Alberts ready, willing to make a big impact
NEWARK - Andrew Alberts, originally expected to miss only a few games, finally made it back to the Bruins' lineup last night, some 3 1/2 months since being sidelined with head and neck aches. How best to get back in the action?
"I like to go out and get a hit," said Alberts, one of Boston's top four defensemen. "It kind of wakes you up. So, yeah, get a hit . . . or even better, give a hit."
Alberts partnered with Shane Hnidy when the puck dropped at the sparkling new Prudential Center. He finished the night with 17:22 in ice time, averaging 54 seconds a shift. Officially, he did not record a hit, but he was constantly around the action and was whistled off for a roughing minor at 3:22 of the second period when he got a bit too aggressive with the Devils' David Clarkson.
"Nervous . . . no, more excited, I guess," Alberts said prior to the faceoff of his 182d career game. "I guess I was kind of giddy out there this morning, and [assistant coach Doug Houda] said maybe I should go out and run 5 miles to burn off some of the excitement."
Alberts took his first shift against the Devils, albeit a brief one, with about 1:45 gone in the first period. A quick whistle, and a line change by coach Claude Julien, brought Hnidy and Alberts back to the bench after less than 10 seconds. Later in the period, Alberts took his first hit, popped by winger Arron Asham while Alberts tried to collect a puck in the corner. Alberts barely flinched. He was not available for comment after the 3-2 shootout loss.
Point taken
P.J. Axelsson, long one of the NHL's top defensive forwards, has been practicing for point duty on the power play, usually with Zdeno Chara at the opposite point. And with the Bruins on a five-on-three power play in the final seconds of the first period, Axelsson moved to the right point, with Chara on the left."We're getting thin, and he's played there before," said Julien. "He's smart and he sees the play well."
Axelsson, ever willing, said he had not played the point since the 1990s in Sweden, right around the time the Bruins selected him 177th overall in the 1995 draft.
The Bruins of late have relied on a first-unit power play backed by Chara and Aaron Ward at the points. Axelsson gives Julien another option on that first unit.
With four seconds left in the first, Chara slid a soft dish from the slot, a perfect feed for a one-time slapper. But an overeager Axelsson fanned on the initial shot, but then recovered to get off a second attempt as the horn sounded.
Savard sits again
Whither Marc Savard? According to Julien, it is highly unlikely that the club's No. 1 center will rejoin the club for tomorrow night's game in Ottawa. "It's not about having more tests," said Julien. "It's about the healing process. Right now, he is scheduled to start skating again on the weekend - or just before the weekend. It all depends on how he feels." Savard, cracked across the lower back by a Steve Begin cross-check in Montreal March 22, missed his sixth straight game. Rookie David Krejci again filled his spot, centering veterans Marco Sturm and Glen Murray . . . Andrew Ference, sidelined for a fifth straight game with a wrenched knee, skated in the morning workout. The veteran blue liner is considered possible to return tomorrow night . . . The Bruins-Senators game tomorrow will not be on NESN, which is airing the Red Sox-Blue Jays game. Fans will have to go to NESN.com and click on "NESN plus channels" to locate the station in their area. The Bruins will be on CN8 in Boston . . . Glen Metropolit on leading off in his shootout debut this season: "[Julien] told me I was first, and that was a little bit of a surprise, but at the same time, I was excited. I kind of knew [Martin Brodeur] had a quick glove, and I tried to tease him a little, to see which way he would go. When I didn't see him go for the poke, I went to the backhand, but it just rolled off my stick. He looked at me after, to see if I was celebrating, because he didn't know if it was in the net - but heck, the puck was still on my stick." . . . Sturm and Chara led both sides with five shots apiece . . . In the shootout, Sturm was introduced as Marco Strum.