P-Bruins journal: Whitfield is captain
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October 16
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Trent Whitfield wore the captain's 'C' for the first four games of the season, but coach Rob Murray said he wanted to take a week or two before making a final decision. Now it's official: Whitfield is the captain of this year's Providence Bruins. Whitfield was the captain in Peoria last year, where former P-Bruin Brent Thompson is an assistant coach. "Any time I talk to Brent, and we talk a lot during the season, he couldn't say enough about Trent Whitfield and what he brings,'' Murray said. "This guy leads by example, he's one of the hardest-working guys in practice every day,'' Murray said. "(Assistant coach) Butch (Cassidy) had him in Washington and he endorsed him right off the hop.'' Whitfield, a center, signed a two-year contract with Boston over the summer. Murray is still in the process of deciding on assistant captains. Jeff Penner will play his first game of the season after recovering from a lower-body injury. Rob Kwiet (elbow) will not dress. Healthy scratches will be Brett Clouthier and Jordan Knackstedt, according to Murray. 
October 15
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- When the Boston Bruins' plane lifts off for Dallas Thursday afternoon, no callups from Providence will be aboard. The P-Bruins practiced with their full crew Thursday morning, and coach Rob Murray said afterward that he hadn't heard from Boston GM Peter Chiarelli or assistant GM Don Sweeney. Boston's only extra player, defenseman Johnny Boychuk, was in the lineup Monday in place of the injured Dennis Wideman, who is not making the trip to Dallas and Phoenix. It appeared that Boston might need an extra defenseman or perhaps a forward to help spark them out of their recent funk. "(The league) deemed it a headshot,'' Murray said. Fata was assessed a minor penalty on the play by referee Mark Lemelin. Portland coach Kevin Dineen asked the league to review the incident. "Within 24 hours, you have to submit a form telling the league that you're asking for supplementary discipline and then you send in the videotape," Murray said. "They kind of came together and (Fata) got his stick up and it hit him in the jaw. It was enough for a penalty and I guess Larsen's hurt. That comes into play, when there's an injury sustained on the play. If that had happened to one of our guys, I would have sent it in, too,'' said Murray. Fata won't be eligible to play again until Oct. 30 at Manchester. He'll sit out home games with Lowell, Portland and Worcester, and a road game at Manchester.
October 13
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Rob Murray hasn't heard from Boston regarding any possible callups, but that doesn't mean he won't by the end of the week. With Boston's Dennis Wideman day to day with a shoulder injury, and the struggling parent club headed to Dallas (Friday) and Phoenix (Saturday), it's possible that a body or two might be needed. If it's a defenseman, Murray said there are four realistic possibilities. "(Andy) Wozniewski would be a logical choice. Andrew Bodnarchuk and Adam McQuaid have played well. Drew Fata hasn't played as well as these guys, but he had a very good training camp in Boston. Obviously, Wozniewski is going to bring you a little more offense than Andrew or Adam. It could be any one of those four depending on what they need.'' If Boston decides to add a forward, Guillaume Lefebvre, Brad Marchand and Vladimir Sobotka would probably be on the short list of candidates. Defenseman Rob Kwiet, who hurt his elbow on Friday, probably won't be ready this weekend, Murray said. "It's kind of a day-to-day thing with who we might lose or who we might not lose. And where Jeff Penner's at. . . . I might not be able to send (Ross) back yet,'' said Murray. Reading's season-opener is Wednesday night.
October 12
By MARK DIVVER Leftovers from the season's first three-games-in-three-nights weekend: "Two nights in a row, undisciplined penalties,'' Murray said after Sunday's 3-2 loss to Hartford. "Lane MacDermid takes a hooking penalty behind their net. Then Jeff LoVecchio was chasing a guy down on the penalty kill and hooks him. It was a blatant hook. These things can't happen.'' While MacDermid and LoVecchio were in the box, Hartford sniper P.A. Parenteau scored to give the Wolf Pack a 2-1 lead. Three minutes later, with Providence on the power play, Alain Goulet's giveaway gave Hartford's Dale Weise a breakaway. Goulet then hauled down Weise, and the Wolf Pack winger was awarded a penalty shot. Weise beat goalie Matt Dalton five-hole for what turned out to be the game-winner for Hartford. Murray wondered whether pulling down Weise was the right play, but concluded that the play wouldn't have been necessary if Goulet had taken better care of the puck. "Do you maybe let their guy go in on a breakaway as opposed to dragging him down for a penalty shot? You know, maybe give the goalie a chance to make a save, as opposed to letting (Weise) regroup and have a penalty shot. . . . That's a poor decision by Goulet at the blueline to give them that breakaway.'' Goulet was not alone in his struggles. Zach Hamill was selected as the second star Sunday, undoubtedly because he posted two power-play assists. But the 21-year-old center had little impact five on five. Hamill registered just one shot on goal in each of this weekend's games. He has no goals and three assists in four games thus far, not the kind of start Bruins management and fans were expecting after a strong training camp in Boston. Jamie Arniel, who also got a good look in Boston's camp, doesn't have a goal yet, either. He could put his better-than-average wheels to better use and be the first man on the puck more often. Drew Fata scored a goal on Sunday, but is minus-4 after just four games. The bad news is that the Bruins haven't been effective at even strength -- their last 5-on-5 goal was scored midway through Friday night's game. "We didn't generate much in the first two periods, five on five, at all. We relied on our power play, and it was good,'' Murray said on Sunday. In fact, the Bruins had just nine shots deep into the second period. Brad Marchand is tied with Hartford's Corey Locke for the lead in goals with five. Never afraid to fire the puck on net, Marchand already has 19 shots.
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