Defenseman Tanabe acquired from Coyotes

Reeling from a four-game losing streak, a team floundering in last place in the Northeast division, and a fickle fan base promised a Stanley Cup contender by management when the NHL lockout ended, the Bruins reacted swiftly last night, dealing center Dave Scatchard to the Phoenix Coyotes for defenseman David Tanabe, a former first-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 25-year-old Tanabe, a 6-foot-1-inch, 212-pounder from White Bear Lake, Minn., was the Hurricanes' top choice, No. 16 overall, in 1999.

The deal appears to address the Bruins' most-pressing need -- a swift defenseman -- in the wake of hideous collapses the last four games, particularly Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs at the TD Banknorth Garden when the locals where booed off the ice after allowing three goals in the third period.

Scatchard, 29, was one of the most consistent players on the Bruins, a defensive-minded forward who was forced to play a bigger offensive role with Alexei Zhamnov injured for the first 17 games of the season. Scatchard scored four goals and had 10 points in 16 games, but might have simply been caught in a numbers game; the Bruins are deep at center and perilously thin -- and inexperienced -- on the blue line.

''David [Tanabe] is a good, young defenseman with NHL experience," general manager Mike O'Connell said in a statement. ''He is a strong skater and he will help our team."

And help is desperately needed with prized offseason acquisition Brian Leetch, 37, sidelined with a right knee injury since Nov. 1.

Tanabe, who played one year at the University of Wisconsin, has 4 points (all assists) in 21 games and is minus-5 this season. He is expected to be in Boston today before the Bruins host the Sabres in what is amounting to an important division game, albeit 20 games into the season. It is not known if Tanabe will play tonight.

Tanabe injured his anterior cruciate ligament in January 2004 and missed almost half the season with the Coyotes. He played last season in Switzerland during the NHL lockout.

The deal also opens up salary-cap space for the Bruins. Tanabe will make $950,000 this season, and Scatchard, who signed a four-year free agent deal in the summer, will make $2.1 million.

Brass in attendance

The Bruins' workout at Ristuccia Arena was well attended yesterday morning. Not by fans, mind you, but by the front office. In attendance were president Harry Sinden, O'Connell, assistant GM Jeff Gorton, and director of pro scouting and player development Sean Coady.

A black cloud hangs over the club and this looms as an important weekend for the franchise. The Bruins face Buffalo tonight and travel to New York to play the Rangers tomorrow.

As upbeat as the mood was during practice, which featured one-on-one drills and work on odd-man rushes (both offensively and defensively), it's clear the pressure is building. Boston is now in the division basement and is below .500 at 7-8-3-2 one-quarter through the season.

''If a team isn't winning, then change is inevitable," said defenseman Hal Gill. ''It doesn't mean that it's one person's fault and it doesn't mean it's your fault if you're traded."

''I like our group here and I think we have a good group of guys, and hopefully we can right the ship. I think [O'Connell and coach Mike Sullivan] believe in us or else we wouldn't be here. If we all come together, we can get the job done. Winning changes everything, that's all we've got to do."

The Bruins have a chance to get on track against the Sabres, who have 20 points to Boston's 19, and the Rangers, who have 25.

''These two games coming up back to back, we can get some points here and we know what we have to do, we just have to go and do it and do it for 60 minutes," said Gill. ''We've got to stay up -- not too high and not too low -- but keep going and keep carrying that momentum throughout the whole game, and that's what we haven't done.

''We have a good opportunity this weekend to forget about everything else and just go play hockey. With back-to-back games, your body takes over sometimes. Hopefully, we can keep our mind out of things and let our bodies go to work. Whether we win or lose, we have to stick to a game plan and see it out through the whole game."

Check banged him up

Rookie defenseman Andrew Alberts missed practice because of a bruised shoulder suffered Thursday night, possibly when he checked Alex Steen in the third period. Sullivan said Alberts went to the doctor for an evaluation. More will be known this morning . . . Leetch skated for a third straight day and said he's making progress in his rehabilitation from a right knee injury. ''Each day I go out uncertain because I'm going to do a little more that day than the day before," said Leetch. ''I've been excited about the way my knee has responded and the way it has felt. I've got a brace on and I've been off the ice for 2 1/2 weeks, so I knew I wouldn't feel good just naturally getting back on, and yet my knee feels better than I expected, so that's positive." Leetch said it hasn't been easy to watch the team struggle in his absence. ''I'd like to be a part of helping out," he said. ''But I believe in this group and I think the process we're going through, we're doing the right things, we're addressing the right issues, and I like the attitude. There's no one pointing fingers or ignoring the reality of where we are and how we've played. There are a lot of people looking for solutions, and it's the positive that I see." . . . Center Patrice Bergeron, who missed Thursday's game with the flu, skated for most of the workout and hopes to suit up against the Sabres.