Boston Bruins
“As quickly as he steps on the ice, there is a sure presence.”
David Pastrnak made his training-camp debut on the ice for the Bruins on Monday afternoon, with the star winger training along with his teammates in an prolonged session revolving across the energy play.
Listed below are three takeaways from Monday’s camp:
David Pastrnak hits the ice
Bruins followers can take a deep breath.
After lacking the primary few days of camp due to tendinitis in his knee, Pastrnak was a full participant on the ice for Monday’s observe, rejoining his teammates throughout an prolonged skate that centered round Boston’s energy play.
It was best timing for Marco Sturm and his employees, given Pastrnak’s very important function as Boston’s high set off man on the person benefit.
“As quickly as he steps on the ice, there’s a sure presence — what we have been lacking the previous few days,” Sturm stated. “However it was good vitality, particularly coming from him. … We’ve got these items on the facility play. Now, we simply should click on.”
The 29-year-old Pastrnak, who was a full go throughout captains’ practices earlier this month, stated that the tendinitis shouldn’t be a brand new ailment.
“I performed with it the entire 12 months final 12 months,” Pastrnak stated. “So I wouldn’t be too fearful about it. Clearly spent numerous time in the summertime to make it higher, and it did get a lot better than it was final 12 months. Clearly it wasn’t good. It’s not good but. However it was good timing to attempt to get it even higher … so nothing too regarding, it’s simply one thing that’s nagging me for a really very long time.”
Pastrnak acknowledged that he has augmented a few of his offseason routine to alleviate among the burden on his knee, together with an emphasis on biking over working to take care of his conditioning.
This knee ache has not hindered Pastrnak’s availability over time, contemplating he’s appeared in all 82 of Boston’s video games every of the final three seasons.
Pastrnak — who skated with Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm throughout Monday’s observe — was requested if he believes this tendinitis will probably be an ongoing problem transferring ahead.
“I don’t know, handled it the entire 12 months final 12 months. … I assume it’s simply one thing that point will inform,” Pastrnak stated.
Honing in on particular groups
After spending the primary few days of camp engaged on areas of the sport like breakouts, forechecking, and D-zone protection, Sturm centered most of Monday’s classes round special-teams play.
Group A’s personnel revolved across the penalty kill, with potential key cogs on that unit like Sean Kuraly, Mikey Eyssimont, Fraser Minten, and Nikita Zadorov all getting prolonged reps throughout the first observe.
Boston’s high power-play unit on Monday featured Charlie McAvoy quarterbacking a grouping that additionally featured Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Morgan Geekie, and Pavel Zacha.
The PP2 personnel had each Hampus Lindholm and Mason Lohrei on the ice together with Viktor Arvidsson, Matej Blumel, and Casey Mittelstadt.
Given Boston’s anticipated struggles with producing constant 5-on-5 offense when Pastrnak isn’t out on a shift, Sturm is putting a premium on revitalizing an influence play that ranked twenty ninth final season in success fee (15.2 p.c).
“We by no means actually had an opportunity to even work on it, speak about it. … It’s going to be a giant key for us transferring ahead,” Sturm stated of the facility play. “We’d like our energy play to get going. And we do have the items, I might say that. We simply, with [new assistant coach Steve Spott] in, we’ve received a brand new trainer in the home, so I believe it’s going to be good. We began right this moment, and perhaps that’s why Pasta got here out right this moment.”
As Spott, Sturm, and the remainder of the Bruins’ coaches look to overtake a Bruins energy play that grew to become far too stagnant and one-dimensional final 12 months, Pastrnak famous that Boston might want to clear up its entries and cohesion with a purpose to restrict the one-and-done alternatives that led to restricted time within the offensive zone final 12 months.
“There’s gonna be numerous distinction,” Pastrnak stated of Boston’s modifications on the facility play. “Clearly, day certainly one of getting within the completely different system. Regardless that it’s energy play, it’s nonetheless gonna should have some construction to achieve success, as a result of the sport is altering.
“Penalty kills are extraordinarily good — so you must be on the identical web page with guys. And that was one of many lots of our issues final 12 months is typically folks received away from being on the identical web page.”
Preaching endurance with youthful gamers
Whereas Boston’s D-zone lapses were the most concerning takeaway from Sunday’s preseason-opening loss to the Capitals, Sturm was candid after the sport concerning the up-and-down play of a few of Boston’s youthful skaters.
Specifically, Sturm acknowledged {that a} line of Matej Blumel, Matt Poitras, and Alex Steeves had some struggles within the D-zone, together with among the finer particulars of their recreation.
Poitras, who drew three penalties in opposition to Washington however was additionally out on the ice for 3 objectives in opposition to, concurred.
“I believe [my] particulars weren’t nice yesterday,” Poitras stated. “I felt prefer it was working onerous and making an attempt to get the puck, and do all that stuff, however I believe [I] simply type of have to relax and simply take note of the main points and simply be in the proper spots and type of let the sport come to me.”
Even with these anticipated rising pains as youthful gamers each discover their footing whereas additionally studying Sturm’s new system, Boston’s head coach stated that gamers like Poitras and Fraser Minten will probably be given a number of alternatives to construct some momentum throughout camp.
“I discussed it yesterday. They tried actually onerous. They labored onerous,” Sturm stated. “The suggestions from them, what I received is that they have been excited. They simply wish to do every little thing proper. And looks as if they did — particularly within the first interval — every little thing unsuitable, as a result of, they have been simply too excited. So it received higher within the second or third.
“You possibly can see it somewhat bit on clips, nevertheless it’s going to take somewhat little bit of time. I wish to sit down with them anyway, within the subsequent few days, simply simply give them some suggestions and a few clips of what I wish to see. However what I received out of it yesterday is I simply should settle these guys down somewhat bit. They tried so onerous. So I give them that, however we simply should be smarter than that.”
Join the In the present day e-newsletter
Get every little thing it is advisable know to begin your day, delivered proper to your inbox each morning.
