BOSTON – The Bruins are off to a 2-1 start to the season thanks to opening week wins over the Rangers at home last Tuesday and a big come from behind win at Winnipeg on Friday night. The Bruins did drop a 4-1 game to the Minnesota Wild on Friday but overall coach Marco Sturm is pleased from what he has seen from his team.
“I thought our energy level and our commitment to playing the right way from start to finish was exactly what we needed to see tonight,” Sturm said. “When we manage the puck intelligently at both blue lines and force teams to defend our speed, we become a very difficult group to play against. The guys deserve a lot of credit for executing the game plan, but the key for us now is finding a way to replicate that exact same focus every single night.”
Playing within the structure this season will be key for Boston. The Bruins have the high end talent necessary to keep up in high scoring games but they will need to play better defensively in their own end something that has been a problem in recent years, especially for their forwards.
The lack of support was especially evident in Saturday night’s loss to the Wild where the Bruins just simply couldn’t mount a sustained push offensively and played on their end a lot.
The inability to manage the puck was a problem according to Sturm.
“We simply lost our composure for a ten-minute stretch in the second period, and against good hockey teams in this league, that is all it takes to turn a game against you,” Sturm stated. “Our management of the puck through the middle of the ice was nowhere near where it needs to be, and our special teams let us down when we needed a big kill. We have to learn that winning consistently requires mental toughness when things get uncomfortable on the road, and we did not show enough of that tonight.”
Despite the tough loss to the Wild, the Bruins return home this week in a good spot to maintain their early season momentum. Ottawa, Utah and Philadelphia all visit the Garden.
All three will be tough games, but games the Bruins can win if they come to play.
Overall, Sturm is pleased with what he has seen from his club.
“We are starting to build a recognizable style of play, but we are still learning how to maintain our standards shift after shift. It was a productive week overall, but we know we have another gear to reach if we want to accomplish our goals this season.”
