WILMINGTON, Mass. — The Bruins have called up some reinforcements for the playoffs, though they would be perfectly happy not to have to actually use any of them.
The Bruins recalled 10 players from their American Hockey League affiliate in Providence on Tuesday, bringing up some extra bodies in case injuries strike in the postseason.
Goalies Anton Khudobin and Michael Hutchinson, forwards Jamie Arniel, Jordan Caron, Zach Hamill, Lane MacDermid and Trent Whitfield, and defensemen Yury Alexandrov, Matt Bartkowski and Steven Kampfer were all summoned from Providence, which did not qualify for the AHL playoffs.
Only Khudobin and Bartkowski actually practiced with the team on Tuesday. Kampfer was also present in Wilmington, but was limited to off-ice activities as he suffered a knee injury over the weekend while playing for Providence.
The remainder of the players will continue to skate in Rhode Island and be available if needed.
With Kampfer expected to be sidelined at least two weeks, the Bruins had only veteran Shane Hnidy on hand as a spare defenseman. Hnidy, who suffered a shoulder injury in camp while on a tryout with Phoenix, played just three games this season after signing with Boston in February.
Beyond that, the Bruins have little in the way of depth on defense. Bartkowski would now be in line to fill in if more than one blueliner were to be injured before Kampfer could return. Bartkowski played in six games with the big club this season, his first year out of Ohio State. He had no points and six penalty minutes in those games, as well as 5-18-23 totals and 42 PIMs in 69 games with Providence.
Khudobin gives the Bruins a third goalie on hand to ease the practice workload of starter Tim Thomas and backup Tuukka Rask. Khudobin is unlikely to see any game action in the postseason, but his presence in practice will be a valuable experience for the 24-year-old, who was acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline. He was 2-1-0 with a 1.59 GAA in four games with the Wild this year, but spent the bulk of the season in the AHL, compiling a 28-16-2 record with a 2.52 GAA in 50 games split between Houston and Providence.
