Bruins' new head coach Cassidy coming in with a plan, will alter lines

It's a new day.

The Boston Bruins bench now belongs to Bruce Cassidy, who was promoted from assistant coach to head coach after Claude Julien was fired Tuesday. And it appears things are going to be different, beginning Thursday.

First, a bit about Cassidy:

• He's 51 years old, from Ottawa, Ontario, and is a product of the Bruins system.
• He joined Boston's AHL team in Providence as an assistant coach in 2008, taking over as head coach in 2011-12. From 2012-13 through 2015-16, the baby Bruins won 50, 40, 41, and 41 games, respectively.
• Cassidy has run an NHL bench before, serving as head coach of the Washington Capitals in 2002-03. That team won 39 games, and made the playoffs, but was punted in the first round. Cassidy was fired after 28 games in 2003-04, after Washington won only eight of them.

With general manager Don Sweeney coming out and saying that Boston's next three games will serve as a "key period of assessment," the pressure's on Cassidy and co. immediately. The club faces the Sharks on Thursday, the Canucks on Saturday, and the Canadiens on Sunday before its league-mandated bye week begins.

Quality, not quantity

And Cassidy's got a plan, writes The Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa. In particular, the new boss wants more pucks directed towards the net from quality scoring areas, as opposed to players automatically sending the puck back to the point.

Owning the puck and firing the puck aren't issues for Boston. The Bruins are the league's top possession team, and average more than 34 shots a game, but they're coming from the outside. Cassidy wants that to change immediately. He wants more goals from around the net, more havoc down low.

Line changes

And come Thursday, it appears more than just philosophical changes are in store. Cassidy's going to tinker with his lines, and he may break up his top line of Patrice Bergeron between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak - one of the best lines in hockey, with a ridiculous 63.14 percent Corsi For rating.

David Backes practiced with Bergeron and Marchand on Wednesday, and Cassidy wants to get Backes going. He needs to get Backes going. Because Backes isn't going anywhere, thanks to poor numbers - 11 goals and 11 assists in 47 games - and and a massive free-agent contract worth $30 million over five years, signed over the summer.

Backes, for his part, is looking forward to it, saying he's never seen two players read and complement each other like Bergeron and Marchand.

"It seems whoever they put there has been complementary and been able to help them have a lot of success," Backes said. "Hopefully it will be no different with me."

That's not all. Ryan Spooner will play center Thursday, if Wednesday's practice is any indication, as Cassidy looks for the 25-year-old to pick up his game. Spooner has only eight goals and 27 points in 54 games, after it was expected he'd continue to break out after a career year (49 points) in 2015-16. And his struggles may be due to the fact he was moved to the wing this season.

"I think he'd prefer to be a center iceman," Cassidy said, adding that only Spooner could truthfully answer the question. "That's what he's been."

Not only is Thursday a fresh start for Cassidy, it's an important reset for Backes and Spooner, too, along with the rest of their teammates.

Here's what we know for sure: The next three Bruins games are must-see hockey.