|
Brazeau scores in debut; B's make 3 roster moves |
|
|
 |
Ty Anderson
 Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • RSS
• Archive
• CONTACT
|
|
|
When it came to the finale of the Bruins’ seven-game homestand on Monday afternoon against the Dallas Stars, it was all about winning.
To hell with style points, to hell with the margin of victory. With just one win and four points through six games of their post-break homestand — and with frustration mounting for the club, both internally and externally — the B’s simply needed to find a way to leave TD Garden with a win.
And in what was hardly a Picasso, the Bruins did exactly that, as they survived a 46-shot onslaught from the Stars, scored a game-tying, 6-on-5 goal with a minute and a half left in regulation, and ultimately outlasted Dallas in a nine-round shootout to salvage the homestand with six of a possible 14 points (2-3-2).
The obvious headliner in this one was Jeremy Swayman and his career-high 43 saves, but it was the NHL debut of Justin Brazeau that stole the show, as the 6-foot-5 Brazeau scored his first career NHL goal in the win.
The goal made Brazeau the first B’s player to score their first NHL goal in their NHL debut since Marc McLaughlin accomplished the feat in 2022.
In addition to the goal, Brazeau finished Monday’s debut with a plus-2 rating and five shots in just 11:22 of time on ice. Brazeau looked much quicker than the last time we saw him — the Bruins acknowledged that Brazeau dropped significant weight to get himself closer to a weight that allows him to keep up with the pace of the pro game — and Bruins coach Jim Montgomery noted that Brazeau’s story is one that everybody can appreciation. Whether they’ve been told they’re not good enough, strong enough, or talented enough to do something.
One thing that jumped off the page with Brazeau, to me, was his ability to get inside ice and get to the prime scoring areas for second-chance bids. The Bruins have acknowledged that they’re not going to be as strong of a possession team as they’ve been in the past (and the numbers have confirmed as much through 56 games this season), so finding players who can get to that ‘soft’ ice and help extend or finish plays with second-chance looks and rebound opportunities is a must.
In addition to Brazeau’s goal, Jesper Boqvist found the back of the net for his second goal of the season, while it was David Pastrnak who tied things up late. In the shootout, it was Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy who carried the B’s with goals, while Swayman stopped eight of the nine shots he faced to earn the win.
Bruins make three roster moves
Tuesday was an off day for the Bruins (they traveled out to Edmonton early in the afternoon). Well, for everyone except general manager Don Sweeney and the rest of the Black and Gold front office, who made three roster moves.
Up front, the Bruins officially assigned Oskar Steen down to AHL Providence after the 25-year-old Steen cleared waivers on Monday.
In 34 NHL games this season, Steen recorded just one goal, and was the only player in the league this year to make at least 30 appearances and not have multiple points to his name. With the offensive game not there, the 5-foot-10 Steen did try to maximize his impact from a physicality standpoint with 19 blocks and 79 hits over that 34-game run. But it was clear that Steen’s grip on a roster spot had loosened substantially over the B’s sluggish homestand, with back-to-back outings of less than eight minutes before a healthy scratch leading up to Sunday.
In the final year of a contract that comes with an $800,000 cap hit, Steen’s move down to Providence also (seemingly) impacts his future.
Entering this season, Steen needed to make 54 NHL appearances for the Bruins to retain his rights as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent. He’s 20 games shy of that with 26 games to go, meaning that Steen is likely to end the year as a Group 6 unrestricted free agent. (Group 6 UFAs are players who are at least 25 years old and have three years or pro experience but less than 80 NHL games.)
Steen, a sixth-round pick of the Bruins back in 2018, has scored four goals and eight points in 60 NHL games with the Bruins over the last four seasons.
The Bruins also officially moved Matt Poitras, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery earlier this month, to the long-term injured reserve. The Bruins were waiting for the right moment to officially make that move, and Tuesday provided the club with that chance, allowing the Bruins to use Poitras’ $870,000.
And with Steen and his $800,000 cap hit demoted down to the minors and Poitras’ $870,000 moved to LTIR, the Bruins had the cap space to recall defenseman Mason Lohrei from AHL Providence.
Sent back down to Providence on Jan. 20 after the Bruins activated Derek Forbort off the LTIR, Lohrei has responded to his ‘demotion’ well, with one goal and seven points in seven games for the P-Bruins over that span. Lohrei even sniped home the overtime winner in his first game back in the minors.
With Boston on two separate runs this season, the 6-foot-4 Lohrei has posted three goals and six points, along with 25 hits and 47 blocked shots, in 27 games for the Big B’s this season.
Lohrei’s recall also comes amid some uncertainty regarding Hampus Lindholm.
Injured in an awkward-looking collision in the third period of Monday’s win over the Stars, Lindholm was not spotted in the locker room following the victory, and the Bruins did not have an update on his status following the game. The Bruins do have Parker Wotherspoon with the club as their seventh defenseman, but the Bruins love to have themselves some options on the backend, and it’s also possible that team could make multiple lineup changes beyond just Lindholm when looking at the recent struggles of Derek Forbort.
Lohrei’s recall, as well as the other moves made today to create some more cap room, leaves the Bruins with just over $91,000 in projected cap space.
Up next: The Bruins will have a Wednesday head-to-head with the Edmonton Oilers. It will be the first meeting between the teams this season.
Join the Discussion:
»