"Jonathan Aspirot, who has been out of the lineup since Dec. 11 with an upper body injury, was on a second pairing with Hampus Lindholm in the B's morning skate at the Saddledome as the struggling Andrew Peeke moved down to a third pairing with Mason Lohrei. The top pair of Nikita Zadorov-Charlie McAvoy remained intact. Coach Marco Sturm termed Aspirot a game-time decision."
"If he returns, the key question will be if the 26-year-old Aspirot can pick up where he left off. In his first 19 NHL games, the journeyman defenseman was a plus-8 and even bumped up to play top pairing with Zadorov when McAvoy was out with his broken jaw. That demonstrated he could play on the right side, something the left shot D-man will now be asked to do with Lindholm."
"While it might be unfair to ask that an early season call-up from Providence will stop all of the bleeding for the B's, who are on a five-game losing streak, it is hard to deny the positive impact he has had on the team, which is 14-5 with him in the lineup. He's not expected to be much of a force in the offensive zone (1-0-1), but he skates well, is physical and closes quickly in the D-zone, where the B's have been spending far too much time lately."
Jonathan Aspirot practiced on the second pairing with Hampus Lindholm and could be activated from injured reserve as a game-time decision for Monday's game in Calgary. Aspirot missed time with an upper-body injury since Dec. 11 but had been plus-8 through his first 19 NHL games and played top pairing minutes alongside Nikita Zadorov when Charlie McAvoy was sidelined. The Bruins are 14-5 with him in the lineup and on a five-game losing streak without him. Aspirot offers skating, physicality, and quick defensive-zone coverage while contributing little offensively. Coach Marco Sturm maintained recent forward lines including Fraser Minten centering David Pastrnak.
Read at Boston Herald
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