Mason Lohrei not only found himself back in the Bruins lineup Tuesday, but he was thrust into a big role.
Playing in the NHL for the first time since Jan. 18 when Boston recalled him from Providence on Tuesday, Lohrei was asked to play more minutes than he ever had before. He made the most of his 23:32 with three assists, doubling his career total.
The return to the NHL came after Hampus Lindholm suffered an undisclosed injury in Monday’s win that will have him sidelined on a week-to-week basis. Lohrei’s minutes increased even further when Matt Grzelcyk was injured, 65 seconds into the game.
Before Wednesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery set expectations for the rookie defenseman, who had three goals and three assists in 27 games for Boston prior to his recent recall.
“Both times he’s come up and played for us, he’s been really good coming up from Providence,” Montgomery told reporters in Edmonton. “Our expectation is we know what he is, he’s a good hockey player. He’s someone that has helped us win a lot of hockey games this year. And we expect him to do that again.”
BetMGM BET $5, GET $158! BONUS BETS
STATES: MA, KY, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21 years of age or older to wager. MA Only. New Customer Offer. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets. Bonus bets expire 7 days from issuance. In Partnership with MGM Springfield. Play it smart from the start with GameSense. GameSenseMA.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org.
Lohrei, who has a goal and 12 assists in 17 AHL games, knows what the coaches expect of him, and knows in order to gain their trust he needs to live up to what they’re expecting.
“With that, you get more trust in yourself too,” he told reporters. “I’m looking to continue to do that and build.”
Lohrei figures to be in the lineup for the remainder of the road trip that Lindholm didn’t travel for. The Bruins have a quick turnaround with their next game slated for Thursday against the Calgary Flames.
