Kaspars Daugavins hasn’t played much in a Bruins sweater but that doesn’t mean his teammates or coaches are expecting him to just go through the motions on Friday night.
Daugavins is suiting up in Game 4, playing on the B’s third line with Rich Peverley and Tyler Seguin. Chris Kelly, who usually centers that line, was skating with Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille at morning skate, with Gregory Campbell out for the remainder of the postseason with a broken leg.
While he played just six regular-season games with the Black and Gold, Daugavins laced ’em up in Game 1 against the Maple Leafs when these 2013 playoffs began, notching nearly 10 minutes in total ice time — :25 of which on the penalty kill unit.
“He’s a gritty player. He’s strong on the puck, strong as an individual, he can shoot the puck. Got a lot of qualities,” head coach Claude Julien told the media after morning skate on Friday. “We’ve always said we’ve got depth on this team. We showed it when injuries crept up on defense. Now we’ve got an injury up front. He’s going to have to step in and do his job.”
The B’s had options when Campbell went down. Jordan Caron or Carl Soderberg could have filled in nicely, too, as could a guy like Jay Pandolfo. While Julien has confidence in Daugavins, he probably would have been just as comfortable with anyone coming on, stepping up and filling in for Soupy.
“That’s what I meant [Thursday] when I said I have lots of options,” he reiterated. “I can interchange guys, move them around. We’ll see how things go. That’s what I had this morning in the morning skate. They know it can change. Not necessarily set in stone.”
Photo via Twitter/NHLBruins
