BUFFALO — The long and winding road to the 82-game NHL regular season was made a little more tortuous Saturday for the Bruins. Their game morning flight from Bedford/Hanscom was delayed a few hours because the club’s charter plane had to be de-iced and, according to the team president Cam Neelythere was an excessive amount of traffic waiting to take off.
“You beat us here!” » a smile, animated Marco Sturm shouted to a Boston reporter as the team bus arrived at KeyBank Center at 12:15 p.m.
The delay meant none of the Bruins, last seen Tuesday night on Causeway Street, hit the ice for their usual game day practice. Instead, they remained without equipment and stretched for 5 to 10 minutes before heading on foot to an adjacent hotel for food and rest.
“These days are always difficult. Traveling on the same day, a bit like traveling in pre-season,” noted the defender. Charlie McAvoy about 20 minutes after getting off the bus. “There are just some things that are going to be out of your control. Everything will be fine. We’re going to try to follow the schedule like a normal day – eat something, take a nap and come back here ready to go.”
The Bruins were hoping to use Game 39 as a way to play well after losing four straight (0-3-1) at home. They seemed mentally flattened by allowing four goals to the Canadiens in the third period on Tuesday.
“I think the time off was good. Everyone should be excited to come back,” McAvoy added. “We talked a little bit about where we are, what our goals are for what I call the second half of the year. Everything is looking good ahead of us and I think we’re excited about it.”
Under collective bargaining agreement language, teams were not allowed to travel until Saturday morning, once the NHL’s three-day vacation ended. It gives players more time to celebrate the season, but it also usually causes the kind of unexpected twists and turns the Bruins have faced.
“Mentally,” Sturm said, reflecting on the day’s interrupted plans and the 7:08 faceoff, “it’s going to be a little challenge, that’s for sure.”
Korpisalo turns in front of the net
Joonas Korpisalo was back in net for the Bruins, his first start since allowing five goals on 17 shots (27:31 total) in last Sunday’s 6-2 loss to the Senators… The ever-fiery Tanner Jeannot was injured (undisclosed) in Tuesday night’s 6-2 loss to the Canadiens and was not in the lineup… Injured defensemen Jonathan Aspirot And Henri Jokihar (the former Sabers) are on the trip. “Slowly,” Sturm said, “the guys are coming back.” While he noted it’s an encouraging sign that they’re making progress in their recovery, Sturm said he’s not sure whether either will play on a trip that includes stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Seattle. “It’s too early to tell, but it’s gone from week to week to day to day.” … Young Rhys McAvoywho just turned 11 months old, found a pair of hockey gloves under the Christmas tree. “Little things,” said his smiling father. “Honestly, he didn’t know what it was. He hit them a little, tore up the paper, and that was it.” In the end, added the future defender’s father, “it was a wonderful Christmas.”
Kevin Paul Dupont can be contacted at kevin.dupont@globe.com.
