The Bruins recalled Adam McQuaid from Providence on an emergency basis on Monday.
McQuaid, a 6-foot-5, 209 pound defenseman made his NHL debut on the road against the Maple Leafs on Dec. 19. The 23-year-old has made eight NHL appearances for Boston this season and has recorded 14 penalty minutes.
In 31 games with the Providence Bruins, he has recorded three goals and seven assists to go with 66 penalty minutes. He was originally drafted by Columbus in the second round of the 2005 entry draft but was traded to the Bruins following his final junior season in Sudbury in 2007.
The gritty McQuaid has had two fights in his last three games with the Bruins. Perhaps his tough energetic play will be the spark Boston needs to get back on track and snap out of its seven-game losing streak. With Mark Stuart (broken finger) out of the lineup until after the Olympic break, McQuaid could see a lot of playing time.
At this point, the Bruins need all the help they can get. They were an unimpressive 1-8-2 in January and have recorded only 11 goals in their losing skid, but they have played better their last two games offering some hope. They outshot the Sabres 31-23 in a 2-1 loss on Jan. 29 and took the Kings to six rounds in the overtime shootout, before falling 3-2 to L.A. on Jan. 30.
Bruins head coach Claude Julien remains positive and optimistic about his team’s recent play. Let’s face it, in a division where the standings generally shift on a weekly basis and teams are often only separated by a point or two, the B’s may only be a few wins away from clawing their way back up the Eastern Conference ladder.
“Overall, we feel we're turning the corner, heading in the right direction," Julien said. "That's two games in a row we've competed better than we had in the past."
The Bruins are 11th in the conference (two points out of the eighth and final playoff spot) and fourth in the Northeast Division, just behind their rival Montreal Canadiens, who visit Boston on Thursday. Adding another Shawn Thornton-enforcer type to the lineup in McQuaid won’t hurt the B’s — they’re hoping it hurts the opposition.
