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For weeks, if not years, this is the opportunity that many defensemen of the Boston Bruins have been waiting for.
With injuries accumulating in the back, Urho Vaakanainen is out of the AHL and has the chance to play with Charlie McAvoy. Jakub Zboril, who has become a healthy training mainstay, has been with Brandon Carlo in recent matches. Regularly scratched defensemen John Moore and Connor Clifton have played much more recently.
But the end result was two brutal performances, with the Bruins getting pounded in back-to-back games. After falling 7-2 to the New York Islanders on Thursday, they lost 6-2 to the Rangers on Friday.
A lot of guys are put into bigger roles than they are used to. But Bruce Cassidy doesn’t let that fly as an excuse.
“I don’t think (the demand is) too great – they’re NHL players or they’ve been in the AHL. I mean, this is the opportunity they want, right?
“I mean, Vaak went there, Zboril went there. Cliffy was on the sidelines. Johnny Moore couldn’t wait to get in – so here it is, like, grab it.
Cassidy conceded a few things. Among them, the message from the coaching staff must be better, the attackers must help more in attack and get a timely save here and there is needed. In other words, it’s not all about defense.
But at this point, this is obviously the most glaring problem.
The Bruins have Steven Kampfer on the road with them, so maybe we could see his season debut on Sunday when the Bruins take on the Rangers one more time. Boston has also claimed defenseman Jarred Tinordi for waivers.
Thumbnail photo via POOL PHOTOS / USA TODAY Sports Images
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