Bruins Notebook: After slow start in pro hockey, Karson Kuhlman looking to carry momentum up to NHL; Grzelcyk gets closer

ANAHEIM — It hasn’t exactly been the forecast one would expect from four days in Southern California, but Karson Kuhlman isn’t letting a little precipitation rain on his parade.

Beverly Hills or Barrow, Alaska — it wouldn’t matter for the 23-year-old center, so long as he gets a shot up in the NHL ranks.

“Not too bad,” Kuhlman said of making Boston’s trip out to California. “I’d be excited to go anywhere, but the West Coast is nice. Thought we were going to get a little sun, too, but unfortunately it’s been a little rainy so far. But can’t complain.”

Kuhlman is the latest B’s prospect to earn a few reps up in the NHL this season, with the Minnesota-Duluth product set to serve as an extra skater for Boston’s five-game, 10-day road trip out west. Boston’s offense is set to take a major hit with David Pastrnak on the shelf for at least the next two weeks due to thumb surgery, but the Bruins’ aren’t expecting Kuhlman to suddenly inject some scoring punch into the bottom-six corps.



Kuhlman, who will likely make his NHL debut during Saturday’s matchup against the Kings, will instead be utilized as a dependable, two-way option on Boston’s third line. While Kuhlman is a natural center, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if he slots in for David Backes on Saturday, given how the veteran has usually sat out of back-to-back slates over the past month.

"Karson was a name that was brought up that has played really well in Providence, so that's what we try to do, unless we're really specific on a position, we reward the best player and that's who they recommended and here he is,” Cassidy said.

“Very responsible,” he added. “Would start on the kill for us, and then we’ll see. Some guys they just morph into (a scorer).  He scored a little bit in college — I wouldn't call him a scorer, but he chipped in. In Providence, it's worked out the same way. I think he's starting to figure it out a little more, the offensive side of it, scored more lately in different ways, I’ve been told.

“But essentially the constants have been his ability to hunt pucks, make good plays with it, responsible plays, kill penalties, defends really well, helps your team win. We'll see where that works out for us."

He may not have the offensive ceiling of other prospects in Boston’s pipeline, such as Ryan Donato, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Peter Cehlarik — as well as Juniors players such as Jack Studnicka and Jakub Lauko — but Kuhlman’s committed, if not understated, playing style has started to pay dividends in the offensive zone.

After winning an NCAA championship with the Bulldogs in April, Kuhlman went through a bit of a learning curve after signing a pro contract shortly after his collegiate career ended. On a P-Bruins club that struggled to gain footing at first, Kuhlman failed to light the lamp in his first 14 games of the season.

Since then, however, Kuhlman has tallied 12 goals and added 10 assists over 36 games, while posting a plus-23 rating during that stretch.

“I think I just focused on getting better every day,” Kuhlman said. “And I think we’re doing that individually and as well as a team. We had a little bit of rocky start in the beginning, myself included, but then we slowly started to come together and figure it out. Saw a couple pucks go in the net and that helps with confidence and it kind of continued from there.”

Will Kuhlman stick up with the big club for the foreseeable future? It seems unlikely, especially once Pastrnak returns and Boston pulls off a deal before the trade deadline. But for right now, Kuhlman’s hard-nosed play might be just what the B’s third line needs to start stringing some strong shifts together.

“I’m just trying to be consistent, that’s a big part of my game, is the 200-foot game and come every day and do my job. I think that’s what I can bring to the team and that’s what I look forward to doing.”

Grzelcyk gets closer

Boston’s blue line received a bit of a boost on Thursday, as Matt Grzelcyk returned to practice after missing the previous three games due to a lower-body injury. While the puck-moving defenseman earned a few reps with his regular D-pairing partner in Kevan Miller during practice, Cassidy noted afterward that Grzelcyk will sit out of Friday’s matchup against Anaheim, but, like Kuhlman, will likely get back in the lineup against the Kings on Saturday.

“Felt good, it was obviously fun to rejoin the group there,” Grzelcyk said. “It's been a couple days, but feels a lot longer than that. Just good to be back there with the guys competing. It’s a great experience.”

Grzelcyk’s return should bode well for a Bruins’ defense that has relinquished three or more goals in two of their last three games played. The Grzelcyk-Miller pairing has been effective all season long, logging the most 5v5 TOI of any duo on the roster at 276.23 minutes.

During that extended stretch of time, the pair have generated a plus-5 goal differential during 5v5 play. The next closest group when it comes to goal differential? A plus-3 differential generated by a Torey Krug-Connor Clifton combination. Alrighty.  

"It’s a little frustrating,” Grzelcyk said of sitting out the past week. “As a competitor, you want to play every game, but I think as a team we're playing pretty well, playing kind of a more complete game it seems. If I do get back in there, I just want to help the team contribute any way I can."

More lineup notes

Here’s a look at the projected lineup for Friday’s matchup against the Ducks. Cassidy noted after practice that Jaroslav Halak will get the start in net, while Tuukka Rask will get the call on Saturday in Los Angeles.

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Danton Heinen
Peter Cehlarik - David Krejci - Jake DeBrusk
Joakim Nordstrom - Trent Frederic - David Backes
Sean Kuraly - Noel Acciari - Chris Wagner

Zdeno Chara - Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug - Brandon Carlo
John Moore  - Kevan Miller

Jaroslav Halak