The Bruins will go together with the identical lineup on Saturday evening once they attempt to create a win streak after snapping a six-game shedding skid on Wednesday in Edmonton.
They’d additionally wish to avenge a shootout loss in Boston to the Canucks on Dec. 20, a recreation they need to have received however let get away from them.
“We didn’t play for 60 minutes,” coach Marco Sturm instructed reporters in Vancouver after the morning skate. “I feel we had a extremely good begin in opposition to them. It’s a younger group now after the (Quinn Hughes) commerce and so they simply go on the market and work arduous. You could possibly see even (Friday in a shootout loss in opposition to Seattle), they don’t stop. We simply have to verify we deal with our recreation. We’ve solely received one recreation to date, so we wish to seize this one tonight with a superb stable Bruins effort.”
It is going to be a homecoming for rookie Fraser Minten, who grew up within the Yaletown part of Vancouver, a brief stroll away from Rogers Area. He expects to have 50-100 family and friends in attendance.
“They’re very excited,” mentioned the 21-year-old Minten. “They’ve been speaking about it for just a few days now. Effectively, just a few months however since I’ve been right here they’ve been speaking about it. I’m positive they’re very excited.”
Minten has been a coach’s dream type of participant, with defensive instincts and sense of duty few gamers his age. Sturm raved about him once more on Saturday, although he did give him somewhat tweak.
“I instructed him right now that the final time he performed Vancouver he performed for Vancouver. He made a few errors and I feel he was enjoying for them for just a few shifts,” joked Sturm. “Rising up downtown right here, that is unbelievable. I’m very joyful for him and for his household to see him play right here. We’re joyful he’s going to be carrying a Boston Bruins jersey and never a Canucks jersey, that’s for positive.”
Sturm himself had a forgettable stint with Canucks after signing there earlier than the 2011-12 season. He performed simply six video games earlier than getting traded to the Panthers in what can be his final NHL season.
“Sadly it didn’t work out. I had excessive hopes coming right here as a free agent, introduced my household, my little children right here and obtained traded early on,” mentioned Sturm. “But additionally on the opposite facet, I obtained traded to Florida and Florida continues to be my residence in the summertime. I can’t get mad at them proper now. Nevertheless it’s a troublesome market, you may inform. It’s a Canadian market. It’s not straightforward, particularly when issues aren’t going properly. Sadly, it was proper after the Bruins received the Cup and you may inform the vitality, the joy was lacking from the loss. And I used to be simply right here on the incorrect time, I feel. Nice metropolis, nice group, nice folks. I used to be simply right here on the incorrect time.”
Neither Tanner Jeannot nor Henri Jokiharju, the 2 injured gamers with the group on the street, had been deemed prepared to hitch the lineup.
