The Columbus Blue Jackets shoot off a cannon every time they score a goal at home.
New post: The Columbus cannon!! https://t.co/kFUIv1IVLE
— MARINOFSKY REPORT (@MarinofskyR) April 28, 2019
Bruins forward David Pastrnak admitted Monday he didn't know that the first time he played there.
"No, definitely not. I had no idea what's going on," Pastrnak said Monday after practice at Warrior Ice Arena. "I remember [coach> Claude [Julien> back in the day, he said 'watch out for the cannon.' But I didn't know what that means. And then I heard it so yeah … it's their tradition, every team has one."
The Bruins plan on limiting the number of times the cannon is fired as the Eastern Conference second round shifts to Ohio's capital for Game 3 on Tuesday and Game 4 on Thursday. The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1.
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said the cannon has never bothered.
"I hope I don't hear it, obviously. After that, to be honest with you, I never really noticed it much," he said. "You know the team scores, it's loud, I'm pissed off, so that's it, that's the routine every time no matter where I am."
Columbus forward Brandon Dubinsky predicted after the Blue Jackets won Game 2 in double overtime that the crowd at Nationwide Arena will be louder than what he experienced at TD Garden.
.@BDubi17 talks with @JerodNBC4 after a thrilling double overtime win in Boston. #CBJ https://t.co/uDp66bCt6C pic.twitter.com/z1tERqAWYG
— NBC4 Columbus (@nbc4i) April 28, 2019Whether he's right or wrong, Pastrnak said the Bruins' focus will remain the same.
"You try to shut them up. That's what's going through everybody's head when you play away games. Try to play your best hockey and score," Pastrnak said.
*Pastrnak may be trying to score from a different forward line in Game 3. He practiced Monday with left wing Marcus Johansson and center Charlie Coyle – a threesome that was on the ice at 5-on-5 for about three minutes in Game 2 and produced a goal (from Coyle's stick to Pastrnak's skate and in).
Pastrnak has three goals in nine postseason games, two scored in Game 4 against Toronto and the one off his skate against Columbus. Danton Heinen practiced with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand; Karson Kuhlman filled the right wing next to David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk.
"You might see a little more line-rush play then as a result of that, than forecheck. We really like Charlie's puck possession in the O-zone. So Pasta's going to have to find his spots there," Cassidy said. "But when Bergy's line's on, he's playing with Marsh, that's where they excel to be more than line rushes, is cycle play, generating off a shot, rebound recovery. So he'll fit in fine there. It's just a matter of finding his spots when Charlie likes to dish it. JoJo loves to make plays, so to have a shooter over there should excite him. So it that ends up a line we'll see."
*Kuhlman held his own in Game 6 and 7 of the Toronto series, so he should give the Bruins some fresh legs if he's back into the lineup.
"He's played well with Krejci and DeBrusk," Cassidy said. "I think when he's on that line, as opposed to Pasta, Jake's going to look for his offense more and shoot more. So that's a little bit of the thinking, he knows he should be the primary goal scorer."
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