DETROIT – The Bruins will need reinforcements for the back with a number of their defensemen standing as question marks for Sunday afternoon’s game vs. the Detroit Red Wings, so they have called D-man prospect Urho Vaakanainen up from Providence if they need an extra player.
Vaakanainen was on the first flight out of Logan Airport headed for Detroit on Sunday morning after a sequence of events over the last few days that see Jeremy Lauzon expected to be suspended for a hit in Saturday’s game on Derek Stepan, John Moore banged up after exiting Saturday’s 4-2 win in the third period and Brandon Carlo reportedly traveling from Colorado to Detroit to meet the team after attending to personal business at home.
Lauzon will have a phone hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Sunday and appears headed for a suspension for at least a game or two after drawing a match penalty for his illegal check to Stepan’s head in the first period of Boston’s win.
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Bruce Cassidy indicated given all the factors involved that they might have to call up some reinforcements from the AHL just to have enough lineup bodies for the matinee against the Red Wings.
“We’ll have to get on the [phone] here with Providence I think is in Bridgeport, so whoever is coming will be traveling, but hopefully they’ll be excited to be in Detroit playing and not back home against Bridgeport,” said Cassidy. “I don’t know if [Moore] blocked a shot or if there is a stinger or something going on there. I saw him walking around after; he seems fine, but that’s a bit of a concern depending on what happens with [Jeremy] Lauzon.”
Vaakanainen was held out of Providence’s Saturday night game in Bridgeport in case he was needed against the Red Wings given everything happening in Boston. The 21-year-old Vaakanainen has played in five games in Boston this season while posting four goals and 12 points in 42 games for the P-Bruins this year. The former first-round pick didn’t have a great training camp with the Bruins, but has been playing well as of late in Providence while logging big minutes, playing in every situation and developing more of his puck-moving and offensive game at the AHL level.