The Boston Bruins bring in a strong forward. Patrick Brown Return to the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (per AHL transaction report). The 31-year-old was placed on an emergency recall on May 5th after not appearing in an NHL game since January 27th. Brown signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract with Boston on July 1, 2023, a return of sorts after he spent four years at Boston College during his NCAA career.
The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native played in Boston's 5-1 call-up win in Game 1 against the Florida Panthers on Monday. However, he was scratched last night and was sent back to Providence this morning. Brown played 8 minutes and 27 seconds of Game 1, had a whopping nine hits, won 71.4 percent of his matches, and also took a light penalty.
Despite throwing his weight around, Brown's injury last night wasn't a huge surprise as the Bruins were dominated while his line was on the ice. Brown's Corsi-For% in Game 1 was just 27.3%, meaning Florida controlled the puck for the majority of Brown's shifts.
Boston will have to adjust after last night's 6-1 loss to the Panthers. The Bruins recorded just 15 shots on goal, the lowest number in a playoff game in 35 years. With Brown returned to the AHL, Boston may elect to incorporate more skill into the lineup, but considering the physicality of this series, we could see Brown being called up next week. Not surprising.
