in Brighton.
Hall lined up on a No. 2 line with Erik Haula in the middle and Craig Smith on the right side, a trio that should be intact when the Bruins finally get back to work (COVID permitting) Saturday with the Sabres in town for a New Year’s matinee.
Hall, Smith, Nick Foligno, and other forwards immediately came to mind last week when team president Cam Neely noted the need for Bruce Cassidy’s charges to take, shall we way, a more direct approach to goal scoring.
After 26 games of mixed results and ofttimes-challenged offense, Neely noted his desire to see more shots taken, fewer passes attempted in lieu of those shots, and an increase in the willingness to battle for pucks around the net.
“Yes, I agree,” Cassidy said following Monday’s workout. “It’s a mentality. It’s a bit of habits. We’re trying to create the habits in practice and we have been for a while; it’s not new.
“But clearly we need to get that message through better, and the players need to buy into it better. Sometimes you have to go outside your comfort zone to do
Not surprisingly, Marchand agrees with Neely’s get-to-the-net assessment.
“It’s a habit, and mentality, and to create that or implement it into your game, it takes time, it takes a lot of effort,” he said. “It starts in practice, something you have to incorporate in every drill, get in there, stopping, and if there’s any loose pucks, putting them in, just something you have to continually work on.”
The Bruins, their record frozen at 14-10-2 since Dec. 16, posted a significant W Monday morning: None of their players were added to the COVID protocol list.
A humble victory, for sure, but perhaps a sign that the resurgence in the pandemic is loosening its grip on a club that has seen six games postponed and 11 players recently test positive.
Adding to the win column: Prized left winger Taylor Hall was released from the sick bay list and rejoined his teammates for Monday’s 40-minute workout in Brighton.
Hall lined up on a No. 2 line with Erik Haula in the middle and Craig Smith on the right side, a trio that should be intact when the Bruins finally get back to work (COVID permitting) Saturday with the Sabres in town for a New Year’s matinee.
Hall, Smith, Nick Foligno, and other forwards immediately came to mind last week when team president Cam Neely noted the need for Bruce Cassidy’s charges to take, shall we way, a more direct approach to goal scoring.
After 26 games of mixed results and ofttimes-challenged offense, Neely noted his desire to see more shots taken, fewer passes attempted in lieu of those shots, and an increase in the willingness to battle for pucks around the net.
“Yes, I agree,” Cassidy said following Monday’s workout. “It’s a mentality. It’s a bit of habits. We’re trying to create the habits in practice and we have been for a while; it’s not new.
“But clearly we need to get that message through better, and the players need to buy into it better. Sometimes you have to go outside your comfort zone to do
Not surprisingly, Marchand agrees with Neely’s get-to-the-net assessment.
“It’s a habit, and mentality, and to create that or implement it into your game, it takes time, it takes a lot of effort,” he said. “It starts in practice, something you have to incorporate in every drill, get in there, stopping, and if there’s any loose pucks, putting them in, just something you have to continually work on.”
