Bruins notebook: Nick Foligno returns to lineup

With Nick Foligno returning to the Bruins’ lineup on Thursday against the Washington Capitals, a difficult decision fell to coach Bruce Cassidy on which player should get yanked out of it.

He landed on rookie Oskar Steen.

The choice no doubt was made slightly easier by the fact that, on a night when pretty much everyone had an off game in the 7-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, Steen had a particularly unsightly minus-3 bottom line in that fatal first period.

Cassidy made it clear, however, that Steen has not entered any kind of dog house.

“We had a few different candidates we discussed. I think with Oskar, like everybody, he wasn’t at his best the other night, but he’s played well for us, so it was a tough decision,” said Cassidy. “But at the end of the day it’s an easier switch to just go in and play the right side with (Charlie) Coyle. And it’s probably OK for Oskar to go upstairs and watch a game, sort of reset. I don’t expect it to be long-term. We’ve liked his play, liked his energy, it’s nice to have some youth in there. But we threw out a couple of candidates and it kind of fell on him.”

Steen is no longer a wide-eyed kid. At 23, he’s had his share of ups and downs in his pro career since coming over from Sweden in 2019. One would think a night in the press box, if that’s all it is, would not hurt his confidence too much, especially when one considers the B’s think highly enough of Steen’s play to have made Karson Kuhlman available on waivers.

“We’re going to find out. Like a lot of these young guys, you find out where they’re at mentally in that regard,” said Cassidy. “The messaging for him this morning was ‘Oskar, you’re going to go up, watch the game from up there, take a breather. Our intention is to get you back in there. I can’t guarantee that’ll be Saturday. That depends on today’s game. But it’s not like we’re disappointed in your play. It’s dropped a little bit of late, but not to the point where we don’t think you can help us win. It’s just that we have 13 healthy forwards. Someone has to sit and it’s your turn tonight. Make sure you bring your work ethic in Friday’s practice and be ready to go Saturday if your number’s up on the board.’”

Foligno left the lineup after suffering an apparent knee injury when he fell awkwardly in a net-front battle in the B’s victory in Tampa on Jan. 8. Going into Thursday, he had 1-5-6 totals in 23 games. Steen has 1-4-5 totals in 12 games but had not registered a point in his last five games.

Vaakanainen showing new confidence

Urho Vaakanainen’s progression may have hit a bump in the road in Tuesday’s debacle, but he was back in the lineup for Thursday’s game and has been a pleasant surprise since coming up. He’s got four assists in six games, including one on the overtime winner against Nashville last Saturday.

In the short time since his recall, the 2017 first rounder (18th overall) has shown a confidence that had not been there in previous call-ups. He credited that to simply stacking good games on top of one another this year, first in Providence and then in Boston.

“It’s been a work in progress. Especially when I was younger, maybe I was a little bit too tough on myself. But you learn and I try not to be so tough on myself and just try to learn every day. When you get the chance, just make the best of it,” said Vaakanainen.

“Obviously the last game we didn’t play so well as a team but overall, the five or six games have been pretty good. Maybe I’m using my feet a little bit more on the breakouts, get the pucks to the net a little more. But overall, I’ve liked my game and I try to build on that.”

One puck he did get to the net appeared to be the Finns’ first NHL goal, coming near the end of the B’s drubbing of the Canadiens last week. But on further review, and after the usual pomp and circumstance that comes with a player scoring his first goal, it was ruled it deflected off Curtis Lazar’s leg. Vaakanainen’s first goal turned into just another helper.

“After I saw the replays, it must have hit Laser in the leg or something. It was a little bit disappointing. We got the photos and everything and I got the puck, but you know, I’ll just have to do it again,” said Vaakanainen.

Break should come at right time

With the February schedule set, it should help players mentally to fight through this every-other-night schedule knowing that there is a six-day break waiting for them at the start of next month.

“I think this one will come at the right time,” said Cassidy. “We’re kind of fast and furious through January and it looks like it will be the same way (for the rest of the season). And again, when a team’s going well and feeling good about themselves, playing every second night is great if you keep your health. We’ve gone through a lot of COVID cases. We’ve almost gone through the whole team, so that part of it should be easier to handle in the second half, a little more clarity with the lineup. But yes, I think it’s coming at a good time for us, it’s truly the halfway mark, a little bit more of what hockey used to be. You get that break in the middle of the year, you reset and ramp up in the second half.”