WILMINGTON, Mass. — There’s a strong chance Loui Eriksson will be venturing out of his comfort zone when the Boston Bruins visit the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
With Ryan Spooner nursing an undisclosed injury suffered during Saturday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Eriksson, a winger by trade, lined up at center during Monday’s practice at Ristuccia Arena. Spooner will not travel with the Bruins to New Jersey, and rather than call in reinforcements from Providence, head coach Claude Julien expects Eriksson to temporarily slot in as his new third-line center.
“You saw Loui at center (during Monday’s practice),” Julien said. “Loui’s very capable of doing that. And we’ll see where we go from there.”
Eriksson is a skilled two-way forward, but he’s rarely played anywhere but on the wing since he broke into the NHL in 2006. Apart from one third-period shift Saturday night, the 30-year-old said he hasn’t seen time as a centerman in close to a half-decade.
“I took some faceoffs last game,” said Eriksson, who centered Frank Vatrano and Jimmy Hayes during practice. “I think I had one shift as a centerman last game. I did try it in Dallas. I had a few games in Dallas playing centerman, and it’s a little bit different. But I kind of liked the work you have to put in to be a centerman, and I’ll try to do my best.”
Centers are trusted with much more responsibility than the wingers flanking them are, which Eriksson admitted will take some getting used to if he does, in fact, line up there against the Devils.
“Obviously the faceoffs, and you have to be the guy who comes home and plays in the defensive zone,” he said. “It’s a little bit different. It’s probably going to take a few shifts to get used to it, but I’ve played it before, and hopefully I can do something good with it.”
Eriksson plans to follow the lead of two of Boston’s most established forwards: Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, who have centered the team’s first and second lines, respectively, in nearly every game this season.
“You can definitely learn a lot from those two guys,” Eriksson said. “Everyone knows how good they are playing centerman. It’s a little bit different job — you kind of have to be good in all three zones and really be sharp when you’re there. I kind of like to play that way anyway, so hopefully I can find a good way to play center.”
The Bruins hope so, as well. Their win over the Maple Leafs snapped a season-long five-game losing streak, but they still have little room for error in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff race. Boston began the week with just a three-point lead over the Detroit Red Wings for third place in the Atlantic Division — an advantage that could drop to one point if the Wings are able to knock off the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.
“I played (center) when I was younger, but that was a long time ago,” Eriksson said. “It’s a little bit different playing it in the NHL when you haven’t played it that much. But I’m looking forward to the challenge, and hopefully I can help (the team) out.”
Eriksson ranks second on the Bruins with 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) this season and is the only B’s player who has yet to miss a game.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
