Boston Herald 11/20/02
Boston Herald 11/20/02
Add Stumpel to B's long injury list
TORONTO - The Bruins defied the odds for several games, winning despite the absence of several key forwards. Logic dicates that trend can't last forever and the B's task gets even more difficult now with the loss of center Jozef Stumpel, who sprained his left wrist during the second period of the Maple Leafs' 2-0 win last night.
Stumpel was hurt cushioning his fall when he was shoved into the boards by 6-foot-6 Toronto center Nik Antropov, a play that drew a roughing minor.
``I knew it was hurt right away,'' Stumpel said. ``I tried taping it and playing with it, but it wasn't working well. I didn't really have any strength.''
More will be learned about the severity of the injury today, but Stumpel's loss leaves the B's a bit thin in the middle, likely with a center-ice threesome of Joe Thornton, Brian Rolston and recent Proidence Bruins call-up Matt Herr.
Morrisonn debuts
In a related matter, when Shaone Morrisonn took his first turn on the ice at the Air Canada Centre last night, it had greater significance for the Bruins than just a young defenseman playing his first NHL game. The turn of events also may have had a major impact on the B's trade of unsigned free agent Kyle McLaren, as could the Stumpel injury.
The B's brass hope and believe that Morrisonn, sooner or later, can fill the void left by McLaren in the team's top-four defense corps. Morrisonn looked good last night, playing a poised and sound 12 minutes, 6 seconds.
``Mo played the way I expected him to play,'' B's coach Robbie Ftorek said. ``Mo can play, no question.''
With that question answered, it may convince general manager Mike O'Connell than he should seek a forward in return for McLaren, especially now. Before the game, the GM said he did not expect to see McLaren playing in the NHL by, say, Christmas.
``A month away?'' O'Connell said. ``Well, we'd have to trade him within two weeks, because he'd probably need two weeks to get ready. I don't think that's going to happen.''
With the B's in need of help up front, O'Connell could be a trifle less picky in the trade market. Asked why neither Andy Hilbert nor Lee Goren, both scoring well at Providence (AHL), were brought up, O'Connell did not pull his punches.
``We don't feel they're ready,'' O'Connell said. ``There are some issues about (the two players') competitiveness down there. We want to make sure these guys compete hard and play hard. It's not all about scoring, it's about playing a two-way game, competing hard for the puck, checking hard. That's what we're looking for.''
A suggestion that Hilbert and Goren could be unhappy about being back in the minors elicited no sympathy from O'Connell.
``That's their problem,'' he said. ``They can worry about that all they like. They can cry all they like. Our goal is to have them here playing in the NHL. But they have to be playing the game the right way.''
Just pitching in
Jonathan Girard approached last night's game with some amusement. As a teenager, coaches often tried him at forward, but he always ended up back on the blue line.
``They realized I was more a defenseman than a forward,'' said Girard, who, as an NHL rookie in 1999-2000, was used by then-coach Pat Burns as a fourth-line winger and netted his first goal at Madison Suare Garden.
``I was playing with Marty McSorley and Joel Prpic,'' Girard said. ``We didn't get much icetime.''
Girard won't be a forward long.
``Girard is a defenseman, a very good defenseman,'' O'Connell said. ``That's where he's going to play for the Bruins. But we just felt that he could step in here and do a good job.
Injured Sergei Samsonov (wrist), Mike Knuble (concussion) and Martin Lapointe (foot) skated after the morning workout. Of the three, Knuble is closest, with a chance to come back tomorrow night at the FleetCenter vs. Carolina. Axelsson will be fitted with a brace today and could be back tomorrow.
Really good stuff.
