Stanley Cup: Brad Marchand and Zdeno Chara will play for Bruins in Game 1 vs. Blues
Greetings from TD Garden in Boston, where the puck drop for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Bruins and the St. Louis Blues will be at 8:23 p.m. Eastern time today, 5:23 p.m. Pacific.
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy affirmed that forward Brad Marchand, who sustained a hand injury during a scrimmage last week, will play in the opener Monday night. Marchand didn’t practice on Sunday, leading to questions about his availability. Cassidy also said defenseman Zdeno Chara, who missed the clincher of the Bruins’ Eastern conference series against Carolina, will return to the lineup. John Moore will come out of the lineup.
For the Blues, defenseman Vince Dunn (facial injuries) will miss his fourth straight game. “His teeth are coming in. He’s getting better every day,” Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said, smiling.
The Bruins avoided a minor crisis that arose when the soccer ball a bunch of players were kicking around in the hallway got wedged in the ceiling, forcing defenseman Brandon Carlo to hunt for a ladder. Or, as he called it, “doing the walk of shame.” He added, “Whoever gets the ball stuck up high has to grab the ladder and get it. Tough job to do, but it’s kind of funny when it happens.”
The Bruins haven’t played since May 16, when they completed their sweep of Carolina in the Eastern conference final. Cassidy has been asked nearly every day since then how his team was handling the long break before the Cup Final began. He said he has been wondering the same thing, though he described himself as more anxious than nervous.
“Are the guys prepared, which sounds like an odd question when you have 11 days but there’s always things that go through your head. Did we miss something along the way? And then excited to see what the opposition has, how we’re going to respond,” Cassidy said of his emotions. “So that’s more what I personally go through, scenarios in your head that play out. But I imagine when we step on the bench and the crowd gets into it, you know, it’s real then, right? It’s game on….
“I think they’ve handled it well. We’ve mixed in rest versus work. [On Sunday] our practice was scruffy, I’m not going to lie to you. I thought the day before was excellent. So which one, as a coach, do you take? I trust the leadership group that they’ll have our guys ready. I think we’ve put in a plan this week that we feel allows to have success in the first game but until we get out there, who knows, right? Tough question to answer now. I feel we’re ready but till the puck drops, don’t know.”
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The Blues finished off San Jose in the West final on May 21, so they haven’t had to wait as long. But they’re ready to get going, too. “It’s just about getting out there and playing,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “I think the team is in a good spot. They’re obviously anxious to get going, get out there our first few shifts and make contact and get involved and get the nerves out.”
They seemed to feel more anticipation than nerves. “I’m excited. We’re all excited. We’ve all dreamt of this moment and it’s an unbelievable opportunity for us,” said forward Jaden Schwartz, who leads the Blues with 12 goals. “At the same time we’ve got to be focused. We’ve all got a job to do.”
Center Ryan O’Reilly said players were trying to treat it as just another game, but they knew that’s not the case. “Your mind does wander a bit and you daydream but you bring it back,” he said.
Check back later for more from TD Garden and Game 1.
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