Bochenski's wait increases

This summer, he signed a one-year, one-way, $600,000 contract. He married his longtime girlfriend. He bulked up, strapping on nearly 20 pounds of beef in hopes of developing his game for the danger areas.

For all that, Brandon Bochenski has found himself on the outside looking in.

Bochenski, once in the mix as a second-line right wing, was a healthy scratch in yesterday's preseason-ending 4-2 loss to the Islanders at TD Banknorth Garden. Bochenski dressed in only two of the team's six matches, recording three shots and zero points - not exactly the numbers expected of a go-to scorer.

"With an extra 20 pounds, it's trickier than you think," said Bochenski, referring to his struggles at the start of camp. "But I'm not making any excuses. I chose to come in like that."

In his first preseason appearance, Bochenski skated with Marco Sturm and Patrice Bergeron against the Devils Sept. 20. Two days later, Bochenski was on Boston's No. 1 line with Peter Schaefer and Marc Savard. Since then, he hasn't gotten into a game, although he feels he's moving better now than he did at the beginning of camp.

"At the start, coming in a little bit heavier, I definitely felt sluggish," Bochenski said. "It threw everything off. I felt a step behind. I've trimmed down a little bit and now feel more like myself. But it was like playing in somebody else's body."

The 25-year-old Bochenski, obtained from Chicago Feb. 3 for prospect Kris Versteeg, has shown a knack for finding the back of the nets when he gets ice time. Bochenski scored 11 goals in 31 games for the Bruins last season, and netted 33 in 35 AHL games for Norfolk before his arrival in Boston.

"He's a guy that can certainly score goals," said coach Claude Julien before yesterday's game. "He's a natural goal-scorer and he's shown that in the past. He's another guy who we know where we stand with him. Right now, we've got some decisions to make, and we're making our lineup according to that."

But getting regular shifts has been the tricky part for Bochenski, and his he-man offseason approach didn't do him any favors. Bochenski has a style similar to Glen Murray where he looks for seams and takes advantage of his quick release instead of creating space by banging with the big boys.

For now, Bochenski is aiming to play his way back into the lineup, although he could be traded or assigned to Providence.

"I've gotten better with each practice and that's what preseason's for," Bochenski said. "So instead of being at the top of my game to start, I'm going to be at the top of my game coming out of it."

Rest for Lucic

With his performance in camp - four games, two fights, solid two-way play - Milan Lucic put his name squarely in the scramble for NHL jobs.

Which even the 19-year-old will admit is a surprise.

"I wasn't that optimistic coming in here," said Lucic, who was a healthy scratch yesterday. "Just came in here with the attitude of going out there, play my game, have fun, and play hockey. And whatever happens will happen."

And it even appears that Vancouver, his junior team, isn't exactly devastated by his absence. The reigning Memorial Cup champs are 4-0, debuting before their home crowd Saturday with a 5-0 thumping of Kelowna, prompting Lucic to send general manager Scott Bonner text messages that the Giants don't really need their captain.

"I think I've showcased in all the games what I can do and what I bring to the table," Lucic said. "I thought I played well in camp. Just making their decision tough. Hopefully it will keep me around a bit longer."

Preseason ends

The Bruins concluded the preseason with a 1-4-1 record. Forward Miroslav Satan led New York with two goals while David Krejci and Murray scored for the Bruins. Manny Fernandez stopped 28 of 32 shots.

"The little stuff has to be addressed and corrected," said Fernandez. "Deep down, I feel like we could have given a little more in the third period. It's tough. One mistake changes the whole game."

The Bruins, who started the preseason with a 3-1 win over the Islanders, went winless in their last five games.

"I feel good," said Savard. "We're in a learning process here. We've learned a lot of new things. We're going to play better."

Chara sits out

Zdeno Chara (shoulder) practiced yesterday morning but was scratched from the game as a precautionary measure. Chara appeared in one preseason game. "He'll be fine," Julien said. "If there's anything in Z's situation, we were overly cautious with him. He will definitely be ready for Friday's game." . . . Glen Metropolit had been dressing in an auxiliary room at the Garden. But Metropolit's stall was moved to the main dressing room, indicating that he'll sign with the Bruins and break camp with the club. Yesterday, Lucic, Petteri Nokelainen (healthy scratch), and Matt Hunwick were the only players using the other room. "I'm not signed yet," said Metropolit. "Hopefully we're in the middle of getting something done." . . . The Bruins made their signing of 18-year-old goalie Adam Courchaine official yesterday. Courchaine, currently playing for Ottawa (OHL), signed his deal last week . . . Chara and partner Shawn Thornton served as one pair on the winning team in Friday's orienteering outing, when the Bruins traipsed through the Vermont woods for a good chunk of the afternoon. "Shoes were just filthy," said Lucic of mucking through the woods. "Brand new shoes. Just filthy. Thank God they were black. I just rubbed them off and they were good."

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at FShinzawa@globe.com.