One loss away from being eliminated by the Panthers for the second straight season, the Bruins are taking things day by day. In every sense of the term, really.
But the Bruins still have a team to ice today, and have found their backups, with nine more players called up from AHL Providence to be part of Boston’s “Black Aces” for the remainder of the postseason.
The nine-player move from the Bruins comes mere days after the club recalled veteran forwards Patrick Brown and Jayson Megna, as well as goaltender Brandon Bussi, up from the P-Bruins, and one day ahead of the team’s do-or-die Game 6 against the Panthers at TD Garden.
Barring something unforeseen and downright catastrophic, none of these guys are expected to factor into any games between now and the end of the postseason, but they are options for Jim Montgomery and the Bruins should they need to break glass between now and the end of their playoff run.
A detail of the Boston Bruins logo on a player’s sweater during a game. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
Up front, the recall bonanza began with forward Joey Abate.
In his second year of AHL play, the 6-foot-1 Abate scored three goals, and set AHL-career bests in assists (10), points (13), and games played (53) for Ryan Mougenel’s squad this past season. Abate was also Providence’s leader in penalty minutes, with 132, which also ranked as the 11th-most in all of the AHL.
The 25-year-old Abate has six goals and 19 points in 88 AHL games over the last two seasons.
Sep 26, 2023; Buffalo, New York, USA; Boston Bruins center Trevor Kuntar (52) deflects a shot on Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi (27) during the first period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
A third-round pick of the Bruins back in 2020, Trevor Kuntar had a respectable start to his pro career this past season, with 10 goals and 20 points in 70 games for AHL Providence.
Considered a physical type who can get to the front of the net, Kuntar ranked third among all P-Bruins skaters with 146 shots on goal this past season, while his 113 minutes in penalties were the second-most on the Bruins.
Oct 2, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Bruins center Marc McLaughlin (26) and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York (8) battle for position during the third period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
A right shot capable of playing both center and wing, Marc McLaughlin rejoins the Big B’s after a 2023-24 AHL campaign that featured eight goals and 14 points in 68 games for Providence.
The North Billerica, Mass. native has made 14 appearances for the Bruins in his NHL career, with four goals, 17 shots, and 21 hits over that run.
McLaughlin made one NHL appearance this past regular season, and scored a goal, along with four hits and one blocked shot, in that outing.
Sep 29, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Georgii Merkulov (42) skates with the puck during the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)
Providence’s leading scorer for the second season in a row, Georgii Merkulov is returning to the NHL after a season that featured 30 goals and 65 points in 67 AHL games played.
Merkulov made four appearances for the Bruins during the regular season, and finished with two hits, four blocks, and three shots on goal while losing 22 of his 28 faceoffs and averaging 10:35 of time on ice for Boston.
Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Anthony Richard (90) skates against the New York Rangers during the first period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
Another speedy bottom-six type, Anthony Richard will return to the Bruins after a regular season that featured 25 goals and 55 points in 59 AHL games for Providence, along with a nine-game run with Boston. During his nine-game run with the Bruins, Richard scored one goal and totaled three points, and racked up 25 hits and five blocked shots.
Richard has made 24 NHL appearances since 2018-19, with four goals and eight points over that run, which has come with appearances for Nashville, Montreal, and Boston.
Dec 15, 2023; Elmont, New York, USA; Boston Bruins center Oskar Steen (62) skates against the New York Islanders during the second period at UBS Arena. (Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)
The longest tenure Bruin among the recalls, the 26-year-old Steen has appeared in 60 NHL games for the Bruins over the last four NHL seasons, and has been in Providence since the 2019-20 season.
A 5-foot-9 wing, Steen made a career-high 34 appearances for the Bruins this past regular season, and though he established career-highs in hits (79) and blocks (19), he also scored just one goal and zero assists over that 34-game run.
Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Michael Callahan (79) checks a shot by New York Rangers center Jake Leschyshyn (15) during the second period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
A 6-foot-2 left-shot defenseman hailing out of Franklin, Mass., Michael Callahan put up a career-high four goals, 13 assists, and 17 points in 70 games for the P-Bruins this past season.
Callahan has played three years with AHL Providence to this point, with six goals and 27 points, along with a minus-20, in 140 total games since 2022.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 09: Ian Mitchell #14 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the first period against the New York Islanders at TD Garden on November 09, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
An early-season regular for the Boston backend, Ian Mitchell is back with Boston after an AHL season that included six goals and 24 points in 42 games for Providence. With Boston for 13 appearances this past regular season, Mitchell posted two assists, along with a plus-6 rating and 13 blocks, while averaging 15:18 for the Big B’s.
Sep 26, 2023; Buffalo, New York, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Michael DiPietro (80) looks for the puck during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports)
And in goal, Michael DiPietro will join Brandon Bussi as the two emergency backups behind the Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark combo in goal for the Bruins. Given the call for 30 appearances this season, DiPietro posted an 18-9-2 record for Providence this past season, and his .918 save percentage ranked seventh-best among qualifying goalies.
DiPietro, who was acquired from the Canucks in the Jack Studnicka trade made early in the 2022-23 season, signed an extension with the Bruins for 2024-25 earlier this year.
