WILMINGTON – After missing the loss to the New Jersey Devils with an undisclosed injury, Ryan Spooner was back to work at Bruins practice on Thursday with the hopes of returning to the lineup against the Blues and Blackhawks this weekend. The fact that Austin Czarnik was returned to Providence on Thursday afternoon following practice was an encouraging sign that Spooner will center a third line of Frank Vatrano and Lee Stempniak on Friday night against the Blues.
It’s a big spot for the 24-year-old Spooner after leaving the lineup on a down note in last weekend’s win over the Maple Leafs. Spooner was pulled from both power play units and having a rough night when he suffered an injury in the third period of the game in Toronto. Instead Loui Eriksson replaced Spooner on the half-wall, and Matt Beleskey was promoted from the second PP unit to the spot camped right in front of the net on the top power play team.
So now Spooner is highly motivated to hop back into the saddle for the Black and Gold, and start producing for a Bruins team that badly needs offense.
“I felt good out there, but it’s day-by-day right now. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow,” said Spooner, who had a goal and two points in his last nine games prior to sitting out in the loss to the Devils. “This [season] is the most games I think I’ve ever played in my career. I’m at 75 games, and I think my previous high was 70 games. So it’s a grind, for sure. It’s also the time of year where you’ve got to get back out there and play through some stuff.
“So we’ll see how it goes. I wasn’t playing, I guess, the best that I can. I hadn’t had a point or a goal 5-on-5 in nine games, so when that happens I’d say that I don’t deserve to be on the power play. It’s a long season with ups and downs, and when it happens you just need to put it to the side. I’m always at my best when I use my skating and my speed, so I just need to get back to that.”
Perhaps the absence from the lineup can rekindle some of the speed and playmaking to Spooner’s game. That’s something that would be a welcome return for both the player and his hockey club in dire need of offense heading into the pivotal, final five games of the season.