Axelsson patches a hole

He gets point duty in Ference's absence

TORONTO - For the last two seasons, whenever a hole has opened in Claude Julien's lineup, the Bruins coach has turned to P.J. Axelsson to serve as a patch.

It seems that Axelsson is continuing his act.

With Andrew Ference sidelined because of a fractured right tibia, the Bruins needed a point man on their second power-play unit. If the last two games serve as an indication, Axelsson can add that job to his Black-and-Gold résumé. Last night against Toronto and Saturday against the Rangers, Axelsson manned the point alongside Dennis Wideman on the No. 2 unit.

"What we like about him is his vision and his smarts," Julien said. "He can make plays. Right now, that's one of the solutions we've come up with to replace Andrew on the power play.

"There are also other solutions, too, that we may utilize at some point. But he's a guy we think can help us out in that situation. He's been good at filling in wherever we've needed him because of the type of player he is."

The other possibilities could include Matt Hunwick, promoting Matt Lashoff, or even shifting David Krejci from down low to the point. But for now, the Bruins are going with Axelsson.

The veteran Swede isn't the next coming of Nicklas Lidstrom, but because of his hockey sense, Axelsson can temporarily fill the job description of a point man: hold the blue line, distribute the puck, bail out when a shorthanded chance takes place, and sneak shots through traffic on goal.

"Axy's a very versatile player," Wideman said. "He's good defensively. He skates backward really well for a forward. I feel 100 percent confident having him back there."

Wideman said the only difference Saturday was that he was responsible for lugging the puck out of the zone during breakouts, a duty he split with Ference. While Wideman is the more offensively minded point man, he said Axelsson should feel comfortable shooting the puck, especially if widebodies such as Milan Lucic and Blake Wheeler are parked in front.

"That's one thing with our power play," said Wideman. "When you've got Wheels, Looch, and some size in front of the net, we're looking to get it to the front and try to bang in a rebound and hopefully score."

In last night's 3-2 win, Axelsson saw a man-advantage total of 1:15. He was also tapped for his regular penalty-kill chores, skating 2:41 of shorthanded time, tops among Boston forwards.

"Those kinds of players never get enough credit," Julien said. "We often talk about guys who score all the goals and everything else. But P.J. is one of those guys, when you look at his time on the ice every night, it's valuable time he gives us out there, PK or put him on the PP.

"He's been one of those guys that whatever you want from him, he goes out there and does. He doesn't get enough credit for it."

Going fourth

He projected to be a second- or third-line wing, using his speed and grit to create scoring chances and play effectively on defense.

But in the last four games, as he plays his way into form after being knocked out for nearly a month, Chuck Kobasew has found himself on the fourth line with Yelle and Shawn Thornton, asked to play a grinding style in short spurts - which, in theory, may be the best manner in which he can reclaim his game.

The fourth line plays a straightforward, north-south game to hit, bring energy, and set up scoring chances. Nothing fancy. No dangling. Just smashmouth hockey.

"It makes it easier," Kobasew said. "You don't try to complicate things at all. Just get pucks to the net and crash the net."

Ference has surgery

Ference underwent surgery yesterday at Massachusetts General Hospital to repair his fractured right tibia. Dr. George Theodore, who performed the procedure, inserted a pin to help the healing process. Ference is projected to miss six to eight weeks . . . Last week, Colin Campbell, NHL senior vice president and director of hockey operations, issued a memo regarding head shots and how discipline will increase if players continue to throw them. "We have to play as hard as we can but within the rules," Julien said. "We're not encouraging head shots. We don't want head shots. When you look at some of the injuries, it's a fast-paced game. It happens sometimes and it's up to the league to take charge of those situations and deal with them. I'm certainly not going to tell my team to stop forechecking or finishing its checks. But we have to be aware that there's a certain element of respect out there. You're not out there to go after heads but just finishing your checks." . . . Toronto said goodbye to Maple Leafs fixture Doug Gilmour yesterday. The former center will become head coach of the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs. Gilmour had been an assistant coach for the Marlies, Toronto's AHL affiliate. Current Providence assistant coach Bruce Cassidy was Kingston's coach in 2006-07 and 2007-08 before he was fired.

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com