BOSTON — John Moore has put in his time in Providence, and the Boston Bruins are ensuring that didn’t go unnoticed.
Right now, the Bruins basically have three players — Moore, Connor Clifton and Mike Reilly — vying for the two third pairing spots with Brandon Carlo set to return Tuesday against the Golden Knights. It’ll be Moore and Clifton playing against Vegas, with Reilly getting healthy scratched.
Moore had a nice training camp but was one of the final cuts, getting put on waivers and sent to Providence. He went down with a good attitude and made an impact on the younger players, all while getting his game where it needed to be. He’s been back up for a week now, and will stay in the lineup for at least one more game.
That allowed for Tuesday’s lineup decision to not have to be because a player was underperforming.
“That was a tough call because I think they all played hard out there,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said Tuesday.” Johnny Moore as well, and Cliffy. Talking to (assistant coach Kevin Dean), he had a better view than I did, and it was one of those ones where we could’ve taken anybody out from the three of them — I shouldn’t just say the three of them, but the guys that have sat. But I just think Johnny has put his time in in Providence and worked hard, he did what he was asked to do. So to automatically pull him out, I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do either while we get his game where we’d like it to be. We have four games this week, so I think you’ll see different guys go in.”
Getting Moore right is a sneaky important task for the Bruins, as having a reliable version of the veteran blueliner will add further depth to a position group that demands it.
Puck drop for Bruins-Golden Knights is set for 7 p.m. ET on NESN, with pregame coverage beginning at 6.
