Boston Bruins: Kevan Miller Returns To Practice
Boston Bruins: Kevan Miller Returns To Practice After Suffering An Injury At The Hands of Alexander Ovechkin
The Boston Bruins received positive news on Thursday when defenseman Kevan Miller returned to the ice for the first time since suffering an injury at the hands of Alex Ovechkin. Kevan Miller has been ruled out of the Bruins’ game tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes, but his presence at practice is a step in the right direction after the Bruins allowed 93-shots on net during their Florida-road trip.
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The Bruins have been playing well as of late and a lot of that can be attributed to the Bruins’ new-comers stepping up for their new team and providing solid veteran presences.
John-Michael Liles has fit into the lineup on the back-end seamlessly and that has allowed for the Bruins to use both Zach Trotman and Joe Morrow more sparingly throughout the final stretch of the season. After Kevan Miller went down with his injury, the Bruins’ were forced to bring Zach Trotman back into the lineup against the Panthers and Joe Morrow against the Lightning. It’s clear that Bruins’ head coach Claude Julien wants to keep the minutes he gives to his younger defenseman low, as demonstrated by the 10:12 minutes that Trotman played against the Panthers and 13:40 Joe Morrow played against the Lightning.
Lee Stempniak has been exceptional for the Bruins so far, posting one goal — which served as the game winner against the Florida Panthers — as well as four assists in his four games with the Bruins. While skating on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, he has made both of his line-mates even better than they already were this season.
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The Bruins have come out and found ways to win their last two games despite being significantly out-shot. It’s an impressive trait that the Bruins’ will need come playoff time, but there is no doubt that Kevan Miller provides a more physical presence on the Bruins’ blueline that helps suppress shot attempts by opposing teams.
Kevan Miller has had an up-and-down season so far, with his most encouraging stretch of play coming just prior to his injury. Despite leading the team’s blueline and sitting in third overall in the plus/minus category with a +16 rating, Kevan Miller has been responsible for a few defensive breakdowns already this season. In the games leading up to the Alex Ovechkin hit, Miller looked much calmer in his own zone and was driving play more consistently alongside captain Zdeno Chara on the Bruins’ top line.
Next: Kevan Miller's Injury With Video
Getting Kevan Miller back from injury will provide the Bruins’ more depth on their blue line with Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Adam McQuaid, John-Michael Liles, Kevan Miller, Zach Trotman, and Joseph Morrow all currently on the Bruins’ roster with Colin Miller still skating with the Providence Bruins of the AHL. The Bruins have the personnel to make the playoffs, and if their recent stretch of play — 4-0-1 since the trade deadline and 7-2-1 in their last 10 games — has proven anything, it’s that they can potentially make a run at coming out of the Eastern Conference and playing for the Stanley Cup.