In lieu of David Krejci and Joakim Nordstrom's lingering upper-body injuries, the Boston Bruins' recalled Anders Bjork on Tuesday -- and the young winger is ready to compete.
Bjork has struggled to crack the B's lineup after suffering season-ending shoulder injuries in back-to-back campaigns, but his talent was never in question. The 23-year-old is confident in both his offensive and defensive game after starting the season with Providence.
"Really exciting, grateful for this opportunity and want to make the most of it," Bjork said, according to bostonbruins.com's Eric Russo. "Working hard trying to improve my game, trying to be a complete player, 200-foot game and obviously trying to work on my offensive game as well and my scoring."
Although he's dealt with multiple injuries, Bjork has played 50 NHL games for the Bruins and he knows what to expect ahead of Tuesday night's matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"I feel a lot more confident," Bjork said. "I have some experience and know what to expect. Definitely have a lot more confidence and know how things work, so excited to keep improving."
That confidence began to build during his time with Providence, where he tallied eight points (three goals, five assists) through seven games and led the baby B's to a 4-2-0-1 record.
"I think coming off injury it was helpful to get some confidence and play a little more at the start of the year," said Bjork. "Just been trying to improve my game down there and that's kind of what my mindset is this year is just improve as much as I can."
While he does have top-six potential, it looks like Bjork will start Tuesday night's game on the third line alongside Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner.
He'll be looking to provide Boston with secondary scoring as the B's have struggled to put goals on the board when Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak aren't on the ice.
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