Bruins Expect First Games Back After Olympic Break To Be 'A Challenge'
The Boston Bruins know there could be some rust coming out of the Olympic break.
Boston is set to host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, which will be the team’s first NHL game in 22 days. The last time the Bruins played was a road game against the Florida Panthers on Feb. 4.
Although the Bruins have been practicing, and some players played in the Olympics, head coach Marco Sturm expects the entire league to have some struggles.
“It’s not just for us, I think, for everyone in this league, it is a challenge,” Sturm said after practice on Tuesday. “You totally get away from the game and from the environment that we have here, but also, the good things that were happening around our team. The focus, the play, on ice, off ice. It was fun to watch.
“That is going to be our focus again to have that game one on Thursday. Because you don’t want to lose that. We put ourselves in a very, very good position right now, and we don’t want to lose it. We want to stay in the hunt, and we want to continue to play the same way we did in the past.”
Boston did see David Pastrnak, Henri Jokiharju, Joonas Korpisalo, Elias Lindholm, and Hampus Lindholm all return to the team for practice on Tuesday after playing in the Olympics. The Bruins expect Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman to report on Wednesday after celebrating Team USA’s gold medal win.
The Bruins entered the break with a record of 32-20-5 and are holding onto the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
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