Boston Bruins: Takeaways from Bruce Cassidy’s interview with ESPN

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 13: Head coach Bruce Cassidy of the Boston Bruins watches the third period against the New Jersey Devils at the TD Garden on October 13, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 13: Head coach Bruce Cassidy of the Boston Bruins watches the third period against the New Jersey Devils at the TD Garden on October 13, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)
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BOSTON, MA – JUNE 12: St. Louis Blues center Ivan Barbashev (49) truest get position on Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) in front of the net. During Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals featuring the St. Louis Blues against the Boston Bruins on June 12, 2019 at TD Garden in Boston, MA. (Photo by Michael Tureski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Cassidy learned the ups and downs of a long season

Last season ended in brutal fashion. There’s no other way around it. The brutality won’t go away; in fact, it will come back up on Saturday when the Bruins take on the Blues.

Nonetheless, the Bruins have to move on and learn from last season. Cassidy sure looks like he took a lot away from the run.

He said that he now understands how the playoffs can be up and down. Teams can’t dwell on losses; they must move on and focus on winning the next game.

"Typically during the year when you lose a game, there’s a learning curve to it. You try to get better from it. I think in the playoffs, you almost have to shut the door and move on quicker…Put the previous game behind you, get ready for the next one and put the players back in a good place."

Based on his words, it definitely seems like last season’s playoff run, even though it ended with a Cup Final lost made him a better coach. He now better understands how to stay balanced and even-keeled during a long season and the playoffs.

So, not everything about last year’s loss to the Blues is bad. The Bruins faced and still face a tough result, but it might put them in a better position to succeed this year.