2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog - Conference Semifinals

The Bruins will have had nine days off since dispatching Montreal in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference quarter-final last week. With questions about rust being asked, the Bruins can look to Vancouver's Game 1 last night as a working blueprint.

The Canucks, who also swept their first-round opponent (St. Louis), scored three straight goals against Chicago and held on for the win.

"Everybody's wondering whether we're going to be rested or rusty," head coach Claude Julien said.

"I think Vancouver is a great example to take. They came out and played well in the first period. I'm expecting our players to feel the same way - that we can come out and play the way we know we can. Put all the excuses aside."

Gearing back up

On the flip side, the Hurricanes are coming off a seven-game dogfight with New Jersey, with not as much rest between rounds.

“We both have challenges,” coach Paul Maurice said. “They played four games and sat for a long time. We played a real emotional seven-game series. Each team will handle what they have to deal with and put forth their best on the ice.”

Maurice said he’s more worried about how the Hurricanes will raise their emotional level back to the peak of their Game 7 win over the Devils.

“I’m more concerned about getting them back up because of the emotion of the seven-game series, and the excitement and tendency to take a deep breath and relax a little bit,” said Maurice. “You only remember the good things. You don’t remember how hard it was, the dramatics, or how you felt with three minutes left in the game. We’re more worried about getting their legs back up and getting them ready to do battle.”

Maurice confirmed that the Hurricanes will have the same lineup tonight as they did in Game 7:

Whitney-Staal-LaRose
Ruutu-Cullen-Cole
Samsonov-Brind'Amour-Eaves
Bayda-Jokinen-Walker

Gleason-Corvo
Pitkanen-Seidenberg
Wallin-Babchuk

Ward
Leighton

Ference ready to go

Bruins blue-liner Andrew Ference, out since April 4, believes he's ready to get back on the ice Friday night. Ference will be a game-time decision.

"I'm excited," said Ference. "I'm not a good spectator."

Ference would most likely skate with Dennis Wideman on the second pairing. Shane Hnidy is expected to be the healthy scratch.

Julien: Jack Adams finalist

Claude Julien was named one of the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s Coach of the Year. San Jose’s Todd McLellan and St. Louis’s Andy Murray were the other finalists.

In his second year behind the Boston bench, Julien led the Bruins (53-19-10) to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Last year, Julien’s first in Boston, the Bruins finished eighth in the East.

Familiar faces

Ex-Hurricanes Mark Recchi and Aaron Ward will be facing 10 former teammates from the 1995-96 Cup team: Anton Babchuk, Rod Brind'Amour, Erik Cole, Matt Cullen, Frantisek Kaberle, Chad LaRose, Eric Staal, Niclas Wallin, Cam Ward, and Ray Whitney.

Ward, an Ottawa native, lives in the Raleigh area (nearby Cary) during the off-season.

Black Aces count

Carolina has seven Black Aces: Zach Boychuk, Patrick Dwyer, Brandon Sutter, Brett Carson, Bryan Rodney, Justin Peters, and Drayson Bowman.

The Bruins have none. The Providence Bruins are in the second round of the AHL playoffs and are competing against Manchester. The Bruins will not recall any Black Aces until Providence's season is over.

Series history

This is the fourth time the Bruins will play the Carolina/Hartford franchise in the playoffs. The Bruins have won all three previous meetings. The last showdown came in 1998-99, when the Bruins beat the Hurricanes in six games in the conference quarter-finals ... The Bruins have gone 12-7 in 19 playoff games against the Whalers/Hurricanes, outscoring them by a 63-48 margin... P.J. Axelssson and Sergei Samsonov were the only current players to participate in the series... The Hurricanes didn't skate Friday morning. The Bruins held an optional morning skate, with 11 players choosing to hit the ice.