Tuesday morning did not come with a morning skate — or even a morning media availability for that matter — for the Bruins.
With this being the second leg of a traveling back-to-back that kicked off with a 2-0 shutout loss in Washington, that’s not surprising. But it did create some obvious intrigue as to how the Bruins will approach the final game of the regular season, with the Bruins still in control of their own destiny in a head-to-head with the straight-up bad Senators.
Would the Bruins invent a ‘bug’ or litany of nagging ailments and load themselves up on emergency recalls and ice a preseason-esque roster and avoid any potential repeats of last year’s disaster of first-line center and team captain Patrice Bergeron getting hurt right before the postseason? Or would the Bruins go full tilt in pursuit of their second straight division crown?
Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Ben Harpur (5) controls the puck in front of Boston Bruins center Jayson Megna (20) during the first period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
A veteran of 203 NHL games since 2013, Megna spent the majority of the 2022-23 season with Anaheim, with two goals and eight points in 41 games for the Ducks. Megna actually began the 2022-23 NHL season with the Avalanche, and had 20 hits and a 50.7 faceoff percentage in 14 games with Colorado, but was claimed off waivers by the Ducks in December.
Whether or not this is the Bruins simply rewarding a good, veteran soldier with what could be one final NHL game or getting a look at a potential fourth-line element for the playoffs, Megna is expected to slot in as a fourth-line type.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 05: John Beecher #19 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on October 05, 2023 in New York City. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
To make room for Megna, the Bruins have assigned Johnny Beecher to Providence.
This feels like yet another case of the Bruins — an obvious money-in, money-out kind of team because of their cap situation — using Beecher’s contract to their advantage more than anything else, as Beecher can be shuttled back and forth from Boston to Providence without needing waivers.
The 23-year-old Beecher has posted two goals and three points, along with 23 hits and nine blocks, in 13 games with the Bruins since being called back up to the NHL club in March. Beecher also won 65 of his 114 total faceoffs on his latest NHL recall, good for a 57 percent success rate at the dot.
