
Bruins talk about the benefits of going through the drill
Joe Sacco
. 'It brings out some competitiveness in the players and a little mocking going on back and forth with each other.'
The work helps forwards work on burst, cutting, and maintaining possession, while the defenders can sharpen their reach and body position.
Advertisement
'The drill serves a good purpose, especially with younger guys coming into the league now, adjusting to the speed and the pace of the game and making sure that they have the proper technique angle on players and trying to keep them and force them to the outside as much as possible,' said Sacco.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
It's a favorite of defenseman
Nikita Zadorov
, who at 6 feet 6 inches and 255 pounds, can be quite intimidating to go against mano-a-mano.
'I like that drill. We did it a lot in Colorado. [Coach]
Jared Bednar
was a really big fan of that drill, and I think it's really helped the defensive system as the F three and the D man, when you lose the puck in the O zone and you need to take an angle to close play on the blue line,' said Zadorov. 'And the same thing for D. You close on your blue line like this, taking a better angle so nobody cuts middle on you. I think it's a really productive drill. I'm enjoying that for sure.'
Advertisement
Zadorov relishes the competition and also the extracurricular commentary from the spectators.
'If you take somebody wide, you can chirp the guy over there,' said Zadorov. 'Everybody's watching at the same time. It's only two guys going, everybody else watching. So, I think it's pretty competitive and a cool drill for sure.'
The drill creates a buzz, which has been a Zadorov specialty.
'He brings energy to the rink. He brings energy to the practices and the locker room,' said Sacco. 'Obviously, we need some of that. We've needed it during the year because the group at times when you lose some guys that have been here a long time, voices that carry a lot of weight in the room, you need other guys to pick up that part of the leadership and he's trying to do his part in that area too.'
Awards handed out
Some housekeeping items: The Bruins handed out their annual awards Thursday with
David Pastrnak
and
Morgan Geekie
double dipping. Pastrnak earned the Dufresne Trophy as the club's top performer on home ice. He was also 98.5 The Sports Hub's First Star ... Geekie took home the Eddie Shore Award for 'exceptional hustle and determination.' He also was named 98.5's Third Star ... The Second Star went to goaltender
Jeremy Swayman
...
Parker Wotherspoon
won the John P. Bucyk Award for 'exceptional off-ice charitable contributions ... The Seventh Player Award will be announced at the home finale Tuesday ... Thayer Academy's
Morgan McGathey
and
Kyle O'Leary
of Noble & Greenough were awarded the John Carlton Memorial Trophies. The award is handed out annually by the team to Massachusetts's most outstanding high school senior girls and boys hockey player. McGathey had 39 goals and 58 points in 28 games. She will attend Harvard. O'Leary put up 24 goals and 59 points in 27 games. He is Yale-bound. The award is named in honor of Carlton, the late Bruins scout. ... It's been a hot start for
Dans Locmelis
at Providence. The winger, who recently wrapped up a two-year stint at UMass, collected 1 goal and 5 points in his first five games with the Baby Bs ... The Bruins finish their road schedule with a Sunday matinee against the Penguins.
Advertisement
Jim McBride can be reached at
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bruins' Biggest X-Factor Is Absolutely Clear
After a disastrous 2024-25 campaign, the Boston Bruins will be looking to get things back on track next season. The Bruins are hoping to be more competitive in 2025-26, especially after a busy off-season that saw them focus on improving their depth.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
5 Bruins Who Could Thrive Playing For Marco Sturm
After a long head coaching search this off-season, the Boston Bruins officially named Marco Sturm their new bench boss on June 5. Sturm had been connected to Boston's head coaching job for several weeks before landing it, so it was not necessarily surprising to see the former Bruin hired for the role. However, it also makes a lot of sense that he is the Bruins' new head coach.


USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Do the Boston Celtics have a front court problem?
After losing Luke Kornet, Kristaps Porzingis and potentially Al Horford this summer, the Boston Celtics front court has suffered a significant talent drain. Brad Stevens has tried to stem some of the bleeding by bringing in Luka Garza in free agency, although there's currently no guarantee he will successfully plug some of the gap left behind. Overall, the Celtics front-court rotation looks like the biggest weak point in the team's roster construction. Without Jayson Tatum, who is currently out with an Achilles tendon injury, the Celtics lack high-level talent and reliable depth at the four and the five. During a recent appearance on "98.5 The Sports Hub," The Athletic's Jay King sounded the alarm over Boston's limited front-court depth, noting that it has the potential to be "really bad." Of course, with months left until the start of the new NBA season, things could look different by opening night. Nevertheless, as currently constructed, the Celtics can't be expected to make a deep postseason run unless Mazzulla finds a way of getting the best out of his makeshift roster. You can watch the full podcast episode by clicking on the embedded video above. Watch the "Taylor Talks Celtics" podcast on: YouTube: Website: