BEDFORD — Prior to their Game 7 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins stayed at a hotel despite playing the decisive game at TD Garden. The pregame ritual — mimicking a road game where they had success against their rival — worked. The Bruins defeated Toronto to move on to play the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
After splitting the series in Florida, it now shifts to Boston for Games 3 and 4. But rather than staying in a hotel Thursday night in hopes to bring a little luck after a Game 2 loss, the Bruins spent the night at home.
“We’ve been away from our family a long time,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Thursday. “We think it’s healthy for our guys to be around their family.”
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While some family members travel, many stay behind in Boston. Brandon Carlo’s wife, Mayson, gave birth to the couple’s second child — a son named Crew — in the early hours ahead of Game 1 against the Panthers. The defenseman was there for the birth of their son before jumping on a plane to Florida and scoring a goal in the Bruins’ 5-1 win. Now Carlo will spend some time at home prior to games with his family prior to Games 3 and 4.
Boston has a quick turnaround after its Game 2 loss. The team flew into Bedford on Thursday afternoon, will have a morning skate at 10:30 a.m. EST on Friday before the puck drops on Game 3 at 7 p.m. And with how Wednesday’s matchup went — 13 game misconducts and 148 penalty minutes — the Bruins will need all the rest they can get in order to prepare for what’s sure to be another physical, gritty game.
“I think it’s gonna be physical when both teams are physical,” Montgomery said. “That’s what creates great playoff hockey.”
