Wheeler is able to adjust his view

By Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff  |  March 10, 2009

COLUMBUS, Ohio - On Saturday, while his teammates were scoring a 5-3 win over Chicago, Blake Wheeler was in the TD Banknorth Garden press box, sharing a ninth-floor suite with assistant coach Doug Houda. They watched the game, then studied and discussed replays of certain plays.

A day later, Wheeler was back on the ice with usual linemates David Krejci and Michael Ryder, recording two shots and two hits in 16:07 of action during a 4-3 loss to the Rangers. Yesterday, Wheeler was one of six Bruins to participate in a limited practice at Dispatch Ice Haus.

Such is life as an NHL rookie.

"You never want to sit a game out. You hate being in the press box watching," Wheeler acknowledged. "But at the same time, it was really good to take a breather, let your mind rest a little bit, and watch from a different perspective.

"You definitely pick up on a lot of things that you might miss on the bench. It's just kind of refreshing to just see what it looks like from up top. You can put that into your game when you're out there and point you in the right direction again."

Coach Claude Julien hasn't been shy about viewing playing time as a privilege when dealing with youngsters, even high-impact players. Last year, Milan Lucic was sent to the press box for up-high observation. In the playoffs, a healthy Phil Kessel was yanked out of the lineup.

The early guess, from management and the coaching staff, was that Wheeler would start 2008-09 in Providence, then perhaps be worthy of a midseason promotion. But from the start of training camp, Wheeler showcased excellent skating and strength on the puck that made him a scoring threat.

In the games leading up to being scratched, though, Wheeler's legs weren't whirring the way they were earlier in the season when he was among the league's brightest rookies. When he watched Saturday, Wheeler noticed right away that the most successful players - new teammate Mark Recchi had an especially high-energy game - were the ones skating effectively.

"The biggest thing that stands out when you watch is that the guys who are very aggressive and on the puck, those are the guys who stick out the most and are getting the most positive results," Wheeler said.

"The biggest thing for me is that I kind of got into a bad habit of keeping my feet still when I got the puck. For me, it's getting my feet moving and going north-south.

"I think [Sunday's game] was a good step in the right direction in heading toward the other team's net and trying to use my speed to get going the right way instead of standing still."

Steve Montador, out the last two games with a stomach bug, was one of the six Bruins (Tim Thomas, Manny Fernandez, Byron Bitz, Matt Hunwick were the others) who skated yesterday. Montador said he might have been able to play Sunday at Madison Square Garden but it was probably a good decision not to dress. "In hindsight, it was probably better because [Sunday] wasn't a great day sick-wise either, not that I'll get into any details," he said. Montador suspected that his travel last week - Chicago to Anaheim to Boston - contributed to his illness.

In the Bruins' only game against Columbus last season (Dec. 15, 2007), Lucic squared off with Blue Jackets forward Jared Boll, one of the NHL's busiest brawlers. Lucic got the better of Boll, knocking off his opponent's helmet, then finishing the fight by pulling the forward's jersey over his head and landing several rights. It was a rematch of a throwdown in the semifinals of the Memorial Cup that spring. Lucic's Vancouver club beat Boll's Plymouth team to advance to the Memorial Cup final, which the Giants won. "We fought the year before in the Memorial Cup, so we ended up looking for each other again," recalled Boll. "It happened to be early in the game. We got it over with and went our ways. He's a competitive guy. I have a lot of respect for him. He's tough. He plays the game the right way. He can score. He can do everything. Just a little rivalry where we've come together a few times. But it happens." . . . Hunwick practiced yesterday wearing the white jersey worn by forwards . . . Montador on Columbus, a team he faced four times while skating for Anaheim this season: "They're an aggressive hockey club. They skate really well. They're physical. It's going to be a challenge for any club. I think [coach Ken ] Hitchcock and the coaching staff has them playing at a high level." . . . Montador crossed paths in the Nationwide Arena hallway yesterday with Columbus defenseman Mike Commodore, another ex-Flame from the 2003-04 club.

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