Click on the images to enlarge.
-
-
Noel Acciari trying to recover
-
-
Anton Blidh presses Tyler Bertuzzi
-
-
Chris Casto vs. Anthony Mantha
-
-
Goal by Austin Czarnik celebrating with Matt Grzelcyk
-
-
Redwings and the gloveless high five after a goal
-
-
Bruins defense working hard against the Redwings
-
-
Matt Grzelcyk takes a break
-
-
Rookie Matt Grzelcyk gets some advice from Adam McQuaid
-
-
Rookie Sean Kuraly wins a draw against Kyle Criscuolo
-
-
Sean Kuraly gets some info from Noel Acciari (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
-
-
Brian Lashoff battles Sean Kuraly
-
-
Drew Larkin goes by Daniel Vladar
-
-
Jeremy Lauzon battles Tyler Bertuzzi
-
-
Anthony Mantha watches the puck as Malcolm Subban waits for the tip
-
-
Adam McQuaid battles Drew Miller
-
-
Peter Mueller working on a contract
-
-
Robbie Russo and Dominic Moore share a laugh
-
-
Steve Ott takes a leap of faith
-
-
Action is back at the Garden!
-
-
Zach Senyshyn vs Robbie Russo
-
-
Steve Ott lines up with Ryan Spooner
-
-
Malcolm Subban makes a save
-
-
Daniel Vladar makes his first apperance for the B’s
-
-
Jared Coreau in net for the Red Wings
Click on the images to enlarge.
-
-
Dalton Prout battles Sean Kuraly
-
-
Brandon Carlo gives a little push to Daniel Zaar
-
-
Jakub Zboril working on a Bluejacket
-
-
O’Gara, Nash and Heinen
-
-
Riley Nash vs. Luke Sedlak
-
-
Kevan Miller vs. Brandon Saad
-
-
Zane McIntyre
-
-
Zane McIntyre
-
-
Liles, Khudobin and Czarnik protect the net from Markus Hannikainen
-
-
Anton Khudobin
-
-
Anton Khudonbin enjoys a beverage
-
-
Danton Heinen between Josh Anderson and Dalton Prout
-
-
Jimmy Hayes waiting for a deflection against Curtis McElhinney and Dalton Prout
-
-
Colton Hargrove waiting for a deflection against Oleg Yevenko and Curtis McElhinney
-
-
Seth Griffith and Cody Goloubef
(Photo: Nick Cosky)
The Buffalo Sabres and General Manager Tim Murray went out and got the offensive and defensive help the team needs during the offseason, while managing to keep some of their own players.
In the draft, Murray and the Sabres focused on getting prospects at the forward and defensive position. The Sabres didn’t select a goaltender in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. During the weekend, Murray traded for a top four defenseman that the Sabres desperately needed. The Sabres blue line wasn’t exactly the best last season. Murray acquired Dmitry Kulikov and the 33rd pick (C Rasmus Ashland) in exchange for defenseman Mark Pysyk, the 38th pick and 89th pick in the 2016 draft from the Florida Panthers. Kulikov played in 74 games last season for the Panthers. He had one goal, 16 assists, 17 points and averaged 21:02 of ice time per game. The defenseman has some offensive ability, can skate and likes to jump into the play. He’s decent in his own zone, but he could improve that aspect of his game.
The first move of the offseason was re-signing forward Johan Larsson to a new one-year, $950,000 one-way contract. In his first full NHL season, Larsson had 10 goals, seven assists, 17 points and logged 14:49 of ice time per game. In all likelihood, he will assume the same role that he has last season with the team.
On June 20, the Sabres acquired the rights of soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Jimmy Vesey from the Nashville Predators for a third round pick in the 2016 draft. Despite Murray’s best efforts, the two sides were unable to come to terms on a contract, and instead Vesey headed to free agency where he signed with the New York Rangers. Buffalo re-signed forward Nicolas Deslauriers to a new two-year, $1.55 million contract. Deslauriers had six goals, six assists and 12 points in 70 games played last year. He will likely be seeing bottom six minutes again this year. They also signed defenseman Casey Nelson to a two-year contract extension that has a cap hit of $650,000 per season.
The big offensive signing of the offseason for Buffalo would have to be forward Kyle Okposo. The Sabres signed Okposo to a seven-year, $42 million contract, which carries a cap hit of $6 million per season. He had 22 goals, 42 assists for 64 points in 79 games played for the New York Islanders last season. Okposo isn’t afraid to shoot the puck or get to the front of the net.. He’ll add scoring depth to the Sabres’ top six, maybe even the top line, depending on where Head Coach Dan Bylsma slots him in the lineup.
Buffalo also signed forward Derek Grant to a one-year, two-way contract. Marcus Foligno signed a new one-year contract worth $2.25 million. Murray also acquired goaltender Anders Nilsson from the St. Louis Blues. Nilsson will most likely be the backup to Robin Lehner.
There is one more regular player to get under contract for the season, and that is restricted free agent Rasmus Ristolainen. He is one of a few restricted free agents around the league that have yet to sign a new contract with their current team.
Jay Varady (Photo: Sioux City Musketeers)
USA Hockey announced the coaching staff for the U.S. Junior Select Team that will participate in the 2016 World Junior A Challenge from Dec. 11-17, in Bonnyville, Alberta. Sioux City Musketeers head coach Jay Varady was named head coach of the team, with Lincoln Stars head coach Chris Hartsburg and Dubuque Fighting Saints associate head coach JB Bittner serving as assistants.
“It’s a great honor for the USHL to represent USA Hockey at an international level,” said Bob Fallen, USHL president and commissioner. “Jay Varady and Chris Hartsburg have proven they can develop junior talent both on and off the ice in America’s only sanctioned Tier 1 league. JB Bittner has had great experience at both the USHL and NCAA levels and will be a valuable addition to Jay’s staff.”
Serving as head coach at the 2014 World Junior A Challenge, Varady helped guide the U.S. Junior Select Team to its sixth title in seven years at the event. He was also the video coach for the gold medal-winning 2010 U.S. National Junior Team and assistant coach of the 2010 U.S. Under-18 Select Team that took second place in the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.
Chris Hartsburg (Photo: Lincoln Stars)
Varady is in his fourth season as head coach in Sioux City. He has led the Musketeers to a pair of Clark Cup Playoffs appearance in his first three seasons. Varady was also named the head coach of Team West in the 2015 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Dubuque, IA. Varady previously played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints and Union College (NCAA) prior to beginning his coaching career with his college alma mater.
Hartsburg is in his third season as head coach in Lincoln. He led the Lincoln Stars to a Clark Cup Playoffs appearance last season after serving as head coach of Team West in the 2016 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Omaha, NE. Hartsburg previously played for the Omaha Lancers and Colorado College (NCAA) prior to a six-year professional playing career.
JB Bittner (Photo: Dubuque Fighting Saints)
Bittner is in his first season as associate head coach in Dubuque. He previously served as an assistant coach for the University of Wisconsin (NCAA) and for the Tri-City Storm during the team’s 2014-15 Clark Cup Playoffs run. Bittner previously played for the Sioux Falls Stampede and Ohio State University (NCAA) prior to a four-year pro career. Bittner began his coaching career at his college alma mater in the 2009-10 season.
—————
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 15th season as the nation’s only Tier I junior hockey league in 2016-17. 30 or more players from the USHL have been selected in four consecutive NHL Drafts, and more than 400 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.
(Photo: Alan Sullivan)
In their second preseason game, the Boston Bruins played host to the Detroit Red Wings and school was definitely in session for the Black and Gold. As the final buzzer sounded, the Red Wings had managed five goals—four of them at even strength and one on the power play, while the Bruins tallied just one in the second period. Preseason is for evaluation, and to borrow a line from the movie A Knight’s Tale, the Boston Bruins have been “weighed, measured and found wanting” after this game.
“Obviously we didn’t play that well, but we had a young lineup in there. There was an opportunity for our organization to evaluate some of our younger players in there again and to see where they’re at,” assistant coach Joe Sacco said after the game. “And for the players, from their side, I think it’s a bit of an eye opener.”
Grzelcyk and Czarnik (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
The Bruins did not play well. There was hesitation from many of the players and a lot more miscommunication than was seen in Monday’s first outing. The play between Ryan Spooner and Austin Czarnik that resulted in the lone Bruins goal though was something that all involved should be pleased with.
“I just told [Spooner] let’s use our speed there before the faceoff so I saw him going and I figured I would just get up there because I know he’s a pass-first guy. So I just got up there. He made a good play, great pass and was lucky enough to get it in,” Czarnik said.
“I got the puck and the d-man was trying to stand up. I just tried to make a move on him and slip the check, and then Czarnik made a smart play. He went to the net. I just tried to get it over there. It went in, so it was good to see,” described Spooner.
In fact Spooner split the defensemen and then was conscious of where Czarnik was. It is that awareness of where fellow teammates are that is crucial to successful plays. In this instance it all came together.
For the Red Wings goalie Jared Coreau, also seeing his first preseason game, it was the only shot that got by him of the 36 he saw.
“Yeah, Ryan Spooner, who is actually from Ottawa, I know him, but he made a great play around our defensemen. He is a pretty skilled passer but I guess I over anticipated a shot so I committed down and he got the pass across, it was a great play,” Coreau said after the game. “I just tried to reach for it but, Austin Czarnik is also a really good player so, it just was a really good play.”
The other assist on the Bruins goal was from Matt Grzelcyk, who was in his first preseason game.
“I knew it was going to be a bit of a struggle; I’ve never played at this level before,” Grzelcyk shared. “But I knew as the game went on, as long as I was able to keep my legs moving, I kind of built confidence. So I think the third period I felt pretty comfortable out there so I am just going to try to build on that.”
Perhaps it was much the same for many of the other Bruins players who were suiting up for their first preseason game. There is a reason these games don’t count in the standings. They are teaching tools for the coaching staff. A team can run all the drills they want in practice, but it isn’t until the team is tested in a game that the shortcomings may become apparent.
The Red Wings had a number of veteran players suited up in Wednesday night’s game. In fact, four of the five goals were scored by players who had been on the roster last season or at least in the NHL last season. For the young Bruins players this was a true test—they experienced a lot of the speed, skill and strength that it takes to play at the NHL level. And while they were certainly found wanting, they have a much better understanding now of where the bar has been set.
Cuts to Boston’s roster will be coming, though it is unsure exactly when. The Bruins head out on the road Friday where they will meet the Red Wings again. It will be interesting to see how that game plays out and just who will get the nod for both teams.
The Dallas Stars offseason may not have been the busiest of the NHL teams, but they certainly made good use of it by signing some veteran players to insert into the lineup.
The Stars first order of business in the offseason was to sign right winger Brett Ritchie to a one-year, one-way deal worth $875,000. Ritchie should help the already loaded offense score some goals and he can be used on the power play, if needed. Jim Nill also locked up defenseman Jordie Benn, brother of the Stars captain, Jamie Benn. Jordie was signed to a three-year, $3.3 million contract. He will be a depth defenseman for the Stars getting either third pairing minutes or being the extra defenseman. Dallas then traded one of its project goaltenders, Jack Campbell to the Los Angeles Kings for defenseman Nick Ebert.
They lost some key parts from last season’s success like Vernon Fiddler, Kris Russell, Colton Sceviour, Jason Demers and Travis Moen, who remains an unrestricted free agent. The Stars also traded defenseman Alex Goligoski to the Arizona Coyotes, where he signed a new contact.
The Stars got some help on the blue line by signing veteran Dan Hamhuis to a two-year, $7.5 million contract. Hamhuis will help to replace Demers and Goligoski on the back end and bring in another veteran presence to help with what is likely to be a young blueline.
Nill signed defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk to a two-year, two-way contract worth $1.45 million and re-signed defenseman Jamie Oleksiak to a one-year, $918,750 contract.. Patrick Eaves was re-signed to a one-year, $1 million contract. Dallas also signed forward Adam Cracknell to a one-year, $600,000 two-way contract. Cracknell should help with the forward depth for the organization.
The Stars captain, Jamie Benn, was next on the to do list for the Stars and Nill. They gave him a new eight-year, $76 million contract, with a cap hit of $9.5 million per season. The deal will kick in starting in the 2017-18 season.
The biggest offseason acquisition was the signing of right winger, Jiri Hudler. Hudler signed a one-year, $2 million deal and he will add to the depth of the Stars up front. He can play either right wing or left wing and will add to the offense of the team. He isn’t the best defensive forward but he does enough to get by. The forward can be streaky, but that’s something that the Stars can take a risk on considering how good their offense can be. This is a low risk, high reward signing for Dallas.
The biggest question mark heading into the offseason was the goaltending situation. The Stars decided to stick with the duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi, despite their less than impressive play during the playoffs last season. The contracts seemed like they would have been difficult to move especially with most teams only looking for backup goalies and not starters.
The Stars made minor changes to the lineup, but expect the defense to have a different look with some of the youngsters getting a shot at making the team.
The Philadelphia Flyers and General Manager Ron Hextall did what could be done in the offseason considering how much money they had to work with to stay under the salary cap, and what free agents were available.
The Flyers started the offseason by waiving forward R.J. Umberger for the purpose of buying his contract out. The Flyers bought out Umberger’s contract with $1.6 million of the remaining $3.1 million counting towards the cap this season. The remaining $1.5 million of the contract will count towards the salary cap next season. If the Flyers wouldn’t have bought out the contract then the contract would have been done after this season since Umberger was set to become a free agent after the season. Umberger was a healthy scratch for the last half of the season and wasn’t producing so management decided to gamble and buyout his contract.
The next order of business for Hextall was to get restricted free agent defenseman, Radko Gudas signed to a new deal. Gudas signed a new four-year, $13.4 million deal with an annual cap hit of $3.35 million per season. The deal wasn’t bad considering that three of the Flyers defenseman will be unrestricted free agents after the 2016-17 season, and two of them most likely won’t be resigned. Guides could be the veteran blue liner in a few years for the Flyers, if they don’t resign Michael Del Zotto, who is an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Sam Gagner and Ryan White were lost to free agency so there were two players that needed to be replaced. Gagner signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets while White went to the Arizona Coyotes. The Flyers also lost Russian defenseman, Evgeny Medvedev, who didn’t play much last season and got into some trouble off the ice. Philadelphia then started signing some players to improve the depth of the organization, specifically its AHL Affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Forwards Greg Carey and Andy Miele were signed to one-year contracts.
Boyd Gordon was brought in specifically to improve a penalty kill that wasn’t exactly spectacular last season, and it will also free up center Claude Giroux from having to play shorthanded minutes. Dale Weise was signed to a four-year contract with a cap hit of $2.35 million per season as the guy who will take White’s place. Hextall then brought in some veteran defenseman to help what will be a fairly young blue line for the Phantoms this season. Will O’Neill signed a one-year deal while T.J. Brennan signed a two-year contract.
The Flyers brought in some more depth for the NHL roster in Roman Lyubimov, who is expected to battle for a fourth line spot during preseason. Lyubimov signed a one-year entry level contract. Hextall then took care of some in-house signings of his own restricted free agents. Forwards Nick Cousins and Petr Straka each signed a new one-year deal. Brayden Schenn signed a new four-year deal that has a cap hit of $5.125 million per season. The final move of the offseason was to get defenseman Brandon Manning a new two-year contract that has a cap hit of $975,000 per season.
The Flyers and Hextall did what they could given the circumstance, but they still had a subpar offseason. The biggest thing to look forward to going into the season if to see if any of their young prospects can crack the NHL roster.
It certainly wasn’t the cleanest of games and unfortunately for the home crowd it resulted in a loss, but only after 65 minutes and a shoot out. It was clear the nerves were certainly causing some jitters among the newer players, especially on the bench of the Boston Bruins. However that could have been more noticeable simply from the amount of time throughout the last few days of watching them run the various drills during training camp. After watching how it is supposed to happen, it is much easier to see when it doesn’t. Such is not the case when watching the visiting team, especially during the preseason when little is known about what the prospects on the other team may be capable of.
The Columbus Blue Jackets did appear to be sharper at the start of the game and they were definitely stronger in the faceoff circle, winning 54% of the draws throughout the entire game. During the first period they outshot the Bruins 8-6, but the teams went into the first intermission scoreless. Sloppy passes and what seemed to be a lot of miscommunication, despite the vocals that could be heard from the players, contributed to a lot of the problems that the Bruins had during the opening frame.
Hayes and DeBrusk celebrate (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
Any interviews or sound bites of late around the NHL have consisted of this season’s buzz phrase “play fast,” but that doesn’t mean to skate at top speeds with nothing to show for it. The point is to make faster decisions and move the puck more quickly, combining that with the speed of skating so that a team can make their opponent pay when they make a mistake. A glimpse of this was seen in the game-tying goal of Jimmy Hayes at 3:56 of the second period. Taking place during a line change, it offered Hayes and Jake DeBrusk the opportunity to go two-on-one against a lone Blue Jacket defenseman. However, even in a “play fast” style, good hockey IQ is crucial.
“DeBrusk made a heck of a play there, a lot of patience and showing a lot of speed there too,” said Hayes. “And to wait out that guy and then send it back over to tap in the empty net was a nice one.”
And perhaps it was the voraciousness of the home crowd response after that tying goal that threw the visitors off their game a little. That coupled with a settling down of the nerves of the Bruins younger players, through some well placed comments by the veterans.
Carlo’s penalty on Zaar (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
“Yeah, I’ve been in their shoes before too so you just tell them that they’re all here for a reason. They’re all trying to make the big club.,” Hayes said smiling with a fat lip full of stitches from an errant high stick. “Just continue to be confident in their ability and do, you know, what got them here—play their own game. Strive and stick to our system with the speed and push the pace. And I think these guys did a good job of that tonight.”
One of the Bruins’ young defensemen who knows how to push the pace, despite his looming 6’5” stature at just 20 years old, is Brandon Carlo. His skating is impressive for his size, explosive even. Coupling that with his long reaching stick, and once he matures in his decision making, he will be even more impactful.
His shot from the point just over a minute into the third, which was deflected by Danton Heinen, would again tie the score, where it would remain knotted until a shootout determined the victor. He was pleased to have participated in that after having taken an interference penalty just a minute into the second on which the Blue Jackets capitalized to open the game’s scoring.
Danton Heinen (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
“Absolutely, it’s very difficult to get a puck through [in the new play fast approach],” Carlo said about his assist on Heinen’s goal. “But that’s something that I worked on over the summer. That’s something [Don] Sweeney wanted me to do better and I felt like snapping them off just as fast as I can was the best thing that I could do and tonight it worked out.”
There was plenty of speed, and some flashes of skill. As the Bruins continue to work together during camp and experience scenarios throughout the preseason games, undoubtedly there will be more than just glimpses of “play fast” hockey. Add in those skilled veterans who are sitting on the sidelines for now or are still in Canada playing in the World Cup of Hockey, and the future looks to be headed in a positive direction.
Today the Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced the signing of forward Brad Marchand to an eight-year, $49 million contract extension. This potentially extends Marchand’s time in Boston through the 2024-25 season and is worth an average annual value against the cap of $6.125 million.
“Anytime you are able to keep a player of Brad’s impact level to our hockey club, I think it’s a great thing for the future of our organization,” Sweeney said before Monday’s pre-season game. “Brad was an important part and we said that all along that we wanted him to be a part of stuff going forward, so I would characterize it as win-win.”
The announcement comes after Marchand’s impressive breakout season this past year with the Bruins, that he has managed to punctuate with an absolutely spectacular performance as a member of Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where he has tied for the most goals (3) and has the second-most points (5) of any skater in the tournament—a tournament that for the most part was seeing a different player for each goal scored, regardless of team.
Brad Marchand (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
“This is an extremely exciting day for me and my family,” said Marchand. “I would like to thank the Jacobs family, Cam Neely, Don Sweeney, Claude Julien, the coaching staff, my teammates, and our fans for their continued support and belief in me. I have been a Bruin since the start of my pro career and there is no place I would rather play. I look forward to doing everything I can to help our team achieve success and bring the Stanley Cup back to Boston.”
Indeed, Marchand has literally grown up in the Bruins organization. He began his professional career with the Providence Bruins in 2008-09, where he appeared in 79 games and recorded 18 goals and 41 assists for 59 points. He just completed his seventh NHL season with the Bruins in 2015-16, where he established career-highs of 37 goals and 61 points.
“It’s not easy to always play in this town; the expectations, but also that’s why the juices flow for a lot of the same reasons. And I think Brad’s, I’m not going to speak for Brad, he’ll have an opportunity when the World Cup is done, to explain why he necessarily wanted to go down this path,” continued Sweeney. “He’s got an opportunity to potentially play his whole career for one hockey club. He’s already won one Cup and he wants to win another and it says a lot about the person himself and what this organization really is all about and he wants to be aligned with that, which is great.”
Known to opponents for the way in which he can get under their skin and play the role of agitator, he has crossed a line on a few occasions resulting in three separate suspensions. However, he continues to grow both in his skills and in his understanding of just where that line is and how to steer clear of it.
Torey Krug was pleased to know that he would be around for a number of years, himself having just signed a contract with the team.
Marchand tries to stuff one in on Talbot (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
“We see what he does on the ice—he scores big goals, big time player and what he’s doing speaks for itself. What he is for this locker room, I think is just as important,” Krug shared. “He brings the energy everyday. He holds guys accountable when guys aren’t showing up to the rink ready to go. He’s shown up every single day. He’s part of this core group of players obviously and that shows with the investment that ownership’s made in him.”
“I think it’s a great deal for everyone involved. He’s continuing to get better every year,” chimed in defenseman Adam McQuaid. “It’s not fun [practicing against him]. He battles hard. When you have someone like that that you get to practice against, it helps to improve your game. He comes ready to work every day and those are the kind of guys you want.”
For now, Marchand continues to wear the colors of Canada as a member of Team Canada who will take on Team Europe in a best of three game final for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey beginning on Tuesday. All of Canada loves him right now. When he returns to Boston, and dons the Black and Gold again, most of the hockey world will experience that hard work and battle mentality—a blue collar ethic that makes him a big favorite in Boston and with his team, but seldom with opponents.
(Photo: Alan Sullivan)
Tonight the Boston Bruins take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in a pre-season match to give players on both teams an opportunity to show their skills. Pre-season games are sometimes difficult for the fans, because management needs to evaluate the players under game conditions to see if they can make that pass or block that player under the intensity of a game as good as they do during practice.
“These games don’t count in the standings, but they’re important to us,” Kevan Miller told media Monday morning after practice. “A win’s a win. We’re definitely going to come out and try and get a win tonight.”
Sean Kuraly at Prospects Challenge (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
Miller is one of the few veterans who will be in the lineup tonight. His line mate will be Jakub Zboril as of the defense pairings that were announced by assistant coach Joe Sacco. Joining Miller in the veteran category tonight will be Jimmy Hayes, John-Michael Liles, Joe Morrow, and Tyler Randell, while Seth Griffith has had some NHL experience, but not that much. Two of the older players who are new to the Bruins team that will be showcased in the matchup with Columbus are Riley Nash and Peter Mueller.
While most of the younger players have already exhibited their skills in Buffalo where the Bruins rookies took on those of the Buffalo Sabres and the New Jersey Devils, in the Prospects Challenge last weekend, it will be the first time that some of them have put on the Spoked-B and gone out to play in front of the Boston Bruins fans on home ice.
“Absolutely, that will be really cool,” said forward Sean Kuraly. “I’m sure when I step out there, I’ll get some shivers.”
Coaches Kevin Dean and Bruce Cassidy (Photo: Alan Sullivan)
These players have been striving for this moment their entire young lives. They have slapped at countless pucks and skated miles of ice to become the players they are at this moment. And now they get to go out and see what it is like at the NHL level. While many of them will end up maturing in the AHL or going back to their junior teams for the season, this is a big experience for them.
Of course while the players are trying to show their skills under the duress of a game, the coaches are looking for some things as well. It is no secret that the Boston Bruins play a “defense first” game. They elevated Bruce Cassidy this summer from head coach of their AHL affiliated Providence Bruins to that of assistant coach of the defensemen with the Boston club. And he knows what he would like to see from the defensemen Monday night.
“To break it right down and be as simple as possible, [they] have to be able to play one-on-one and defend. [They’ve] gotta be able to make a good first pass,” Cassidy explained. “And with that first pass we’d like it to be one that initiates a good attack most of the time. We’re trying build in going more north-south than east-west. So we’ll see how that plays out.”
While Joe Sacco and others will be watching the forwards, Cassidy will be seeing how his crew of defensemen is looking in the style that he expects them to play this season. Win or lose, this is an important game for those on the ice, even if there aren’t any points at stake.
Prev1...979899...412Next 
Page 98 of 412
