Bruins make roster move before Christmas break

The Bruins decided to give Victor Söderström a head start on his holiday commute Tuesday, with the defenseman reassigned to AHL Providence.

Söderström's move back down to the minors actually came during the first intermission of Boston's head-to-head with the Canadiens at TD Garden. While the holiday roster freeze is in effect, the 24-year-old Söderström was able to sent back down to the minors because he does not require waivers, and also because he was with the club on what was an emergency recall.

With the club since Dec. 4, Söderström made eight appearances for Boston prior to Tuesday's move, with an assist and plus-3 rating for the B's. The righty-shooting Swede also posted eight shots, along with 10 blocks, while the team itself posted a 4-3-1 record over his eight-game sample with the Bruins.

The Bruins' decision to return Söderström to the minors came after winger Viktor Arvidsson's return to the Boston lineup after a five-game absence due to a lower-body injury. More directly related to Söderström and his move back to the minors, however, was the fact that recent waiver claim defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok was in the Boston lineup for his Bruins debut on Tuesday night.

Kolyachonok, who is wearing No. 74 in Boston, got off to a strong start in his first period as a Bruin, as he had a solid block on a would-be scoring chance for the Canadiens and later drew the penalty that led to an Alex Steeves power-play goal.

The Bruins are still battling a significant injury bug on their backend, with Jonathan Aspirot, Michael Callahan, Jordan Harris, and Henri Jokiharju all still on the shelf for Boston. Aspirot, injured on Dec. 11, is considered the closest to returning to action.