Half the Bruins team will play two games in China against the Calgary Flames.<\/b>
\nBOSTON \u2014 Half the Bruins are heading to China to start camp, half are staying home. That\u2019s not ideal in the NHL, where a bad start could ruin the season.
Boston Coach Bruce Cassidy said he hopes his team can make the most of the trip on and off the ice.
The Bruins left Tuesday for China, where they\u2019ll play exhibition games against the Calgary Flames on Sept. 15 in Shenzhen and Sept. 19 in Beijing. This is the second year the NHL has played exhibition games in China. The Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks made the trip last season.
Beyond hockey, the trip includes some free time and organized activities.
\u201cOnce we get on the ice I\u2019m hoping that it\u2019s all business,\u201d Cassidy said. \u201cWe have our allotted amount of time, we have to make sure we take advantage of that, get the proper teaching in and the proper work. And then the evaluation comes for the players.\u201d
A total of 22 players will make the trip with Cassidy, a few assistant coaches and some front-office personnel.
Assistant coach Joe Sacco and another coach will stay in North America to work with a second group of 35 players, along with General Manager Don Sweeney.
Boston is trying to progress from a season in which it made the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2014, finishing in second place in the East with 112 points.
The trip to China adds a challenge in preparing for a season that starts when Boston opens Oct. 3 at the Washington Capitals.
Forward Brad Marchand is choosing to look at the benefits of a long trip.
\u201cIt throws it off a little bit but at times it\u2019s going to be fun. It\u2019s going to give us the time to get away,\u201d said Marchand, who led the Bruins with 85 points last season. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have a lot more time to bond than we normally do, especially early on when you have some new guys\u2026 you can\u2019t duplicate that at home.\u201d
The players not going to China will face the Washington Capitals in preseason games on Sept. 16 and 18 and the Detroit Red Wings on Sept. 22.
In both hemispheres, several Bruins will be competing for jobs. Rookies Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka are battling for the third-line center job while in China.
\u201cThey have to understand that the focus has to be a little more on hockey than on visiting a foreign country,\u201d Cassidy said.
Cuts will come quickly after the two groups reunite after the trip, Sweeney said.
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