Bruins make another roster move as new week begins
The Bruins are down to their final weeks in what’s looking like the club’s first ‘did-not-qualify’ since 2016.
And general manager Don Sweeney’s ever-changing roster made another tweak on Monday, this time with forward Jeffrey Viel recalled from Providence on an emergency basis.
Back in Boston for what is his third recall of the season, the 28-year-old Viel returns to the NHL having appeared in four games for Boston this season, and with four goals and eight points in 11 AHL games since the Bruins returned him to Providence in early March. Viel last played for the Big B’s in a Mar. 4 loss to the Predators, and set some season highs in that outing, with five hits and 9:03 of time on ice.
Overall, and in his first season with the B’s organization, Viel has recorded three shots and 11 hits, along with one fighting major (all the way back in November in what was Jim Montgomery’s final game behind the Boston bench), over his four-game NHL sample this season.
Boston’s decision to summon Viel back up from the minors came the morning after the Bruins placed both Patrick Brown and Vinni Lettieri on waivers, and came prior to both players clearing waivers at 2 p.m. It’s worth noting that both Brown and Lettieri participated in Monday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, meaning that they may very well remain on Boston’s roster for Tuesday’s head-to-head with Washington.
Elsewhere on the Boston roster, Fabian Lysell was skating with Elias Lindholm and Marat Khusnutdinov on the Black and Gold’s second line on Monday, indicating that Sunday’s move that saw Lysell sent back to Providence was indeed a mere paper transaction by the club.
Lysell is still looking for his first NHL point, but has had his moments during this latest recall, with nine shots on goal over four appearances. Lysell’s 17 shot attempts over that four-game sample are second-most on the Bruins, while his three individual high-danger chances are the third-most on the team.
The Bruins also noted that fourth-line forward Mark Kastelic, who has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury, remains out of action and without an update on his recovery.
