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Sweeney wants Bruins to get on the attack quicker, won’t ‘abandon’ defensive structure

Boston Bruins 2007 Headshots

BOSTON - 2007: Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins poses for his 2007 NHL headshot at photo day in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Getty Images)

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It’s official: No changes to the Boston Bruins coaching staff. Claude Julien is back, as is his staff.

The faces behind the bench remain the same, but talk of philosophical change -- and maybe more personnel changes -- to how the Bruins play continues, especially when it comes to transitioning to the attack. You’ll recall recently hired general manager Don Sweeney making it quite clear when he took the job that he wants his team to play with an aggressive style.

On Friday, Sweeney lauded his coaching staff when it comes to the defensive side of things.

The Bruins were eighth in the NHL during the regular season at 2.45 goals-against-per-game. By comparison, the Chicago Blackhawks, playing in the Stanley Cup Final once again, were second in the league at 2.27.

Scoring goals, however, was an issue. The Bruins, despite decent puck possession numbers at five on five, were 22nd in the league in goals-for-per-game. None of the teams below them in that category qualified for the playoffs.

“I love the structure and accountability that [the coaches] bring to our table defensively. We’re not going to abandon that as a hockey club,” said Sweeney, as per the Bruins’ website.

“I think our forwards work extremely hard; I just want to be able to get into the flow of the offensive game a little quicker. And again, some of it is going to be personnel, and some is going to be system stuff that we have to address and utilize to the best of our ability.”

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