The Boston Bruins are once again starting to get healthier, as Viktor Arvidsson returned from another injury absence last night in a 6-2 defeat against the Montreal Canadiens.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Aspirot skated with the team for the first time following his injury on December 11 in Winnipeg. Aspirot has skated in 19 games this season, scoring one goal while mostly being a shutdown defenseman.
The Bruins also claimed Vladislav Kolyachonok off waivers from the Dallas Stars late last week, creating a need to clear a roster space.
Kolyachonok made his debut last night, and as he did, the Bruins demoted Victor Soderstrom back to the Providence Bruins.
Soderstrom, 24, played eight games for Boston this season, recording one assist in that time. The blueliner also played in 18 AHL games with the Providence Bruins this year before his recall, notching one goal and eight assists for nine points.
Had Boston not demoted him, he was just two games away from needing waivers to be sent down again, making the move almost inevitable.
The Bruins themselves will continue to seek further answers defensively following a 6-2 loss to the Canadiens. In their last six games before Christmas, the Bruins went 1-4-1, plummeting from the top of the Atlantic Division to 12th in the conference and seventh in the division by points percentage.
The Bruins and Buffalo Sabres meet Saturday night in Buffalo. If the Bruins lose that, the Sabres pass them in the standings while still holding two games in hand. The Toronto Maple Leafs are four points back of Boston, but also hold two games in hand. If things continue to spiral, it isn't tough to see where it could go.
After the game in Buffalo, the Bruins head to the Pacific Northwest. They'll visit the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and Seattle Kraken before finally returning home on January 8th, where they'll conclude January with nine home games out of their final 12 in the month.
An opportunity to corral the situation and turn things around is right there. All the Bruins need to do is get one win, as much for themselves as for the standings. Starting with that Saturday in Buffalo can lead to a very successful road trip in Western Canada.