The Boston Bruins are a third of the way through their preseason schedule, and the early returns suggest Jim Montgomery is giving the kids every chance to compete for a roster spot.
With a handful of places up for grabs, several prospects are auditioning to bring an influx of youth to the 5th oldest lineup in the NHL last season. Through two preseason games, many of the debutants have been given ample opportunity to make a name for themselves.
In the preseason opener against New York, Beecher, Harrison, Lysell and Poitras all skated more than twenty shifts. On the back end, Franklin native Michael Callahan and Taylor Hall acquisition Alec Regula logged 21 minutes of ice time.
Beecher and Poitras both found themselves on the scoreboard with goals against Jonathan Quick. Brandon Bussi stopped all 29 shots, including a Save of the Year contender, in the 3-0 victory.
The second preseason game in Buffalo did not go quite as as well, with Buffalo trouncing Boston 4-1. Despite the lopsided score, several other prospects took advantage of their chances to show out. Lauko, Merkulov, McLaughlin, Steen and Kuntar all skated at least twelve minutes up front.
Mason Lohrei lead all skaters in time on ice with 29:01 minutes played. The closest skater was five minutes behind, and the next closest Bruin played nearly ten fewer minutes. Lohrei would cap off his night with an assist, firing a point-shot rebound that Steen would pot home for the only Bruins goal.
Kyle Keyser and Mikey DiPietro would combine to stop 31/34 shots, with Buffalo tacking on an empty netter.
With four more preseason games, the Baby B’s still have plenty of chances to claim to an Opening Night roster spot.
The Bruins play host to Philly on Friday night, then play Philly and Washington back-to-back before finishing against the Rangers on October 5th.
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