Pouliot draws back into Boston's lineup

BOSTON -- Rich Peverley's injury should open up a lineup spot tonight for winger Benoit Pouliot, who has been out the last three games the Bruins played.

Peverley has been declared out with an undisclosed injury by coach Claude Julien for the Bruins' game against the New York Islanders at the TD Garden.

Pouliot, who projects to skate on a line with Jordan Caron and Chris Kelly, missed the Oct. 29 game in Montreal with an illness and has been a healthy scratch the last two games. He's still looking for his first point of the season and is minus-3 in eight games. Famously he's stated numerous times the adjustment to Boston's system has been a slow process.

"I think we've talked about it a lot," said Pouliot after the Bruins' morning skate. "It's just the little things. It's not much, but it's something that can affect your game or the whole team's game. So I can't really mess that up and just try to focus on one thing. We'll be all right."

Peverley's absence could open up even more time for Pouliot's projected linemate Caron. In addition to some more 5-on-5 time, Caron might have to add penalty-killing to his list of responsibilities.

The rookie forward has kept Pouliot out of the Boston lineup with his assertive play, including serving as a net-front presence during Boston's pivotal victory over Ottawa last week. While he has yet to show up on the score sheet this season, Caron has establishing his presence with physicality.

Playing with Kelly and Peverley has helped Caron gain confidence.

"I think they're both very good players and very patient with the puck. So I'm just trying to make room for them and skate and go to the net hard and doing the dirty stuff in the corners and stuff like that," he said. "They're smart players. And I'm just trying to do my job. That's what I did in junior, that's why they brought me here. And I'm not going to change my style, I'm just going to play the same way I always did."

Without Peverley, the test for Caron will be to take a larger role while continuing to do what’s made him successful. And for Pouliot tonight will be all about making it difficult for the Bruins to take him out of the lineup again once the forward corps is completely healthy.