VANCOUVER — All of a sudden, the Bruins are a hurtin’ bunch.
Not only were they without Kevan Miller for last night’s game against the Canucks at Rogers Arena — that was expected after he took a shot off his hand in Edmonton on Thursday, and returned to Boston on Friday for more tests — but they were down another defenseman with the loss of Charlie McAvoy, who was also sent back to Boston after reporting to team staff that he was wasn’t feeling well.
On top of that, David Backes was a late scratch because he was “not feeling well”, according to Bruins media relations.
On McAvoy, coach Bruce Cassidy said he did not believe his issue was related to the heart procedure he underwent last year.
“I don’t believe so. I believe he got hit against Edmonton. He did get hit against Edmonton a week ago (in the Oct. 11 home game), hasn’t felt well. He was trying to play though it. At the end of the day, whether that has anything to do with it, I don’t know. He just informed our guys, so we want to make sure that he’s doing OK, so that’s Step 1,” said Cassidy.
There’s no timetable yet for McAvoy or Miller, but the basic prognosis for a broken bone — which is presumably what ails Miller — is usually 4-6 weeks, unless surgery is required which would make it longer.
“We’ll know in a few days what the X-ray shows and whether they cast it or not. We won’t know that until the doctor gets that back,” said Cassidy.
The missing blueliners not only forced Steven Kampfer into action for the first time this year, but the Bruins had to call up promising 19-year-old Urho Vaakanainen, the club’s first-round pick in 2017. He was en route to Vancouver from Boston through Toronto and did not make yesterday’s morning skate.
“(Zdeno Chara) and (Brandon) Carlo have played together so we’re comfortable there. The other four guys, it might be a trial and error thing,” said Cassidy.
Vaakanainen, who played in Bridgeport for Providence on Friday night, was expected to arrive here late yesterday.
“I would assume as a 19-year-old he would have lots of adrenaline, and I don’t see that being a big issue. It’s more about the time-change adjustment and your legs being on a plane all day. As for lack of sleep, most guys for their first NHL game, whether they know the day before or not, they probably haven’t slept that well the night before,” said Cassidy.
As for Backes, he took a high hit from Edmonton’s Matt Benning in the first period on Thursday and had to go to the dressing room. He returned to the game but played sparingly. It was not immediately known if Backes’ condition last night had anything to do with the hit. He has a long history of concussions.
Kampfer, meanwhile, was ready to get back at it. He had a good preseason, but he knew that he had to be patient.
“I knew the situation going in and Bruce and (general manager Don Sweeney) and the coaches talked about what the role was going into the season, so I kind of knew that I’d have to wait for something like this to happen. But it’s just about staying ready. The training staff has done a great job and I’m just losing forward to it,” said Kampfer.
NEW SURROUNDINGS
Vancouver forward Tim Schaller was facing his old team for the first time. He signed a two-year deal in the offseason for $1.9 million, a very good pact for a fourth-line player. But he said there was more to the move than just the money.
“(Re-signing with the Bruins) was definitely close, but things happen for a reason and I’m here now and I couldn’t be happier,” said the New Hampshire native, adding the deciding factor was “a change of scenery, a little less activity surrounding myself being in Boston and being around friends and family. It’s a little more quiet out here for myself. I think it was a good professional decision.”
While playing for the B’s was a dream for Schaller, playing in your hometown is not easy.
“Yeah it was tough,” said Schaller. “I had to say ‘no’ a lot when friends would ask me to go out here and there. But they understand that I have a job to do. It’ll be a little different not seeing friends and family after the game every night, but it was a professional decision that I made and I’m happy with it.”
Schaller struggled out of the gate and was scratched in his first two games, but has rebounded well.
NO CHANGE IN GOAL
Cassidy went with Jaroslav Halak in net against the Canucks for the second straight game, rewarded with 20 saves on 22 attempts. In a small sample size, Halak (2-0-2, 1.74 GAA, .933 save percentage) has vastly superior numbers to Tuukka Rask (2-2, 4.08 GAA, .875 save percentage), though the team in front of him played its worst games of the season in Rask’s two losses.
“The quick explanation is that Tuukka, we all agree that his game is not where it needs to be,” said Cassidy. “We didn't skate the next morning's game in Edmonton (after his last start in Calgary). Two guys skated (Friday). So really to work on his game he would have had one morning skate. For him, he got some work in today with (goalie coach Bob Essensa) after, well have a good team practice Monday and hopefully Tuesday he's where he needs to be. I'm not going to tell you he's in Tuesday, but that's the thinking behind it.”
Rask did not seem bothered by the decision.
“We talked about it. I think it’s good to get a couple of days of work here and get back to it in Ottawa (on Tuesday),” said Rask.
Where did he feel his game was at?
“It’s good. You always can be better. With my game, I’ve been talking to the goalie coach (Bob Essensa) and you can always be better. Like I said to him, the last game was the best I’ve felt this year,” said Rask.
In the B’s 5-2 loss, he gave up a bad rebound on one of the goals, and on another he picked the puck up late after he was screened — putting the B’s in an early 3-0 hole. But Rask played much better in the second and third periods to keep them in the game.
“Some games you let in a goal you want to have back, but that’s not how I judge my game. I judge my game on how I feel and how I see the puck. People are going to say I’m struggling. The first game (a 7-0 romp at the hands of the Capitals) was definitely a struggle, but I thought I played decent after that,” said Rask.
