Projo Bruins Blog

A story in the Toronto Sun reports that Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has talked to teams that are looking for a goalie.

Thomas has just one win in his last nine starts.

Left wing John Lammers has played well enough since coming up from Alaska of the East Coast Hockey League in mid-January that he could be sticking around for a while.

"I like his skill level. He's a pretty intelligent hockey player. Defensively, he's fine. He's a guy that can be considered an upgrade to our lineup,'' said Providence Bruins coach Rob Murray.

Bruins management was talking about bringing in Lammers early this season, Murray said, when the Manitoba Moose beat them to the punch, signing Lammers to a PTO in late October.

Lammers played 11 scoreless games in Manitoba before being released and returning to the Alaska, where he put up a 20-15-35 line in 25 games for ex-Providence defenseman Brent Thompson, the Aces' first-year head coach.

A few weeks ago, when the P-Bruins found themselves looking for a winger with some scoring touch to help them through a spate of injuries, Lammers got the call.

Though Lammers is without a goal in eight games, he has helped his linemates Zach Hamill and Jamie Arniel snap out of a scoring drought.

Arniel, who has been playing right wing instead of his usual center, has three goals and an assist in his last five games. Hamill has two goals and two assists in his last five games. Lammers has chipped in with three assists.

"That line's been really good for us. Arnie's really picked up his game on the wing,'' said Murray.

Lammers was a teammate of Hamill with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League, a factor that has probably contributed to the recent uptick in Hamill's offensive production.

"One of the bonuses of having him here is that he and Zach Hamill are good friends from junior. Playing them together gives Zach that confidence and comfort level,'' said Murray.

Lammers, who turns 24 on Feb. 28, is 5'10'' and 185 pounds. A third-round draft pick of Dallas in 1985, he has two full seasons of AHL experience with Iowa and Houston.


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Another large crowd on Friday night -- 8,074 -- raised the P-Bruins average attendence over the 6,000 mark.

Providence is sixth in the AHL in attendence, with an average of 6,066 in 27 home games, and is gaining ground on fifth-place Wilkes-Barre Scranton, which is averaging 6,185.

Hershey leads the league with an average of 9,080.

Providence averaged 6,343 last season.

The P-Bruins attracted their biggest crowd of the season -- 9,116 -- on Jan. 29 against Manchester.


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Murray says that while his players appreciate the big crowds, he'd like to see them take better advantage. The P-Bruins are 12-13 with two overtime losses at the Dunkin Donuts Center.

"We go to different towns that have nowhere near the fan support we have here. I've been preaching all year long that we need to make this a hard place to play,'' Murray said.

As an opposition player for many years, Murray said, the Dunk "was a hard building to play in. You knew coming it was going to be a tough game. We need to make it tough on teams coming in here. We need to feed off our crowd.''


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Jeff LoVecchio stayed off skates all week after suffering a possible concussion when he was hit by a puck last Friday.

"I think he's progressing,'' said Murray.

"I don't think it's nearly as serious'' as the head injury that forced LoVecchio to miss the entire 2008-09 season, Murray said.

"It's just a matter of making sure we do our due diligence, take care of him, do all the stuff we need to before clearing him to come back.''

Yannick Riendeau (left wrist) and Guillaume Lefebvre (left hand) are still out. Assistant coach Butch Cassidy put them through a hard skate on Friday morning. Kirk MacDonald (upper-body injury) did not skate.


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Don't be surprised if Andrew Bodnarchuk's phone rings the next time Boston needs a defenseman. The 21-year-old has come a long way this season.
　

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P-Bruins skills coach Victor Teleguine left Wednesday on a scouting trip to Belarus with two Boston scouts.

TSN's Bob McKenzie speculates that the Boston Bruins' offer for Atlanta Thrashers winger Ilya Kovalchuk would probably start with Dennis Wideman and Boston's first-round draft pick this summer (not the first-rounder acquired from Toronto in the Phil Kessel deal), plus some other asset.

McKenzie says the Bruins are looking at Kovalchuk as a rental only, which could diminish their chances of getting him.

McKenzie also breaks down the other bidders. Read the story here.

TSN says the Bruins have put the word out that right wing Michael Ryder is available.

He has 12 goals in 54 games this season. Ryder makes $4 million a season and his contract is up after the 2010-11 season.

The Providence Bruins have recalled left wing Matt Marquardt from their East Coast Hockey League affiliate, the Reading Royals.

Kirk MacDonald and Jeff LoVecchio joined Yannick Riendeau and Guillaume Lefevbre on the injured list over the weekend, so the P-Bruins had only 11 healthy forwards at practice yesterday.

Marquardt, 22, has no goals and eight assists in 33 games in Providence this season. He has a goal and two assists in six games in Reading.

Providence Bruins left winger Jeff LoVecchio, who didn't dress for games on Saturday and Sunday after taking a puck in the face on Friday night, did not skate at this morning's practice at the Dunkin Donuts Center.

The P-Bruins are being cautious with LoVecchio, who missed all of last season recovering from a concussion he suffered while training in August 2008.

Coach Rob Murray was not sure if LoVecchio will be available this weekend.


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Kirk MacDonald's status for this weekend is also up in the air, Murray said.

MacDonald, who has a career-high 10 goals and has been one of the Bruins most dependable players all season, suffered an upper-body injury on Sunday.

Yannick Riendeau (wrist) and Guillaume Lefebvre (hand) are still out. Neither participated in today's practice.


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Today's lines:

White: Whitfield, Marchand, Knackstedt

Red: Larman, Lehtonen, Weller

Yellow: Hamill, Arniel, Lammers

Gray: MacDermid, Nelson


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I'll take Liam Reddox on my team anyday.

The Springfield winger showed a lot more heart than most of his teammates during Sunday's one-sided loss to the P-Bruins.

While killing a penalty in the third period with his team down by a half-dozen goals, Reddox blocked a slapshot, leaving him doubled over in pain. Seconds later, Reddox threw himself in front of a second slapper, which clearly inflicted more pain. Only then did Reddox limp to the bench.

That's a great effort in a one-goal game, never mind in a six-goal blowout.

Reddox, Edmonton's fourth-round draft pick in 2004, is a minor character in Bob McKenzie's excellent book, "Hockey Dad: True Confessions from a (Crazy) Hockey Parent.''

Springfield's Jake Taylor also deserves a salute for playing hard for all 60 minutes on Sunday.

Rookie winger Yannick Riendeau had a cortisone shot in his sore wrist, Providence Bruins coach Rob Murray said this afternoon.

The 21-year-old, who didn't play his first game until Dec. 29 after recovering from summer shoulder surgery, will wait and see whether the shot helps, Murray said.

Riendeau last played on Jan. 9 in Worcester. He has one assist in six games.


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Guillaume Lefebvre continues to battle a left hand injury first suffered when he slid into the end boards in Bridgeport on Dec. 2.

Lefebvre played on Friday night against Lowell, and had a fight with Myles Stoesz, but did not dress for Sunday's game against Springfield.

Lefebvre, the P-Bruins penalty minute leader with 113, has played just eight games since the injury.


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Drew Larman was returned by the Boston Bruins on Monday.

With Marc Savard on track to return to Boston's lineup on Friday, Trent Whitfield could be back in Providence by the end of the week.

Left wing Matt Marquardt and defenseman Jared Ross were returned to Reading of the ECHL.

Mattquardt has no goals and eight assists in 33 games in Providence this season. Ross has two assists in 18 games.


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With Boston going through an off-ice workout today, goalie coach Bob Essensa worked with Dany Sabourin and Kevin Regan at practice at the 146 rink in North Smithfield.


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Mikko Lehtonen is tied for second in the AHL in shots on goal with 157.

Only three goalies have more wins than Dany Sabourin's 18. They are Worcester's Alex Stalock (24), and Manchester's Jonathan Bernier (19) and Manitoba's Cory Schneider (19). Cedrick Desjardins of Hamilton also has 18.

Sabourin is also one of the busiest goalies with 34 starts, behind only Stalock and Bernier, both with 35.