Oct 18, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Boston Bruins left wing
Brad Marchand(63) against the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
As if the Bruins haven’t received enough bad news in the realm of injuries this season, Claude Julien announced that forward Brad Marchand had ‘tweaked’ something in practice and would ‘hopefully’ be in the line up against Buffalo Thursday night.
Currently the Bruins have three players sidelined due to injury, including the recent addition of Torey Krug who suffers from a broken finger and is said to miss 2-3 weeks. Should they go another man down, they will yet again have to make some adjustments in the line up, making it difficult to build chemistry and consistency.
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In practice Claude Julien had a bit of a shake up going as it was. Kelly was centered by Bergeron with Gagne sporting the other wing while Marchand found himself alongside the Swedes and Smith was placed on the fourth line.
Marchand this season has seemingly been struggling. He’s appeared in all of the Bruins games and recorded 1 goal and 2 assists. Last season Marchand struggled with productivity as well and had people calling for a trade come December. However, Marchand has proven in the past that he is capable of being a top-six forward, he just needs to show it and bring the consistency. For Marchand it isn’t a talent issue, we seem to forget his 92 goals and 94 assists in his previous years with the Bruins in light of his antics. However, they don’t mean much if he can’t put together a similar 50+ point season like last year.
Should Marchand sit out, it is likely that the club could call upon Ryan Spooner in Providence.
“It’s different, for sure. I’d prefer to play center. I’ve just got to get used to (wing). I feel like I don’t have a lot of speed a lot of times, which is different for me after playing center my entire life. It’s a change of pace, but I’m kind of glad that I’m making that part of my game.”-Ryan Spooner
Spooner has played in five games for the Bruins this season and has yet to record a point. He sports a -2 rating and is still looking to break through and find himself a spot among the big B’s. Since being sent down to Providence Spooner has spent a lot of time playing as a left wing,a smart move given the B’s depth among centermen. The added depth in his position helps him not only build his resume, but become more valuable to the Bruins, especially in a situation like they may be facing with Marchand.
Following Providence’s shutout victory over the Norfolk Admirals last weekend he stated;
“It’s different, for sure. I’d prefer to play center. I’ve just got to get used to (wing). I feel like I don’t have a lot of speed a lot of times, which is different for me after playing center my entire life. It’s a change of pace, but I’m kind of glad that I’m making that part of my game.”
While playing wing is still a work in progress, sliding him in on the fourth line and bumping Paille up could be a potential option if the ball of hate is sidelined. At this point in time, with all of the adjustments, injuries and changes, what could one more hurt…right?
While it is crucial for the Bruins to get some sort of pace established for the season, perhaps all of the injuries are a blessing in disguise for the Bruins. After all, would we rather have the plethora of injuries to start a season with the possibility of improvement or at the end of a season when it becomes do or die?