Lefebvre, in his sixth season at the helm of the Hamilton Bulldogs/Saint John's IceCaps/Laval Rocket franchise, believes that a proper plan for the days leading up to the trip can go a long way towards ensuring a positive outcome.
"We have to manage what we do this week, and then you go one game at a time. Players are used to playing those kinds of weekends, especially those who have been in the League for a while," outlined the 50-year-old bench boss, who enjoyed a 17-year NHL career with the Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Nordiques, Avalanche, and Rangers. "For the young guys, you manage their minutes and go from there. Right now, we're focusing on Wilkes-Barre on Friday and then we'll move on to Bridgeport."
If Lefebvre had become accustomed to the trappings of travel at the NHL level in his nearly two decades in the big leagues, it didn't stop him from pointing out some merits of getting around by bus in the minors.
"What's nice on the bus is that it's 'your' bus, you can leave stuff on there," he pointed out. "You have more room to work on the computer and you know you're always sitting in the same seat with the same guys beside you."
Feeling good
Eisenschmid may have some experience being on the road with Saint John's over the past two seasons, but he sat out many road trips - and home games - in each of those campaigns due to concussions, which limited him to 39 games last year, and 28 the year before. That said, the young center feels he's back at 100% and isn't looking in the rearview mirror when it comes to his health.
"I came home and had a really good summer. I felt comfortable and didn't have any symptoms. I just moved forward," said the Marktoberdorf, Germany native. "When I came back to camp, guys were asking me how my head was and I had actually forgotten about it. It's definitely a good sign and I haven't had any issues since.
"The game is happening so fast, so if I was thinking about it I would be way more concerned about things - or scared. I can't let that get to me. I have no symptoms, so there's nothing to think about."