The Bruins will finally get back to work on Thursday morning with a team practice at Warrior Ice Arena ahead of two-game road trip, and following a 10-day break for NHL All-Star Weekend and the team’s bye week during the regular season.
With the season now back in session, the Bruins have recalled winger Karson Kuhlman and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon back up from Providence ahead of the two-game road swing through Winnipeg and Minnesota.
Both young players were sent down to the AHL during the break to stay sharp once the season resumed and now both will be back on the B’s roster after playing well ahead of All-Star Weekend.
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Kuhlman had three assists in three games after returning from the minors following the waiving of Brett Ritchie and David Backes, and Lauzon made an impact in the final game ahead of the break while scoring a goal in the 3-2 win over the Golden Knights. Kuhlman has brought speed and playmaking to the top-9 rather than the brawn of the players he replaced on the roster, and Lauzon brings some of the ruggedness and size/strength on the back end that the Bruins have been missing this season with Kevan Miller out of the lineup.
One player who wasn’t recalled from Providence was Dan Vladar, a clear sign that Tuukka Rask is fully recovered from the concussion he suffered in Columbus that knocked him out of the final few games ahead of the extended break for the Black and Gold.
It’s expected that the long respite will leave the Bruins as close to full health as they have been since very early in the season, and should energize a bunch that looked like they needed a break while posting a middling 9-7-7 record since Dec. 5.
Despite treading water for the last six weeks, the Bruins still hold a five-point lead in the Atlantic Division and have their destiny in their own hands headed into the final 31-game sprint remaining in the regular season.