Bruins’ Georgii Merkulov Does ‘Lot Of Good Things’ In NHL Debut

BOSTON — Bruins forward Georgii Merkulov debuted against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, but was relatively quiet throughout the high-scoring victory.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though.

Merkulov was recalled Friday, mostly due to the fact that he’d been riding the scoring streak of his life down in the AHL over the course of December. He leads the Providence Bruins with 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points through 31 games this season, scoring 10 goals in his previous 12 games.

He didn’t score Saturday, but did exactly what the Bruins needed from him.

“He did a lot of good things,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said postgame. “I didn’t play him down the stretch, but that’s just because we wanted to close out the game. As soon as we closed it out, I put him back out there. He played a good game.”

Merkulov, who pivoted Trent Frederic and James van Riemsdyk, wasn’t exactly expected to put the puck in the back of the net. Boston’s expectation was that his line would control the puck, which is exactly what it did throughout the Bruins’ comeback.

Montgomery mentioned that he’d eventually be pulled, but that wasn’t due to poor play. It was a true coaches decision, with things working out exactly how the B’s expected.

The Bruins will likely give Merkulov another look, especially with Matthew Poitras joining Team Canada at the World Juniors. It’s up to the 23-year-old to make it a permanent stay.