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The trip will mark the Black and Gold’s first journey to Florida this season, and the players are looking forward to getting out of the cold to experience the Sunshine State.

“These last few weeks with the snowstorm and being pretty cold around here this last week or so, it will be kind of nice to get some warm weather in and some Vitamin-D,” said B’s forward Milan Lucic after practice Tuesday.

Defenseman Zdeno Chara is also excited to leave Boston and soak up some rays, as the team prepares to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.

“It’s nice to have a little bit of change of scenery, especially [when] you know that you will get more sunshine,” said the B’s captain. But, he won’t let the Florida heat stop him from playing his game.

“The main focus is to play well on this road trip. We should be trying to win every game, that’s the main focus,” added Chara.

After a blizzard paralyzed the Boston area on February 9 and postponed the Bruins’ first matchup against Tampa Bay, the team is hoping to get off to a good start against the Lightning on Thursday. B’s forward Rich Peverley is hoping the team can stay focused in the warm temperatures in order to continue their successful season.

“That’s just the way it is, you’re in Boston; I like the winter. It’s nice to get some sun once in a while, but we have some important games coming up,” said Peverley. “Those teams are pretty talented and play well at home. Hopefully, we can play different down there and play better.”

During the 2011-12 season, the Bruins went 0-2 at Tampa Bay and 1-1 at Florida, and the team is hoping to improve their luck in Florida this time around. As the players are preparing themselves for what could be a challenging road trip, Head Coach, Claude Julien, believes the change in climate could work to their advantage.

“The weather can be nice, and I think it’s a great opportunity for players to be in that kind of weather once in a while because it is refreshing. Anytime you can spend some time in the sun, we know the energy it provides, is a good thing. I think it can be a real productive road trip in many ways if you take the right approach,” said Julien.

While Julien knows the Florida weather can be distracting, he is confident that his guys will get the job done and show off what kind of team they are on the ice.

“I think our group, we’ve been together for a long time. We kind of know what it’s all about. When it’s time to play, it’s time to play."

---Katie MacLeod