Bruce Cassidy Hoping For 'Good Pace, Good Mindset' At Bruins Scrimmage
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Bruins will finally take the ice again Thursday night. But they won't be playing their Stanley Cup Final opponent; instead, they'll be squaring off against each other.
To stay sharp after having a week off and get ready for the St. Louis Blues, the Bruins will hold an instrasquad scrimmage at TD Garden on Thursday night. Head coach Bruce Cassidy said it will be a controlled scrimmage, but he's confident that it will give the Bruins the kind of reps they need given their long layoff since completing a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes last Thursday.
"It won't be too physical but hopefully there will be good pace and good compete, get back in the mind-set of getting to work," Cassidy said Wednesday morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich.
So don't expect anyone to lay any bone-crunching hits during the scrimmage, though we'll likely see a few love taps here and there. Cassidy does hope to see his players do the little things like battling for pucks in the corners.
"I think the guys who have been here all year and through the playoffs will be fine. The Providence guys, we'll let them know we're watching you in case we need you but we don't want you to take a guy out so you get into the Cup," Cassidy joked. "The guys know where to draw the line, but they will battle for the puck. We have to get back into that mode and quickly."
Given they'll have been off for 10 days when the puck finally drops for Game 1 on Monday night, Cassidy is expecting some rust when the Bruins first take the ice. He doesn't think it will last very long though.
"We're going to lose a few puck battles early on because we're not used to battling, but then you get knocked on your ass and you're ready to go," he said.
Cassidy also dismissed the rumor that Bruins players are giving Tuukka Rask the silent treatment, not wanting to mess with the red-hot goaltender's psyche heading into the biggest games of the season. Cassidy said that Patrice Bergeron was chatting with Rask during breakfast.
Boston fans are certainly eager to see their Bruins in action again, as 11,000 tickets have already been sold for the scrimmage. Fans can get in for only $20, with proceeds benefiting the Bruins Foundation.