Bruins notebook

Time now on Hunwick’s side

With Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask headed for the locker room, the Capitals’ Brooks Laich (left) gets a hero’s reception from Nicklas Backstrom after potting the winner in overtime. (Nick Wass/Associated Press)

By Fluto Shinzawa

Globe Staff / April 6, 2010

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WASHINGTON — Just three weeks ago, a skittish Matt Hunwick was the seventh defenseman. With the Bruins hesitant to send the puck-fighting Hunwick onto the ice, the 24-year-old was relegated to suit-and-tie duty for three games. Injuries, however, have left Hunwick no choice but to answer the call.

Last night against the trigger-happy Capitals, with Dennis Seidenberg, Mark Stuart, and Andrew Ference unavailable, Hunwick responded with a team-high 29:00 workload, the most ice time he has received as an NHLer. Hunwick, skating on the second pairing with Johnny Boychuk, landed three shots.

“I think he’s capable of doing it,’’ said coach Claude Julien before the Bruins’ 3-2 overtime loss. “He’s had his ups and downs like a lot of players this year. But when called upon, he played as well as we needed him to play. That’s what we need right now. You’ve got to rely on people when called upon, and those guys have to answer if we’re going to make the playoffs here. It’s pretty simple.’’

Last season, when Hunwick suffered a ruptured spleen in Game 1 of the first-round series, his injury was a significant reason the Bruins, suddenly less mobile on the back end, bowed out to Carolina in seven games in the second round. Without Hunwick and Ference (groin), the Bruins were missing two of their better puck-moving defensemen, which resulted in the Carolina forecheck wreaking havoc in the Boston zone.

Hunwick, healthy to start 2009-10, projected to be a possible second-pairing defenseman who could move the puck, join the rush, and provide much-needed offense from the blue line. But Hunwick, like many teammates, hasn’t fulfilled expectations. Entering last night, Hunwick had a team-worst minus-16 rating, with six goals and eight assists in 72 games while averaging 17:29 of ice time.

That’s why Hunwick is hoping to build off his big-time minutes against the Maple Leafs on Saturday (27:36) and the Capitals.

“I feel like I’m a player who plays better the more he’s in the game,’’ Hunwick said. “Now, it’s apparent that we’re going to need everyone stepping up and playing more minutes. Hopefully the confidence only grows from here.’’

Seidenberg scratched

Despite participating in warm-ups and the morning skate, Seidenberg was unable to play last night because of discomfort in his injured left wrist. Seidenberg went to the dressing room before the conclusion of warm-ups. He didn’t take any hard shots and didn’t participate in line rushes.

Yesterday morning, Seidenberg’s stay on the ice was even briefer, returning to the dressing room after only several minutes.

“Couldn’t make it happen,’’ said Seidenberg.

He will be examined today by team doctors. Seidenberg wasn’t sure if he could play Thursday.

McQuaid back in fold

Adam McQuaid, last seen pummeling the daylights out of Florida’s Victor Oreskovich Feb. 13 (he was assigned to Providence the next day), was promoted on an emergency basis to replace Seidenberg.

McQuaid had been sidelined for nearly two months because of a concussion unrelated to his fight. McQuaid played in his first game back for Providence Sunday, landing two shots in the P-Bruins’ 3-2 win over Portland. Last night, while paired with Andrew Bodnarchuk, McQuaid skated 13 shifts for 9:10 of ice time.

“I feel pretty good,’’ McQuaid said. “I played [Sunday] night kind of surprised myself a little bit. I felt better than I thought I would.’’

Before his injury, McQuaid had drawn praise from the coaching staff for his simple, defensive-minded game. Entering last night, McQuaid was averaging 10:48 of ice time in 15 outings.

“It was disappointing,’’ McQuaid said of his concussion. “I was feeling pretty good there. I was getting more comfortable. When I got sent down, I was going down with a lot of confidence. I was looking forward to the opportunity down there. It’s just been tough. It’s the longest stretch where I’ve been unable to play. Especially the time of year that I was hurt, it was hard watching the games and not being able to help your team out.’’

Stuart had surgery

General manager Peter Chiarelli confirmed that Stuart underwent surgery Sunday once more on his left pinkie. Stuart broke it during a fight with Los Angeles’s Wayne Simmonds Jan. 30. Stuart missed seven games after surgery to repair the fracture. This time, Stuart originally contracted cellulitis on his hand. According to Julien, an MRI showed that his pinkie would need immediate repairs. Stuart will miss the three remaining regular-season games . . . Tuukka Rask was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week. He went 2-1-0 with a 0.55 GAA and a .977 save percentage, recording one shutout. “Obviously he’s been extremely good,’’ Julien said. “He’s really given us some confidence. You’d like to, as a team, give him some breathing room as well and score a few more goals. That’s almost something we talk about every game. We’ve got to find a way to score more goals.’’ Michael Ryder, promoted to the third line alongside Vladimir Sobotka and Blake Wheeler, recorded three shots, including two point-blank attempts in the first that Jose Theodore kicked out with his right pad. “We had some real quality chances that I thought we should have buried,’’ Julien said . . . Jordan Caron, the club’s 2009 first-round pick who signed an entry-level contract March 29, will carry a $1.1 million annual cap hit, same as 2008 first-round selection Joe Colborne. Caron will earn $860,000 in base salary in 2010-11 and can earn $240,000 in performance bonuses. He will make $900,000 in base salary in 2011-12 and 2012-13, with possibilities of earning $200,000 in bonuses each season . . . Shawn Thornton missed his third straight game because of an upper-body injury.

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