Bruins' Vaakanainen makes NHL debut with McAvoy, Miller ailing
With several key pieces missing from the club's blue line, the Boston Bruins will turn to 19-year-old Urho Vaakanainen against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night, head coach Bruce Cassidy told The Athletic's Joe McDonald.
Charlie McAvoy isn't feeling well and has been sent back to Boston for testing. Meanwhile, Kevan Miller has also returned to Boston while he deals with a right-hand injury suffered while blocking a shot against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. These ailments come in addition to Torey Krug, who hasn't played this season due to an ankle injury.
Bruce Cassidy provides the latest on Charlie McAvoy and Kevan Miller and discusses the state of his defense corps: pic.twitter.com/krqnIbHDHx
- Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 20, 2018
The Bruins selected Vaakanainen with the 18th overall pick in 2017. He spent last year in Finland's top professional league, tallying 11 points in 43 games. This season, he's picked up a pair of assists in six contests with the AHL's Providence Bruins.
The defensive pairings are expected to go as follows, per Cassidy:
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Zdeno Chara | Brandon Carlo |
| John Moore | Steven Kampfer |
| Matt Grzelcyk | Urho Vaakanainen |
Kampfer, a veteran of 166 NHL games, is also set to make his Bruins debut.
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