Bruins weekend clash with Sabres postponed

It was only a matter of time before the COVID-19 epidemic would affect the Bruins in some way, shape or form — and that time has come.

On Tuesday the NHL announced that the B’s games against the Buffalo Sabres scheduled for Saturday and Monday at the Garden are postponed due to two Sabres players — Taylor Hall and Rasmus Ristolainen — entering the league’s protocol list.

“The decision was made by the League’s, NHLPA’s and Club’s medical groups, who determined that more caution was warranted while the league continues to analyze test results in the coming days,” read a league statement.

The statement went on to say that the Sabres’ training facilities have been closed, effective immediately and that they will remain closed until further notice. The league also stated that there was no protocol-breaking on the Sabres’ part.

“The Sabres’ organization has and will continue to follow all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of its players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state and national agencies,” said the statement.

The issue traces back to the New Jersey Devils, who now have 14 players on the protocol list. The Sabres had played the Devils on Sunday afternoon and, earlier in the day on Tuesday, had their scheduled game against the Islanders postponed as the Sabres continued to conduct their contact tracing.

The league has not yet set makeup dates for the two Bruins-Sabres games.

The B’s are in the midst of a four-game road trip, with games Wednesday and Friday against Philadelphia. With the postponed games against the Sabres, the B’s will not play at the Garden, where they are 4-0, until Feb. 15. That game is scheduled to be against the Devils.

B’s hope to get bounce from big win

The Bruins no doubt had an enjoyable train ride from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia late Monday night.

Not only did they stage a spirited come-from-behind victory in our national’s capital on Monday, erasing a three-goal deficit. But it came against a team in the Capitals that had taken 17 of the previous 19 games against the B’s, a dizzying stat of futility for a team that has been as good as the Bruins have been the last couple of years.

And oh, the B’s also punched the bully straight in the kisser in the process, surely warming everyone’s Black and Gold heart.

Coach Bruce Cassidy on Tuesday said it was the kind of win that could catapult a team.

“There’s a good feeling on this team that, no matter what, that we can come back. We’re never out of it,” said Cassidy. “You have to play a certain way to stay in it. But guys think we can score and win games like that when we need to outscore the other team because we’ve had some breakdowns. But, yes, I would think that it being in Washington, against a team we had mental hurdles with over the last five years, we’re starting to get over those. We match up a little better. Obviously, the (Trent) Frederic-(Tom) Wilson scrap’s been talked about a lot, but I think that helps, knowing that if a game goes a certain way, we’re fine either way. I actually thought we out-skated them in the third and put pucks behind them and wore out their D, got pucks back and that was the difference. Usually to do that in another team’s building, you’ve got to have some confidence that you can play a team any way. That was the good part. It might be one of those games where look back and say ‘It did a lot of good for us.’ But we do feel good about ourselves. There are very few nights where we’re really down and out and feel we can’t win.”

But no game is perfect. And in the 5-3 victory at Capital One Arena, there was one particular imperfection that flashed brightly. The B’s power play, such a weapon this season and in recent years, went 0-for-4, including a 5-on-3 that lasted nearly a minute. It tended to kill momentum instead of generate it.

Obviously, the B’s somehow found a way to overcome the deficiency, but the dreadful PP was not something that escaped Cassidy’s attention.

“It was strictly execution to me. I thought we were sloppy and slow. Sloppy and slow is the best way to put it, probably our worst performance in terms of not being crisp and zipping it around finding the right outlet,” said Cassidy. “Guys held on to it a little too long and forced a play. They were a little more aggressive up high at times than maybe we expected, but still, we just came off playing one like Pittsburgh, so we should have been better prepared for it. We were just not real clean. On the 5-on-3 (last week vs. Penguins), I thought we hit the right play in Pittsburgh. They had two forwards on the ice and we got low in a hurry and got the backdoor play (Brad Marchand to Nick Ritchie). (On Monday), they had two D out the other night and we hit Pasta up top for what we call a plunger, up top that one-timer and he was just off net. And then we got away from it. I think it was the right play to get the shot from up top there in the middle of the ice, we just tried to force a few other ones, missed a seam, got a shot blocked. Just stuff we typically don’t do. Didn’t recover a puck, they got a couple clears. You put all that into it, and it was just not real effective.”

Ferguson to interview with Penguins

The Bruins have granted the Penguins permission to interview executive director of Player Personnel John Ferguson Jr. for it’s open GM position following Jim Rutherford‘s surprise resignation, the Herald confirmed. TSN originally reported the contact between the teams.

It would be hard to beat Ferguson’s experience. Ferguson was GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs for four-plus seasons (2003-08) and before arriving in Boston, he was Director of Pro Scouting for the San Jose Sharks for six years (2008-14). He was also assistant GM for the St. Louis Blues from 1997-2003.

TSN also reported the Penguins have also reportedly received permission to speak with Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury.

Odds and ends

The NHL had a conference call to promote the outdoor game between the Bruins and Flyers on Feb. 21. This year it will be a fan-free event held against the stunning backdrop of Lake Tahoe. This will be Charlie McAvoy‘s first outdoor game, having missed the game at Notre Dame in 2019 due to injury.

“The scenery is going to be very unique and I think the atmosphere and effect of not having fans there kind of makes it feel even more like it used to when you’re a kid outside with a couple of friends,” said McAvoy. “I think that aspect will be really unique. It’s just going to be a lot of fun for all of us.”

B’s catch break

While the B’s are still missing Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk and Ondrej Kase, they are getting a little break in their matchups with the Flyers. As they were last week in their two losses in Boston, the Flyers will again be without difference-maker Sean Couturier, one of the best two-way centers in the league. The Flyers announced Couturier will be out another 7-10 days with a rib injury.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3ja2hab