SEATTLE – The Bruins will close out their four-game road trip on Monday night against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Boston, which has played in five straight overtime games, has dropped two straight after winning the trip opener in Edmonton.
“We’ve gotten points in 12 straight games on the road…that’s good, but a lot of times we haven’t been able to finish off the game,” said coach Jim Montgomery, whose club is 7-0-5 away from TD Garden since Dec. 27. “We want to play a full 60 minutes.”
Here’s everything else you need to know ahead of the 10 p.m. ET puck drop on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub:
Richard Moving Up
Anthony Richard isn’t looking to change a thing.
But he’ll surely be aiming to take advantage of his opportunity on Monday night when he rides alongside Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle on the Bruins’ top line.
“It doesn’t change anything,” said Richard, who has a goal and two assists in eight games with Boston. “I talked to Marchy before practice and they’re looking to bring more speed and more tenacity on the forecheck on their line, create some O-zone time by forechecking harder…for me, they put me out there to bring that same energy and mentality that was working on the third or fourth line.
“I think you get caught up a little bit if you try to change your game. There’s a reason why they put you there. There’s a certain aspect of your game that they want to bring to those two guys. So for me, it’s just keep going the same way.”
Richard, who had been playing with Jesper Boqvist and Justin Brazeau, said that Marchand emphasized that during their conversation ahead of morning skate.
“I played a few shifts with [Marchand and Coyle] back in Boston last week so I know the type of player that they’re looking at on the right side,” said Richard. “I have a good relationship with Marchy, he’s helped me a lot since I came here. He just told me to play the same way; I was playing well, and don’t change anything. I’m gonna look to bring my speed and forechecking abilities and the same game I was playing with Boqvist and Brazeau. Hopefully we can create some offense.”
The 27-year-old Quebec native added that whether it’s a conversation with Marchand or the coaching staff, the focus on a strong all-around game has been eye-opening.
“The details of the game are really important. Never been part of something like that. Every detail matters so much,” said Richard, who had 15 NHL games on his resume with Nashville and Montreal before this season. “Sometimes there’s a team that wants you to work hard but here it’s the whole package, it’s details, working hard, play with some poise and make plays.
“I know why they were a top team in the league last year and this year the mentality of this group is unbelievable. For me, coming in and having those veteran players put emphasis on those little details, that was huge for my game. It’s been awesome so far.”
Montgomery has been impressed not only with the play of Richard, but also Boqvist and Brazeau, both of whom were also recently recalled from Providence.
“Speed, create more turnovers,” Boston’s bench boss said of why he’s promoting Richard. “We’ve tried a lot of players there and we know a couple players that work. But all three players that were on the fourth line last game, Boqvist line with Brazeau, all have been playing really well. That’s why we sprinkled them around, to give more energy to every line.
“They’re giving us really valuable minutes and they’re playing more because of it.”
This article was originally published by a www.nhl.com . Read the Original article here. .