Atlantic Division notebook

When training camp started, Seth Griffith anticipated that this might be his year with the Boston Bruins. He had seen sporadic time with them over the past three seasons, including 30 games in the NHL in 2014-2015, a stretch in which he had six goals and four assists.
But the subsequent season had seen him play four games in the NHL, while establishing himself as a very good player in the American Hockey League. And despite a fairly good training camp, the Bruins put him on waivers on Oct. 10, losing him to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

And thus began a mini-odyssey, in which the 23-year-old has bounced from Boston to Toronto and now to Florida, with the Florida Panthers claiming Griffith off waivers on Nov. 12. Since then, Griffith has played eight games with the Panthers, getting one assist, though he was a healthy scratch on Monday against Boston.
"It was a little different for me, a unique experience," Griffith said. "But I'm happy I landed here in Florida. It's a big opportunity for me here. I'm really excited for my future.
"I think they're going for the fast, skilled kind of team. So obviously, that's kind of my game. That's why I was really happy when I came here."
In his career, Griffith has proven himself eminently capable as an offensive player in the AHL, where he scored 24 goals and 53 assists for 77 points in 57 games in 2015-2016. The question is whether he can do that in the NHL, or whether he is ultimately one of the in-between players, too good for the AHL, not quite right in the NHL.
"He's a smart kid, really smart," Panthers coach Tom Rowe said. "He can skate, obviously, has got a good skill set. He brings an element for our third or fourth line when he's in the lineup that we think can create some offense.
"I think we play the same style that he likes to play. We're a strong puck possession team. We're looking for a little more skill to complement the bottom part of our roster, so we're hoping it works for him."

He just has to start doing it more consistently.
"Obviously I'm an offensive player, and at this level you can't just rely on your offense," Griffith said. "You've got to be a complete player, and I think this year I've been doing a really good job of doing that. The points haven't been there as they usually have been with me. But I'm playing good D-zone, I'm doing the little things right. So the bounces are going to come my way eventually. I've just got to stay on top of the little things."
Size has always been one of the problems for Griffith, who is 5-foot-9 and 191 pounds. That didn't help him in Boston. But the idea is that if he can figure out how to produce, it won't matter. Florida's lineup also boasts undersized forwards in the injured Jonathan Marchessault (5-9, 174), Denis Malgin (5-9, 177), and Kyle Rau (5-8, 178).
And so maybe this is the place for him. Maybe this is the team on which he will stick, will make use of the skills that he has and make a spot for himself on a team that could use the type of hockey that he has brought to the AHL and could, perhaps, consistently bring to the NHL.
"We've talked," Griffith said of Rowe, who moved from the front office to behind the bench last week after Gerard Gallant was fired. "He believes I'm an NHL player, NHL skill set, and I'm working hard. The bounces will come. It's just little, small details that any player could fix. If I work on doing those small things, then I could have a great future here."

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Chara returns to Bruins lineup

Getting Zdeno Chara back for the Bruins on Monday was crucial for a team that has had to survive without him for the past six games and without John-Michael Liles for the past three, leading to a very young defense.
Without Chara, the Bruins allowed 10 goals in six games. Without Chara and Liles, the Bruins allowed four goals in three games. With Chara back in the lineup, Boston gave up three goals to the Florida Panthers on Monday.
During Chara's absence, the Bruins relied heavily on defensemen like rookie Brandon Carlo, Torey Krug and Kevan Miller, with Krug and Carlo playing particularly significant minutes.
Overall, the Bruins have played effective defense, with help from a stellar start to the season for goaltender Tuukka Rask, who is 14-4-1 with a 1.68 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. As a team, the Bruins have allowed 2.19 goals per game, good for fifth in the League, behind the San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Washington Capitals, and Columbus Blue Jackets.
"I was very proud," Chara said. "It obviously was exciting to see how they battled. It's never easy. Every game is a challenge and every game is a big game and it's never an easy game, but guys were battling. They were playing some hard opponents and they won some really big games by gutsy efforts."

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Stat Pack

With his start on Monday against the Bruins, Roberto Luongo moved past Curtis Joseph for fifth all-time in games played as a goaltender with his 944th NHL game. Next up is Ed Belfour, with 963 NHL games played. … Bruins forward David Pastrnak scored his 14th and 15th goals on Monday, putting him behind Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Winnipeg Jets rookie forward Patrik Laine for the most in the NHL. The second goal, the overtime game-winning goal, tied his career high. … Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who is fifth in the NHL at 26:34 minutes per game, played 29:51 against the Washington Capitals on Monday. … The Panthers ended their perfect 5-0 run in 3-on-3 overtime this season with a loss to the Bruins at 1:23 on Pastrnak's second goal Monday.

Games to watch

Edmonton Oilers at Buffalo Sabres (Dec. 6, 7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, SNW, NHL.TV) -- With Jack Eichel back after missing the first quarter of the season, Oilers-Sabres again becomes a showdown of the top two picks in the 2015 NHL Draft: Connor McDavid and Eichel.
Montreal Canadiens at St. Louis Blues (Dec. 6, 8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, SNE, RDS, NHL.TV) -- This game features two of the best teams in the NHL two months into the season. The Blues have been especially good at Scottrade Center, where they are 11-1-3.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Tampa Bay Lightning (Dec. 10, 7 p.m. ET; SUN, ROOT, NHL.TV) -- Not only is this a rematch of the Eastern Conference Final from the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it's a game between two of the top teams in the NHL this season.
Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens (Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. ET; SN, RDS, NESN, NHL.TV) -- It might be a kinder, gentler version of the traditional rivalry, but a rivalry it remains.
San Jose Sharks at Toronto Maple Leafs (Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. ET; TSN4, CSN-CA, NHL.TV) -- The Sharks are led by some of the oldest players in the League, in Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. The Maple Leafs are led by some of the young stars, in Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner and William Nylander.