– Both teams have the same conditions when it comes to the surface, says Bruins back Andrew Peeke. The ice was really good at the beginning (of the training session) then it got a bit soft towards the end, which is to be expected. You just have to be smart and play easy.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm makes history on Sunday when he becomes the first person in league history to both play and head coach in an outdoor game. Sturm scored the game-winning goal in the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park as the Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in overtime.
– I only have good memories, says Sturm. There is a lot of stress, a lot to organize before the match, but when the time comes, you get extremely busy. There will be a real wow feeling tomorrow when the boys step on the ice.
– It’s easy to get swept up in everything around you, so it’s important for us to find our game as quickly as possible. That was my experience as a player and it is something that I will talk to the guys about tomorrow. We have to be focused because we are going up against a very good team, and we need points. We are here to enjoy the event, but we also need the points.
The Bruins face a tough challenge as you not only go up against an in-form division rival, you have to do it without the team’s two top centers Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha who both miss the Stadium Series due to injuries.
– We don’t need to make any structural changes, says Sturm. (Marat Khusnutdinov) has played center before so he should be fine. It’s mostly that we lack depth without those two guys. They’re both veterans, so it’s tough to replace them. Then it gets a little tougher in the power play when two guys are gone.
