Bruins getting act together

Julien still faces difficult choices

About halfway through training camp the focus usually shifts from auditions to rehearsals. Yesterday was the 13th day of their 21-day camp and the Bruins spent much of it on a bus to Vermont. The group traveled to Stowe for a few days of training and team bonding before an exhibition game at Montreal Wednesday.

Team building signals a move to start shaping forward lines and special-team units with an opening day roster in mind.

The Bruins still have a surplus, as 31 players traveled to Vermont: three goalies: (Tim Thomas, Manny Fernandez, and Tuukka Rask), 10 defensemen (Zdeno Chara, Aaron Ward, Dennis Wideman, Andrew Ference, Andrew Alberts, Shane Hnidy, Matt Lashoff, Matt Hunwick, Mark Stuart, Jeffrey Penner), and 18 forwards (Chuck Kobasew, Marco Sturm, Milan Lucic, Stephane Yelle, Shawn Thornton, Petteri Nokelainen, Patrice Bergeron, Blake Wheeler, Martin St. Pierre, Nate Thompson, Vladimir Sobotka, P.J. Axelsson, David Krejci, Jeremy Reich, Peter Schaefer, Michael Ryder, Phil Kessel, and Marc Savard), including nine centers.

It's easier to bond when players aren't looking over their shoulders for the messenger bringing a summons from coach Claude Julien, but it is time to start mixing up the team chemistry to find a winning formula.

"Those first five [exhibition] games were definitely about seeing where different players could fit," said Julien. "I'm not saying we're going to have set lines in these last three games, but we're going to start working to get closer to what we're trying to accomplish. These next three games have us inching closer to what we want."

When the season opens Oct. 9 at Colorado, the roster must be pared to the 20 players who dress for the game and the two or three spares. Julien has difficult decisions to make. Will he keep loyal, valuable, but aging forward Axelsson (33) or show confidence in Wheeler or St. Pierre, rookies who are playing well? Is there room for veteran defenseman Hnidy (who has not yet played because of a knee injury) and veteran forwards Reich and Schaefer (who haven't delivered enough)?

Julien believes the team has taken a stride forward on offense, bolstered by offseason additions of Ryder and Yelle as well as promising rookies.

"We've scored more this year than we had at this stage last year, created more scoring [chances]," Julien said. "We can still hope our whole lineup can be better that way. [During Saturday's 4-3 loss to Washington], I thought we could have been better with the finish. Power play, five on three, how many one-timers did we miss? Passes across and jumps over the stick . . . if it's on the tape, you shoot and it's in.

"I think the six-man attack at the end, we had some great chances. I know the goaltender made some good saves, but we need to get better in that area. I think we've made some improvement here on having our [defensemen] support the attack a little better and that's the area we need to keep getting better at."

Wheeler has made an impression but refuses to change his focus.

"In your mind you've got to channel everything and just take it day by day," Wheeler said. "You can't think too far ahead or other than the day you're in. My approach hasn't changed; I have to go about my business. I'm working hard to be a tough guy to compete against and at the end of the day, if that's not good enough to make the team, then we're going to have a pretty good team I hope."

Bergeron and other veterans are adjusting to new players as well as their evolving roles. Bergeron manned the point on the power-play unit Saturday.

"It's a little different than the power play we've been using the past few years, with Z [Chara] and Savvy [Savard]," he said. "It's a little different for me positioning-wise; being at the point gives me time to see the whole play in front of me, so it helps me in making the passes.

"It's just a matter of getting used to players that you're with," Bergeron said. "It's changing every game, so it's a matter of just getting used to them. Those two five-on-threes, we missed a lot of chances. We had a lot of chances and the puck was moving well, so we have to build from that, but obviously, we have to bury them because the result of that game is a one-goal game. It's tough that we couldn't get that last goal, but I thought we were moving the puck very well, we just have to work on getting to know each other."

Thornton, one of the few players in the room who fills the tough guy role, knows this is not a time to take a locker stall for granted.

"Camps are shorter now 'cause everyone comes in in good shape." Thornton said. "First two games, it's getting to know the systems, but I think you're auditioning yourself every day. From the start, you've got to be able to perform every night if you want to keep, or steal, a spot."

Barbara Matson can be reached at matson@globe.com.