Need to Know: Bruins vs. Flames

BOSTON – It’s time for things to pick up a notch.With the All-Star break and bye week in the rearview mirror and the calendar turned to February, the Bruins are set for the stretch run as they look to continue shoring up their game over the season’s final two months in hopes of being in prime position come playoff time.

“The second half goes fast. Once you get going after the All-Star break, the games just fall on you and all of a sudden April is around the corner,” said David Pastrnak, who is fresh off his fourth All-Star Game appearance. “The second thing is it’s a much tighter game…we showed ourselves we can win, we can win the games 6-5 but at the same time, the tight ones.

“That’s what the regular season is, obviously to make the playoffs. I think we are on the right track with it but also get confidence and find ways to win as a group and get tighter, so we are ready.”

The Bruins begin the unofficial second half of the season on Tuesday night when they welcome the Calgary Flames to TD Garden. The contest also kicks off a lengthy seven-game, two-week homestand, which is one of the club’s longest in recent memory.

“I can’t remember…I don’t know if we’ve ever had a longer homestand [in my tenure],” said Charlie McAvoy. “I saw that one when we were coming into this month and you get excited, some time at home. You get to see family a little bit more which is always nice mentally.

“Home games are important. We have amazing fans and we love to play at home. We definitely want to make the most of these games here to try and get as many wins as we can.”