Because the league will shut down for nearly three weeks in February for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the league needed to squeeze its normal 82-game schedule into tighter windows.<\/p>\n
Aside from the league-wide Christmas break (Dec. 24-26), the Bruins have only one other three-day run without a game, and that doesn\u2019t come until April 8-10. <\/p>\n
The schedule crunch has forced coaches, players, and staffers to squeeze agendas to get their work accomplished.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been difficult, especially for a new guy like me, and also for my players because they want to learn the things I want them to do. But then on the other side, there is no time to practice, and training camp feels like three months ago, it feels like so long ago,\u201d Bruins coach Marco Sturm told the Globe during a recent sit-down in his office at Warrior Arena. \u201cSo, players forget what we\u2019ve done sometimes. They forget a lot of things. And that\u2019s why during a normal season, a regular season, a coach is always looking for practice days because those are the days you can say, \u2018OK, let\u2019s remind them about this and this and this and that.\u2019 And right now, we can only do it on video, but it\u2019s not the same because I can\u2019t stop them like you can on the ice in practice and show them. So, it\u2019s challenging because again, as a new coach, there\u2019s a few new things, everyone wants to please me. It isn\u2019t easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then there\u2019s the balance of trying not to force too much down a player\u2019s throat in a short time. Any teacher worth their salt will tell you that you can\u2019t teach five lessons in one period.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want to overdo it,\u201d said Sturm, before pausing and smiling. \u201cI mean, I want to, but you can\u2019t. Otherwise, it is too much. And then they\u2019re totally confused and it\u2019s counterproductive. So, you also have to manage, \u2018OK, how much are you going to show? How much are you going to practice? How much are you going to do this and that? What are you attacking? Are you attacking three things or just one thing?\u2019 So again, that\u2019s what you have to do as a coach. You try to figure out what is the best thing for your team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Playing-time decisions are also key. Coaches need to balance when to cut back on certain players\u2019 workloads, especially those who consistently play heavy minutes. Even in-game choices can be affected.<\/p>\n
Case in point: Last month, the Bruins were getting swamped by the Senators in Ottawa. Normally, Sturm might have pulled starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman, to both rest the goalie and give the team a spark. However, backup Joonas Korpisalo was slated to start the next night in Boston, so Sturm opted to stick with Swayman.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack-to-back games are always tricky ones, for sure. They knew, I knew, who\u2019s playing the next night,\u201d said Sturm. \u201cSo yeah, it\u2019s different. And I think slowly those two guys [Swayman and Korpisalo] understand that, too. And that\u2019s why it\u2019s not been an issue, because they know they\u2019re going to get their playing time. They know they\u2019re going to get their games, but when they\u2019re up, they\u2019ve got to make sure they do everything they can to be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sturm has kept a pretty even workload with his netminders. Heading into Saturday night\u2019s game in Montreal, Swayman had started 11 games and Korpisalo eight.<\/p>\n
The slate doesn\u2019t allow for one puck-stopper to be a workhorse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the luxury of having really two really good goalies, so that makes my job a little bit easier with that kind of schedule to keep everyone involved,\u201d said Sturm. \u201cAnd I also believe being fresh and being fresh between their ears, it helps. But yeah, I would say in a normal season, I probably wouldn\u2019t do that rotation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swayman likely won\u2019t get the Olympic break to rest<\/a>. He\u2019s expected to represent the United States along with Charlie McAvoy. Other Bruins expected to be in Italy<\/a> include David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha (Czechia), Elias Lindholm and Hampus Lindholm (Sweden), and Henri Jokiharju (Finland).<\/p>\n Finding pockets of rest is key, according to Swayman, who noted the jammed-packed schedule.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the preparation stays the same. All of us are pros in here, but personally just making sure that I\u2019m keeping my body fresh and recovering really seriously, and obviously preparing really seriously,\u201d said Swayman. \u201cAnd any time we get a practice \u2014 they\u2019re rare \u2014 to really buy in and get better in one way or another and sharpen up my game. But at the same time, it\u2019s nice to just be playing instead of practicing all the time and knowing that every time you do get on the ice it\u2019s worth something. So, you\u2019re really having a big motivator with that, knowing every time you touch the ice, it\u2019s most likely a game, and that it matters. So, you\u2019ve got to stay sharp.\u201d<\/p>\n Jim McBride can be reached at james.mcbride@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @globejimmcbride<\/a>.<\/p>\n