The Boston Bruins are a team more than ready to put 2015 behind them.
In a year headlined by changes -- from the front office heads to the style of the team on the ice -- the Black and Gold have a chance to begin the new year the way they ended it. With a win. The game is still worth two points, and counts as one of just 82 regular season games. Well, except for a little twist. Today is, of course, the 2016 Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium. And the Bruins’ opponent, the Montreal Canadiens, are a team that’s been a thorn in the club’s side for more than four years now.
And at the home of the four-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, the Bruins are embracing the challenge of representing New England the best way they can -- with two points over a rival.
“There are a lot of things that come to mind. I think one of them is being here in the home of the Patriots. As Bill told me yesterday: Welcome to our house,… B’s coach Claude Julien said yesterday. “I think being in a building of a team that you admire and watch all the time, I will tell you that 90% of our players are big-time Patriots fans. To be able to come here and be in the venue is great.
“To play a rival team like the Montreal Canadiens that these two teams have so much history between each other and to be able to bring it out to an outdoor game that has meaning to it is also very special. I know that we’re enjoying the moment right now from the skate yesterday with the family to the practice today to everything that’s going on. But I can assure you from my past experience that when the puck is dropped, both teams will be focused on what they have to do here. We all know how tight the standings are and where we stand with each other, and that game has great meaning to it.…
It’s the fourth head-to-head of the year between the two, and the winner of today’s game leaves with first place in the Atlantic Division to their name, an obvious plus to the New Year for the winner.
“Anytime we play Montreal, it’s a big game,… Boston captain Zdeno Chara said after Thursday’s practice at Gillette. “It seems like it’s a bigger game. Obviously, it’s a big rivalry, and the focus is always on those games more than maybe other games. We knew we had our share of disappointments with this team. So it was a big win for us, big two points. But, again, it’s a new game tomorrow, and we’ve got to bring what we brought there last time we played them and even more.…
The cliches are tired and over. This is not like any other game the Black and Gold will play in 2015-16.
This is an outdoor game in front of 68,000 rowdy -- of Boston and Montreal alike -- fans. Everything about this game is a total spectacle. And deep down, both teams know this no matter the straight-shooting approach to treat this like any other game from both locker rooms.
Some have played in such a setting before. Be it in a prior Winter Classic (this will be Max Talbot’s third) or a Stadium Series affair (Matt Beleskey skated at Dodger Stadium with the Anaheim Ducks and told me the biggest difference from this game and that game was that ‘There’s no one in the outfield doing yoga or playing beach volleyball.’) Most, however, have not suited up in anything close to this.
There will be nerves. There will be energy. And there, of course, be some pretty horrible ice.
No matter the weather (and today’s cloudy day is perfect), the ice wears down as the game goes on. And at a certain point there will be a need to simplify this into a grinding game for either club.
In net, the Bruins will go to Tuukka Rask.
The 28-year-old Rask took the win on Tuesday night behind a 29-of-32 showing against the Ottawa Senators, and comes into play with four wins and a .909 save percentage in 22 career games against the Canadiens. Those numbers aren’t ideal, but Rask was superb in his last outing against the Habs, a 3-1 win led by his impressive 32-of-33 effort. This will be his first outdoor game start.
Montreal counters with Massachusetts native Mike Condon. The de facto starter in the absence of Carey Price, Condon comes into this one with 10 wins and a .904 save percentage in 25 games this year.
For Montreal, the big lift comes with the return of Brendan Gallagher (hand) to the lineup.