The Bruins, who swept the Canadiens in last year’s season series, expect a stiffer test when the teams meet on Saturday night at TD Garden. Former B’s head coach Claude Julien has the young Habs off to a strong start.
BOSTON -- The timing is a little unfortunate, especially since this game could be the first in a return to a more competitive rivalry.
Bruins-Canadiens 2018-19 kicks off on Saturday night at TD Garden (7:05, NESN, WBZ-FM 98.5), with the start of the second period coinciding with thumbs or voices directing remotes to tune to Game 4 of the World Series between the Red Sox and Dodgers.
While the rivalry will always be intense, and remain spiced for some years to come by the presence of Claude Julien, who led the B’s to more wins than any coach in their history (419) plus the 2011 Stanley Cup, on the Canadiens’ bench, it stands to recover a little of the juice it lost last year.
The Bruins, in their first full season under Bruce Cassidy, finished fourth in the NHL and second in the Eastern Conference while Julien’s Habs missed the playoffs by 16 points. The B’s swept a four-game regular-season from the Habs, whose only satisfaction was taking two of the games to extra time.
Saturday night’s matchup looks more promising. The Canadiens may have continued a tear-down during the offseason by first trading Alex Galchenyuk (netting current scoring leader Max Domi from the Coyotes) and then their captain, Max Pacioretty, but Julien has a younger, faster, if more anonymous team at 5-2-2 -- right behind the 6-2-2 B’s, who will try to improve to 5-0-0 at home.
“I’m not surprised,” said B’s center Patrice Bergeron, who played under Julien for nine-plus seasons until general manager Don Sweeney dismissed him on Feb. 7, 2017 -- exactly a week before the Canadiens fired Michel Therrien so they could hire Julien.
“We know that Claude is one of those coaches who always finds a way, and gets the best of his players. He’s always very fair to everyone -- kind of gives everyone a role, and makes sure they’re part of the team.”
“Claude’s been in the league a long time now,” said center David Krejci, who broke into the NHL under Julien in 2007-08. “He’s done lots of good things. There’s always going to be a tough year like last year, so it’s about how you bounce back. They’re having a good start to the season.”
The Canadiens were on a 4-0-1 run until Thursday night, when they let three one-goal leads slip away before surrendering the winner with 1:01 left in a 4-3 loss at Buffalo. They’re only 1-1-2 away from the Bell Centre.
“They have a lot of good young players who are coming up and playing some great hockey,” said Bergeron, who has been held without a point in three of the last four games, but was still tied for the league lead with 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) through Thursday’s 3-0 victory over the Flyers. “It’s going to be a good matchup.”
The Bruins, 2-0-2 over their last four games despite an injury-depleted lineup, understand that fans inside the Garden might be distracted, but promise they won’t lose their focus.
“It’s always special against Montreal -- no matter what year, who’s on their team or who’s on our team,” Krejci said. “It gives you extra motivation. Every time you score a goal, it makes you feel better than if you score against other teams.”
“It’s always a special rivalry, always a special game to be a part of,” Bergeron said. “I’m looking forward to it -- especially on a Saturday night.”
AROUND THE BOARDS: Defenseman Torey Krug, who hasn’t played this season because of an ankle injury, was a full participant (contact included) in Friday’s practice. “He’s very close,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “There’s a chance he could play.” If the B’s choose to sit Krug out for another game, rookie -- and Val D’Or, Quebec, native -- Jeremy Lauzon will play his second NHL game. “It would be pretty special,” said Lauzon, who was recalled on an emergency basis from AHL Providence on Thursday and made his NHL debut against the Flyers. “Since I was young, I always admired the Montreal Canadiens. Now, I play for an opposite team, so it’s pretty exciting.” … Cassidy ruled defensemen Charlie McAvoy (upper body), Kevan Miller (hand) and Urho Vaakanainen (concussion), plus forward David Backes (upper body) out for Saturday’s game.