After the Boston Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3, it marked the halfway point of the preseason with the season-opener just 11 days away. After beating the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, first-year coach Marco Sturm broke his two practice groups up into two groups: Group A and Group B.
Group A was mostly a group that will likely be the group from which the Opening Night roster against the Washington Capitals will be picked. Group B was mostly filled with players likely heading down to the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). In Group B was Jeffrey Viel, and against the Flyers on Saturday, he once again stood out and is making the case to get into the mix for a roster spot.
Bruins forward Jeffrey Viel impresses against the Flyers
One forward who plays a heavy game and has caught the eye of Bruins fans in the past is 28-year-old Jeffrey Viel. He is not afraid to muck things up and drop the gloves, but he also loves to throw the body around. Against Philadelphia, he did a little bit of everything.
He scored the game-winning goal in the third period and finished with three shots on the net, three hits in just over 10 minutes of ice time. He is slowly working his way into the conversation as potentially sneaking up and stealing a spot as the 13th ot 14th forward.
Now that could be considered a long shot, but he has been impressive. Things didn't start out well in the preseason opener against the Capitals, but things have quickly improved. He'll be in a battle with veterans brought in over the offseason and some younger players like John Beecher, but Viel has certainly made the case to be in the mix. Sturm is going to have some tough decisions in a week or so once the preseason ends, and Viel is making his case to stick around.