Bruins make two moves ahead of extended break
For any Bruins player not selected to compete for their respective country, the upcoming break for the 4 Nations Face-Off will serve as a chance for an in-season getaway for at least a week.
But for center Matt Poitras and defenseman Michael Callahan, that ‘vacation’ will come on the ice down in Providence, with both players reassigned to the minors late Saturday night.
In the case of both players, this is simply to keep them active and in games during Boston’s two-week break, as the Bruins won’t get back into game action until Feb. 22. It also comes as the result of Callahan and Poitras being two players who do not require waivers to be assigned down to the minors.
Recalled by the Bruins back in January, Poitras has posted seven assists and 13 shots on goal in 12 games on his second tour of duty with the Big B’s this season.
Callahan, meanwhile, has totaled three shots, four hits, and nine blocked shots in eight games with the Bruins. The Franklin, Mass. native has logged at least 15 minutes in four of his eight appearances since his recall from Providence, but logged a season-low 9:49 in Saturday’s loss if you exclude Callahan’s injury-shortened 5:49 of time on ice in a Feb. 1 head-to-head with the Rangers.
The P-Bruins will be off on Sunday, but have a three-in-three coming up next weekend, with a Friday night head-to-head with Utica before a home-and-home with Bridgeport next Saturday and Sunday.
It’ll be interesting to see how long the Bruins keep both players down there, if only because Boston’s roster is slated to return to the practice rink on Feb. 18 while the P-Bruins will have another game between then and when the NHL club returns to game action.
