Inside the Bruins Locker Room: Marchand, Backes, McAvoy & Rask

The Boston Bruins practiced in the middle of a rare two-day break between Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Final. As the Bruins prepared for the Sunday 3:00 pm puck drop at TD Garden, they got some extra work Saturday morning at Warrior Ice Arena. The Bruins have an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series with another win, which would give them a 2-0 series lead.

Our very own Jimmy Murphy was at Warrior and caught up with a few members of the club as they prepared for Game 2. Unofficially, we are also starting a campaign to raise money to buy “He’s a true prol” T-Shirts for Jimmy after today’s scrum with Brad Marchand.

First up was Mr. Marchand, who touched on things like the team never being satisfied even with how well they have played this postseason. He also had Murph’s back at the end of the scrum, which also made national news.

Veteran David Backes has been a strong member of the bottom-six since rejoining the lineup against Columbus. He touched on how he stayed focused while out of the lineup and how he helped the guys who were playing while he was watching from above.

Head Coach Bruce Cassidy met with the media after practice to talk about tomorrow’s Game 2 along with updating the media on the status of defender Kevan Miller and talking about his leadership core.

Jake DeBrusk wasn’t wearing his “Tuukka” today, but did talk about the differences between the Carolina Hurricanes now and during the regular season. DeBrusk also talked about Backes and his leadership during this playoff run.

Charlie McAvoy will be back in the lineup tomorrow after serving his suspension on Thursday. McAvoy talked about how proud he is of the defensive effort without him on Thursday and the belief in the room right now.

Lastly, my pick for the Conn Smythe spoke with the assembled media. Yes, I’m talking about Tuukka Rask, who has proven his worth this playoff season. He talked about his approach to the Conference Final and about how the rest he got throughout the regular season has helped him stay fresh this spring.

Puck drop tomorrow is at 3:00 pm on NBC, NOT NBCSN, and 98.5 The Sports Hub. As always, we will have full coverage here at Boston Hockey Now as the Bruins go for a 2-0 series lead before heading down to Carolina on Tuesday night.