Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron Skate
Dec 19, 2014; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic (17) shoots the puck prior to the game against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
“I guess they looked fairly good today. We’ll re-assess them tomorrow so the decision will come tomorrow at some point.” Claude Julien on Bergeron and Lucic
Despite missing Monday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, both Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron were at the Boston Bruins team practice this morning. This is good news for the Bruins who, despite playing an all-around decent game, could definitely use the added security that comes with having the two forwards in the line up. However, their availability for tomorrow night’s match is still undetermined and is likely to be game-time decisions at best. Both practiced as extra forwards, Bergeron sliding in with Krejci while Lucic slid in with Marchand and Smith and took some shifts on power play units after a few turns.
“They’re still day-to-day. I haven’t been told that they’re cleared to play yet,” said coach Claude Julien to the media. “I guess they looked fairly good today. We’ll re-assess them tomorrow so the decision will come tomorrow at some point. We don’t have a morning skate (due to the Celtics’ matinee at the Garden), which makes it even tougher but we’ll have to make a decision there and I’ll leave that up to the medical staff.”
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Regardless of whether or not the two are re-inserted in the lineup tomorrow night or not one thing is certain, the Bruins need to find consistency in their game. Last night against the Red Wings they were able to play three solid periods of hockey, a sense of urgency fueling the fire beneath them. The Boston Bruins are in an unfamiliar position than in recent years, sitting out of playoff contention 2 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and a single point ahead of the Florida Panthers.
“I think it’s just the mental mindset,” said Seidenberg. “I think you saw [against Detroit], when we put our minds into it – we didn’t just learn how to play solid hockey. It was us having a picture in our minds of how we want to play and putting it on the ice and that’s what kept us the past few months from showing it every night. And hopefully that’s a start to get it going.”
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Their efforts Monday night showed exactly what the Bruins team is made of and what can be expected of them from here on out. While we have seen mini-glimpses of their capable success this season, we can only hope that this time it remains consistent. While Monday’s dominant win surely reinstates some confidence, the Bruins will be put to the test once again as they take on Toronto tomorrow night.
“It’s a first step, but there’s many after it,” said Reilly Smith. “I think that’s something that we’ve got to really hone in on, is that one game is not really going to change anything.”