BOSTON – Claude Julien is looking at the limp Winter Classic performance against the Montreal Canadiens as the end of a long, jam-packed month that’s now in the rear view mirror.
They were missing some key players to injuries and suspension, made a very curious move to ship a talented young player (Colin Miller), who could have helped them in the outdoor game, to Providence, and showed that some of their players – both young and old – aren’t quite ready to flourish on the Classic's big stage
So, all of that was processed and accepted while admitting postgame on Friday that it was an embarrassing loss. Julien made it clear he won’t be talking about the outdoor loss anymore.
"I think we just move on here. We really grinded it out over the last month, and now it’s over. So it’s about moving forward and not even talking about it. That’s what we talked about with the team…just moving forward here,” said Julien. “It’s good to put [the Winter Classic] hype behind us. I think it’s important to put those things behind us, and to move forward here. It was a hectic month. I thought we had some pretty good success, but it was hectic with all that was going on around us.
“We’ve had a lot of players in and out with injuries at different positions, so we thought we’d take today to really tidy up some things up in the defensive zone, and make sure we’re a little more in tune, I guess. So that’s what we worked on.”
That’s what the Bruins did during a physical, intense 45-minute practice at TD Garden on Sunday that featured plenty of battles, and good attention to defensive detail.
Tightening up things defensively isobviously a priority with the Bruins set to host the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. They then head out on a 10-day trip that will tour them through a number of Eastern Conference destinations. The Bruins have dropped all the way back to a Wild Card spot behind Florida, Montreal and Detroit in the Atlantic Division and need to quickly move on from their New Year’s Day embarrassment to regain their bearings.
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