Bruins Down, P-Bruins Up

 

Will Max Sauve Make his NHL debut tomorrow? (Credit: Teka England/Flickr)

Forward Shawn Thornton and  Defenseman Johnny Boychuk were noticeably absent from practice back in Wilmington today. After practice it was revealed that Boychuk is still feeling “concussion symptoms” and that both him and Thornton are day-to-day (via NHLBruins ). With two prime players down, the team had to look towards the Providence Bruins to call up two players.

The first is defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk who as you might recall was sent back to Providence yesterday after the 11 day roadtrip and played with the team. Bodnarchuk was a healthy scratch for all six games on the roadtrip but with Boychuk out and a game against the Senators tomorrow, it looks as though his presence might be necessary.This season Bodnarchuk has played in 47 games in Providence and had registered 4 goals and 7 assists.

The second player is forward Max Sauve. This is Sauve’s first career recall.Sauve was drafted by the B’s in 2008 and this will be his first shot to play at the TD Garden. In 26 games this season, he has scored 6 goals and 7 assists. This is the 22 year old’s third season in Providence.

With a trade deadline on the horizon, it’ll be interesting to see if the Bruins add any players to the roster. Tomorrow we’ll know for sure if Bodnarchuk or Sauve will make the lineup. With all the injuries hindering the B’s, it makes sense why they’re choosing to use players in the system, but I can’t help but wonder if a big deal is coming up.

**UPDATE!
Just as soon as Bodnarchuk and Sauve were called up, they were sent back to Providence to make room for some new players on the roster!! POST COMING SOON!

Drafted by Boston 47th overall in round two of 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Drafted by Boston 47th overall in round two of 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Precious Providence

Andrew Bodnarchuk sent back down to Providence. (Photo Credit: bridgetds/Flickr)

The Bruins called up three Providence Bruins between Febraury 13 and 15 with Josh Hennessy,Andrew Bodnarchuk and Carter Camper being thrown into the mix. Today reports from Twitter(@NHLBruins,@MurphysLaw74,@HacksWithHaggs) all show that Bodnarchuk and Hennessy have returned to their respective team in Providence.

Hennessy played in three games with the Bruins on their road trip, totaling 23 in his NHL career, while Bodnarchuk has played in 47 games with Providence this season registering 4 goals and 7 assists. Both men are expected to play in today’s game against the Manchester Monarchs.

Carter Camper is still up with the Bruins and registered his first goal last night against the Ottawa Senators. In a post-game interview he stated:

“Whether it was one,five or ten shifts, I just wanted to make a difference. Every game is so exciting, its the NHL, something you always want to be a part of and hopefully I’m able to stick around for a while.”

With Hennessy and Bodnarchuk heading back down to Providence, this can leave us to assume that forward Shawn Thornton is feeling better and that both defenseman Joe Corvo and Johnny Boychuk are going to be okay after a couple of high hits faced last night. This is good news for the Bruins as they head home to take on the Senators at the Garden Tuesday night.

Camper Gets First Shot in the NHL

Carter Camper leads the P-Bruins in points & assists this season. (Credit: M Richter/Flickr)

Yesterday it was announced that  forward Carter Camper would join the Bruins for the remainder of their six-day roadtrip. Considering Rich Peverley is out for the next 4-6 weeks, it really doesn’t surprise me that the B’s would call up another forward. Camper being called up doesn’t surprise me either as he was the only Providence Bruin to make the AHL All-Star roster. Today he joined the team for practice in St. Louis and said about his first day:

“It was awesome,” said Camper. “I felt good out there “To be out there is a bit of a whirlwind, just seeing some of these guys out there on the same line is humbling.”(Via Bruins Official Site)

Camper joins the Bruins as the 4th Providence Bruin to be called up with Jordan Caron joining the team two weeks ago, Josh Hennessy and Andrew Bodnarchuk joining the team for the roadie. Out of all four, Camper certainly has the credentials to get him in the lineup tomorrow against the St. Louis Blues.

With the P-Bruins this season, Camper leads the team in points (38) and assists (24) in 53 games. He is coming off of his first pro hat trick, which he got on February 19th against the Connecticut Whalers.

It seems like Camper made a pretty good impression on Coach Claude Julien who had this to say after practice:

“Well he’s our leading scorer in Providence and he’s been a good player from him and they certainly think he needs to be looked at as well,” he said. “I watched him out there today because I haven’t seen him a lot, and I see a guy capable of making plays, a smart player so we’ll see what goes on from here moving forward.” (Via Bruins Official Site)

 

Change it Up!

When Will Andrew Bodnarchuk Return to the Lineup? (Credit: Teka England/Flickr)

(Anytime I can make a Mighty Duck’s reference I will!)

Andrew Bodnarchuk was called up from Providence last week and has since been a healthy scratch for the last four games. In the last four games, the Bruins have lost 3 and were shut out twice, which is definitely not something to be cheering for. Forward Josh Hennessy was also called from Providence and has since played in the last three road games.  So my question is when will Bodnarchuk get his chance to start?

Inconsistencies, injury, and frustration are currently hindering the team and I think that it’s time to switch the lineup up a bit. Bodnarchuk is the only healthy scratch the Bruins have right now with  Rich Peverley out for 4-6 weeks with a knee injury and Nathan Horton battling a concussion. Bodnarchuk has not played in a B’s game since the 2009-2010 season but is currently in his 4th season with the Providence Bruins.

In just 47 games with the P-Bruins this season, Bodnarchuk has tallied 4 goals and 7 assists. Claude Julien and Co. seem pretty confident in Bodnarchuk but have yet to give him a chance.

“He’s been a pretty stable, safe, mobile defenseman, moving the puck. His mobility is very good. So he was a guy that our group thought should come to us and make that road trip with us.”(via Metronews)

With 3 more games left on the road trip and the February 27th trade deadline looming, the Bruins need to work with what they’ve got. What they have is a team full of scorers and brick walls for goalies but what they’re lacking could be made up for by Bodnarchuk if he is given the opportunity.

Since I haven’t heard much talk about any trades being made with the team, I can only assume that Julien is going to be working with the players he has. Without a doubt, I think the lines are going to be changing up a bit. Like I’ve said before the only lines I wouldn’t touch are the Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin and Paille-Campbell-Thornton because they have been the lines consistently making the efforts in the games. But the other two lines I would play around with and even the defensive pairings because lately something just isn’t clicking with the team.

The team was off today, but will be back on the ice tomorrow as they prepare to take on the St.Louis Blues on Wednesday night. Tomorrow’s practice should serve as a good indication as to what lines will be changing it up for their next game. We’ll find out Wednesday if Bodnarchuk will finally get his chance to return to the Bruins line up.

 

The Bruins Look to Providence for Insurance Against the Rangers

Will Bodnarchuk Make the Lineup? (Credit:Teka England/Flickr)

Two players from the Providence Bruins were sent up to Boston today just a few days after Steven Kampfer was sent down. The first was defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk. Bodnarchuk participated in team practice today and could possibly join the team in tomorrow’s game against the New York Rangers. This is Bodnarchuk’s first call up this season, the last time he played for the Bruins was the 2009-2010 season in which he played in 5 games. After practice today, Bodnarchuk said,

“It’s very exciting. It’s been a long time since the last time I got up here. It wasn’t the greatest year for me last year. I put in a lot of hard work. I’m glad to be back here, but still have a long ways to go.” (via NESN)

This year, Bodnarchuk has skated in 47 games for Providence and has tallied 4 goals and 7 assists.

On the recall’s Claude Julien said,

“Bodnarchuk has done a good job when he’s been up in the past. He’ll be the 7th D. The B’s could call up a forward too” (via @NHLBruins)

And call up a forward they did with Rockland Massachusetts native Josh Hennessy later this afternoon. He will join the team at practice at the TD Garden tomorrow. This will be Hennessy’s first call up the play for the Bruins. This season, Hennessy has played in 49 games for the Providence Bruins and has tailied 15 goals and 15 assists. His 15 goals thus far makes him the leading scorer for the P-Bruins.

I think tomorrow’s practice will be a good indication of how much of an impact Bodnarchuk and Hennessy will make towards the lineup. For tomorrow’s game, I’m thinking they may be healthy scratches but we’ll find out for sure come starting lineups at 7 pm.