Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Boston Bruins Austin Czarnik Gets His Chance as Injuries Hit Slumping B's


Lacking any real finishers outside of Brad Marchand and facing a sudden swath of injuries, the B’s are turning more and more to their emerging youth to help them get out of a mess in which they’ve lost six of seven and can’t seem to find the back of the net.

While they’ve gone against some solid goaltenders, they are short on the type of game-changing plays they will need to make to reach the postseason -- which they are precariously only a point away from missing for the second straight season with just five games to go.

They finally called up the much heralded speedy and shifty playmaking center Austin Czarnik, 23, who in his first pro season with Providence ranks in the top 10 in the AHL in assists (37) and is tied for 13th in scoring (52 points). The former college CCHA Player of the Year and Hobey Baker Finalist, Czarnik, 5’9”, 161 lbs, was an undrafted NCAA star captain at Miami University of Ohio where he piled up 169 points in 159 games before the B’s signed him as a highly coveted free agent at the conclusion of his senior year last March.

“It’s exciting,” Czarnik told the Bruins Website after his first NHL practice today. “It’s one of my dreams come true. I’m just going to take it day by day, work hard and do my best.”

Czarnik was recalled to the B’s for the first time Wednesday along with forward Seth Griffith, 23, 5’9”, 191 lbs, (67 points in 51 Providence games this year, and 11 points over 32 career Boston games), to cover for swift center Ryan Spooner, winger Brett Connolly (both out with lower body injuries) and center David Krejci. The three forwards and defenseman Dennis Seidenberg all missed practice today and are considered day to day, while blueliner John-Michael Liles returned to the ice after missing a week to injury.

“I’m not going to go into details about injuries, but definitely there’s guys that were here today from Providence because we had four guys missing today and we’ll see where we go from there,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said in the Boston Globe.

Julien did offer to the Bruins Web site that Spooner is improving.

Meanwhile, the new additions will try to give the B’s a much needed spark down the stretch. The Bruins have been struggling mightily on the powerplay for some time, and while they continue to put in valiant efforts just aren’t getting the offensive finish they need or the consistency on defense that has characterized the team in the past.

In practice Czarnik centered Lee Stempniak and Frank Vatrano, with whom he’s had great chemistry previously in Providence and last summer’s Bruins development camp. A natural set-up man, the quick and highly competitive Czarnik works well with Vatrano as his gunner. Griffith also practiced at center on a line with David Pastrnak and Matt Beleskey, who has been one of the Bruins’ few bright spots of late.

Beleskey scored a goal in the B’s lone win over the last seven games Saturday against the Leafs, and has been consistently battling to get pucks out of corners, delivering screens in front of the net and big hits when the team needs it. While he has a modest 14 goals and 35 points over 75 games, he ranks 8th in the league with 243 hits and brings the kind of nonstop workhorse approach, energy and fearlessness the B’s need to win if they are going to scrape themselves off the canvass and get back in this thing before their shot at the playoffs is over.


[Story Update: Czarnik's stay with the big club was short-lived as Spooner and Krejci returned to practice the next day and he was sent back to Providence. Griffith, who also plays right wing, stayed with the team for a couple of games until they recalled defenseman Colin Miller. Meanwhile, with 56 points in 62 games Czarnik moved into the top 10 in AHL scoring and made the All Rookie team alongside Vatrano.]

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