Bruins notebook: Jakob Lauko survives close call

Jakub Lauko is thanking his lucky stars for knee braces.

That’s all the feisty Bruin wing could think about when he reflected on the hard crash on the forecheck he survived in Sunday’s 4-3 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena.

While he would miss a game because he tweaked something in his back that he appears to be already over, Lauko – like anyone watching – was a lot more concerned with how his right knee bent awkwardly as the weight of his body came down on the leg while his left leg got tangled up as well.

“I was definitely shocked. It was a hard impact and it was like, ‘Oh, something’s not right,’ ” said Lauko.

At first he appeared to be badly injured as laid face down on the ice, but he eventually got up and was able to skate off the ice with some assistance.

After two days off the ice, he skated with the team on Wednesday at the Garden and has a chance to get back in the lineup on Thursday against Columbus.

Lauko suffered a left knee injury at the World Junior Championships in December 2019 and has since been wearing braces on both knees for protection.

“I’ve got to say I’m lucky that I’m wearing the knee braces or I would have blown both my knees up,” said Lauko. “I moved my back a little bit in the fall, but that’s nothing serious. It feels good. I don’t know what’s the plan for me but I felt good on the ice today. We’ll see.”

Until he had to leave the game on Sunday, Lauko was in the thick of two emotional victories for the B’s last weekend. In Saturday’s 2-1 win over Tampa Bay, he tussled with the Lightning’s Ross Colton after the opening faceoff. Then, in the third period, he won a puck battle that led to linemate Garnet Hathaway’s game-winning goal late in the second period. In the Carolina win, he pulled up in the right circle and snapped a shot that beat goalie Freddie Andersen for his fourth goal of the year.

“The last couple of of games, I was just trying to be more involved, play more on the top, trying to make some plays,” said Lauko. “I’m trying to play hard on my forechecks, my backchecks and finishing my checks. I felt pretty confident in my last games against Tampa and Carolina. So hopefully this didn’t hold me back and I can keep playing like I was.”

While he’s bounced between Boston and Providence all year, he’s had relatively few rookie moments in his 18 NHL games this year. On this latest recall, he said he’s starting to feel like he belongs.

“It’s more like just getting used to the hockey, getting used to the guys. The more time I spend with them, the more I feel part of the group. That’s the biggest thing,” said Lauko. “When you’re up and down, up and down and you’re coming from a long stint down in Prov, you come in and feel the pressure to perform, that you need to make an impact right away. When I’m here for a longer time, you feel more comfortable coming into the games and making plays. And you just feel more comfortable around the guys to talk to them. It definitely feels better than at the start of the season.”

That comfort level is positively showing up in his play, said coach Jim Montgomery.

“We’ve seen it in his play quite a bit,” said Montgomery, who said there’s a chance Lauko could play on Thursday. “There has been at times some drop off, but here he’s consistent and we’re seeing a difference mentally in him, just how he carries himself and how confident he is being an NHL player, being around his teammates, being around the coaches.”

Where Lauko fits once everyone is healthy – if that ever happens – remains to be seen. There are two left wings out injured in Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno and their returns will have a ripple effect. There is an argument for him to go back to Providence and get plenty of ice time in a Calder Cup run. But in a sign of how much Lauko has risen in the in the staff’s estimation, Montgomery sounds like he wants to keep him around.

“I think there’s pros and cons to both,” said Montgomery, “But as of right now, we see him staying as a Bruin.”

BC’s Kuntar signs

While there was no word yet on top defense prospect Mason Lohrei’s immediate future, the B’s did sign 2020 third-round pick Trevor Kuntar out of Boston College to a two-year entry level contract worth an NHL cap hit of $867,500. The deal begins in the 2023-24 season.

The 21-year-old forward had 13-19-29 totals in 34 games for BC this past season.

Loose pucks

The B’s also announced that their salary capologist Evan Gold has been named GM of the Providence Bruins. He’s in the eighth season with the B’s, starting out as director of legal affairs before being named assistant GM. He’ll continue to work alongside GM Don Sweeney on all hockey operations matters. … Montgomery expects to split the remaining eight games between the two goalies, though they could get consecutive starts at some point.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/ofRrzMK