Key call-ups cause tough stretch for Bruins’ Providence farm club
Colborne
The fortunes of an AHL farm club are always controlled by the whims and needs of the parent club.
The Providence Bruins found that out again over the last six days.
After winning last Friday vs. Springfield, the P-Bruins embarked on a three-game losing streak — all on the road and all without second-leading scorer Zach Hamill, who was recalled to Boston Feb. 4. By Tuesday in Charlotte, Providence no longer had winger Jordan Caron, who also joined Boston.
Other players are going to have to step up for however long Hamill and Caron are in Boston. Unexpectedly, tough guys Brian McGrattan and Lane MacDermid stepped into the void against the Falcons with a goal apiece. MacDermid added an assist in one of the losses to the Checkers. Veteran center Trent Whitfield enjoyed a two-goal game in a losing cause.
However, it’s going to fall to more of Providence’s skill players to keep the club’s playoff hopes alive without a couple of its best players. Joe Colborne, Jamie Arniel and Max Sauve, in particular, are going to have to raise their levels — even though two of them are in their first year of pro and Arniel is in his second year — to keep the P-Bruins in the race.
Providence enters the upcoming weekend in sixth in the Atlantic Division, five points out of fourth.
Who’s hot
MacDermid has recorded a goal, an assist and plus-2 rating in his last four games. …Antoine Roussel scored his first goal of the season Tuesday (29 games). … Goaltender Matt Dalton posted a .936 save percentage in three games last week.
Who’s not
Sauve was goal-less in last week’s four games and is now without a goal in his last six overall … Arniel is still looking for his first goals since Dec. 28.
Roster report
In addition to Hamill and Caron’s call-ups to Boston, Roussel returned from a brief stint with Reading (ECHL).
Upcoming games
Friday, Feb. 11 vs. Hershey
Saturday, Feb. 12 at Springfield
Sunday, Feb. 13 vs. Hartford
Aaron, I see Cohen is getting a lot of minutes but I can’t say I see anything spectacular going on there….guy has good size but one game a couple of weeks ago, he looked awful on D. I think with Kampfer gone, he’s getting more ice time. Jury’s still out…maybe he’ll work out but nothing off the charts so far.
I’ve watched almost every Knight’s game that Knight has played in since he was 16. He was diagnosed with diabetes last year. I thought he was sick because his face looked like Zoolanders. His development has been okay. He is not a big guy but like Dave Bolland he never turns down a puck battle. His hockey I.Q is high. One more year of junior perhaps as captain could only help him.He wasn’t invited to the prospects game last year and that was a huge oversight. I thought we could steal him with our own second round pick but the B’s liked him enough to take him higher than his ranking. I was glad he was on their radar. Telepathy does work. For the time being he is leading a bunch of 16 year olds and the Knights are still winning.
Well they cant be better if we take their best potential players and put them in juniors or in Boston
I thought we were drafting to make Providence better.
Caron and Marchand with NHL time this year hurts them too, Knight and Spooner should help a lot assuming they don’t crack the NHL squad next year. The current crop has a lot of perimiter passers (Hammil, Colborne) or grit (Macdiarmid, Arniel) but not a whole lot of scoring punch outside of Sauve.
How has Cohen looked so far Ed? Avs fans seemed pretty upset when they lost him.
I agree with you Ed can’t wait much longer for those kids to be in the new england area
Matt…thanks for the P-B’s press…..it’s been a tough year here. What do you think…they clean house in the offseason? No scoring down here…..no one seems to have the finish. Hope the next wave of draft picks (Knight, Spooner, etc…) can do something.
just think how good the wanna-b’s are going to be once segzy gets sent down for conditioning!