Keeping Things Fresh

BOSTON - The Bruins are playing their best hockey of the season. They have won 11 of their last 12 and carry a 16-game points streak into their contest with the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
But there are still five weeks to go in the regular season. With 17 games over the next 33 days to close out the schedule, the Bruins know they must continue their momentum going into the postseason in order to solidify their position in the standings and secure home-ice advantage in the first round.
"We've got a veteran group, so I think they understand the importance of playing well this time of the year," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, whose team has a 3-point lead on Toronto for the second spot in the Atlantic Division.

One way to ensure that the team is in the best position to continue their torrid stretch is by finding the right balance between jockeying for playoff seeding and working in rest for the team's top players.
"I think it's on us as a staff to use everybody so you don't run into those problems in April because [Patrice Bergeron's] played 20 minutes for three straight weeks," said Cassidy. "Hopefully we can get them in a good place, healthy, playing the way they need to play going into April. That's the goal. But we've got a tough schedule in front of us.
"[Tuesday] it's Carolina. We're gonna put the guys out there that are going the best and hopefully it's equitable minutes. We'll see."

Helping Cassidy achieve a more balanced dispersal of minutes was the acquisition of Charlie Coyle at the trade deadline. While the points have not yet piled up, the veteran center has helped solidify Boston's third line, which has allowed Cassidy to be more dependent on the trio of Peter Cehlarik, Coyle, and David Backes in any situation.
"We're comfortable with D-zone draws, O-zone, wherever it happens to be if his line is up, unless we're really sticking to a matchup," said Cassidy. "I think previously we didn't always stick with that some nights…it's made it easier just to role through, especially this time of year with so many games, and get into a better rhythm as a team.
"I think the players appreciate that. They're gonna go over the boards whenever they're called, but in general most guys like to know when they're up so it's worked out well for us so far."
Things will be no different between the pipes. Cassidy and his staff have already discussed the goaltending schedule for the remaining 17 games, deciding that Tuukka Rask (36 games so far) and Jaroslav Halak (32) will continue to essentially split the workload.
"We've penciled in all the starts from now until the end of the year, barring performance issues or injuries. So far the performance has been excellent…injuries, good," Cassidy said while knocking on his podium. "So we're gonna try to stick to it…for the most part, Tuukka has a few more than Halak, but we're not gonna run Tuukka into the ground because Halak's played very well. We're fortunate…I would guess it's probably 10 and seven, maybe even nine and eight. But it won't be 12 and five."
Cassidy is also planning on lightening his practice schedule over the final month. While he may not scrap every on-ice session, Boston's bench boss is likely to cut back on the more strenuous, demanding practices that are common during the first half.
"Today we had a good practice because we had the day off [on Sunday]," said Cassidy. "I think there's one other occasion where we go through that, maybe one where we come back from the road and maybe have a real good practice before a game. Other than that, you're probably just correcting something in practice or your just keeping the guys moving for the most part at this time of the year.
"I find that it's hard to really push them in March, especially with so many games. You've got your work done earlier in the year, in terms of teaching, getting the systems down. Fortunately, we're in a good place where our guys have that part of it."

Storm Surge

Carolina comes to town on Tuesday having won five in a row and 11 of their last 13 to surge to the third spot in the Metro Division. The Hurricanes (78 points) are now just five points back of Washington for first place.
Twenty-one-year-old Sebastian Aho paces Carolina with 27 goals and 73 points through 65 games. Teuvo Teravainen (18 goals), Justin Wiliams (18), and Micheal Ferland (17) also provide some pop up front.
"I suspect they'll be harder to play against offensively because they've got a full lineup and they're scoring," said Cassidy, whose team blew a 2-0 lead in an eventual 5-3 loss in Raleigh on Dec. 23. "They played us hard, last time up there in Carolina. We got off to a good start and then they stuck it to us. I'm sure our guys remember part of that game.
"It was a while ago, but they know how good Carolina is and I'm gonna guess one of the top five teams in the league probably since Jan. 1. They're coming in here playing well and feeling good about themselves. We've got to be ready to go."
Despite the Hurricanes' strong play of late, the Bruins won't be altering their mindset.
"They've been playing well right now, but so have we," said Charlie McAvoy. "I think something Butchy says, and something we really take to heart in here, no matter who we're playing against I don't think we change anything. It doesn't change our approach, whether we're playing a top team or bottom team. We show up every day and try to play the same and put our A-game out there."

Injury Updates

• Sean Kuraly participated in practice on Monday donning a red non-contact jersey. He missed Saturday's game after being placed in the NHL's concussion protocol following a heavy hit against the Lightning last Thursday. "He's now non-contact," said Cassidy. "[If he] gets through that, if there's no issues tomorrow, then he can't start his contact. Once he gets cleared from contact then he's on board, which is trending towards Thursday."
• David Pastrnak skated on his own before practice, still without a stick, and remains on schedule in his recovery from thumb surgery. He will remain in a cast for at least another week.
• Kevan Miller, meanwhile, did not skate on Monday after suffering a setback with his upper-body injury. He is now considered week-to-week. "He got a little bit of bad news the other day with his MRI," said Cassidy. "We didn't think it was much. They found something there, so it's a little more serious than we first thought, so he's been classified as week-to-week as opposed to day to day."