Ward has been falling behind

WILMINGTON - Because of his pairing with Zdeno Chara, Aaron Ward is considered the Bruins' No. 2 defenseman.

So far this season, Ward hasn't played up to that status.

Asked whether a return to Eastern Conference play would shore up his game, Ward said, "I hope. I really left that two-game series disappointed. After the Colorado game, I discussed it with Z, and we both thought there was great room for improvement."

During the offseason, Ward signed a two-year, $5 million contract, with the Bruins expecting the veteran to continue his defense-first game. Last season, his first full year in Boston, Ward appeared in 65 games, collecting five goals and eight assists, including a pair of overtime strikes against Philadelphia.

But he has been playing with some rust in his skates. Ward's struggles started on the season-opening shift against Colorado last Thursday when the Avalanche had a glittering scoring chance early on Tim Thomas.

"I was disappointed personally with my performance in the Colorado game," said Ward, who was a minus-2 against the Avalanche. "There was something about it. Even before we played the game, it was like they saw something."

Ward was referring to Colorado's game behind the net - specifically, how the puck carrier would dart one way, reverse, and throw a pass out front for a close-range scoring chance.

"It's like Tampa does with [Vincent ] Lecavalier and [Vaclav ] Prospal, where they go behind the net and get to the net front for a better shot," said Ward. "It's something we addressed. We'll keep addressing it. The system is set up so we're a pretty tight-knit group. We can't allow for penetration into that area."

Two nights later, the Wild scored the winning goal when winger Pierre-Marc Bouchard reversed the puck behind the net and spotted linemate Eric Belanger, who beat Manny Fernandez for Minnesota's fourth and final strike.

However, Ward and the rest of the defense played tighter against the Wild, and they hope to keep improving tonight against the Canadiens.

"The puck's not going to go in from behind the goal," said Ward. "If it does, it's something we'll have to worry about when it happens. But until that happens, we have to deal with the guy that's most dangerous on the ice, and that's the guy behind you.

"We have to maybe give the guy behind the net a little more time but taking away the passing lane and getting more support from the players behind. Those guys have to do a lot to be the second set of eyes behind them."

Paying attention

Andrew Ference, the Bruins' NHL Players Association representative, said the players will wait until executive director Paul Kelly visits with the team next month before making any decisions on terminating the collective bargaining agreement. According to chatter around the league, the players will not vote to end the CBA.

But Ference sees some issues that the NHL and the NHLPA must address: First, the escalating salary cap, especially within the context of current economic instability and the fading Canadian dollar. Second, the explosion of megabucks contracts, especially for young players in the tier below superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.

"There are young players that are exceptional players," Ference said. "There are a few of them and they deserve to make a lot of money. They're bringing in fans.

"The Crosbys and Ovechkins of the world are doing tremendous. But there's a tier below those guys right now that's making huge money. They're good players, but I think it's getting a little bit crazy to be paying good players the amount of money they're making.

"There's a big difference between the Crosbys and the Ovechkins and the next step down. At the end of the day, the biggest worry of older guys - guys with existing contracts - is that over the summer, we saw some massive contracts being signed.

"You start worrying about escrow. With every big contract that gets signed, that's a little chunk out of the pie that we all have to share. As much as anyone, we want to see fair contracts. We don't want to see guys who don't deserve them get inflated, massive contracts. That takes a little bit out of our pie."

Two are promoted

Vladimir Sobotka brought several things back from Providence when he was recalled yesterday: his in-your-face game, his new Audi Q7, and a purple blotch on his forehead, courtesy of a Sunday fight with Springfield forward Tyler Spurgeon.

"He did pretty well," said Matt Hunwick, also promoted from Providence yesterday. "His jersey came up over his head. He would have done really well if he could have seen what he was doing. It wasn't all the way up. It was halfway. That was the problem. Half of his fight, he was blind."

Sobotka, the Bruins' final preseason cut, had two goals and two assists in two Providence games. On Sunday, he recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick - a goal, an assist, and a fight.

"He's a gritty player," said coach Claude Julien. "No matter what size he is, he plays 6-foot plus every night. He plays hard, he plays gritty, and that's part of our identity. We need guys like that in our lineup."

Sobotka could challenge Petteri Nokelainen for the final spot up front, while Hunwick could be eased into the defensive six-pack.

"[Hunwick's] decisions on the ice have to be a little quicker for him to improve to the level we want him to," said Julien. "He's still doing a good job at it. If you look at players improving, this is the area for him. If he can get that part of his game better, he'll be a real good defenseman in this league."

With Sobotka and Hunwick aboard, the Bruins left for Montreal with 22 players on the active roster. Chuck Kobasew is on injured reserve, but his salary still counts against the team's number.

The Bruins yesterday signed forward Jordan Knackstedt to a three-year entry-level contract.

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