Blake Wheeler is ready for a stint at his old position (AP Photo)

WILMINGTON — Blake Wheeler left the Ristuccia ice on Monday and walked to his locker, intent on delivering a message.

“Hey guys, I’m playing center!”

The news wasn’t exactly news given that he had served as the second-line center during practice, but even Wheeler could understand that it was a notable topic as the Bruins prepare for the next week or so without the services of David Krejci.

Krejci was diagnosed with a moderate concussion after crashing head-first into the boards following a collision with Blues forward T.J. Oshie early on in overtime during the Bruins’ 2-1 shootout loss on Saturday. He is expected to miss at least a week. When the team returned to practice on Monday, second-line center Patrice Bergeron had jumped onto the first line, with Wheeler sliding in between Jordan Caron and Mark Recchi on the second line.

The Bruins had briefly experimented with the idea of playing Wheeler at center during training camp when it became clear that they’d be without Marc Savard, but ultimately it was Tyler Seguin who stuck as a pivot, playing on the third line. Wheeler, who played center his final two years at the University of Minnesota, is excited for both the opportunity to return to his old position and challenge of regaining the familiarity.

“Today was a bit of the shock to the system, with all the skating and stuff,” Wheeler said. “It’s always nice. I find that it really gets you into the game, gets you involved a lot faster than wing does sometimes because you’re up and down the ice and you’ve got to be really focused defensively. I’ve always liked playing center, so it should be a good challenge.”

Before the team left for its European excursion in late September, it became rather clear that Wheeler would remain a winger, either on the second line or third line. He played a large portion of the preseason with Seguin as his center, but feels that the little time he was exposed to center in camp should be beneficial to what he does going forward.

“It was kind of a crash-course refresher with all the little nuances of playing center,” Wheeler said. “That was huge. It gave me the confidence to know that I could still do that at this level and be effective. For me, that was the biggest thing, just knowing you can do it, and I guess we’ll see how it goes.”

Though familiarity with the center position is something that will come with time, one advantage Wheeler has with this line is that he knows his wingers well. He’s played on lines with both Recchi and Caron this season, and hopes to continue to build chemistry with the two as he adjusts over the next week or two.

“That definitely helps, to have familiarity with guys. Rex always makes it easier on you no matter where you are. That’s always nice, and Jordan’s really strong on the puck, too, so it won’t be any problem for us,” Wheeler said. “We’re going to have to help each other out and pick each other up. It should be no different.”

Wheeler has taken only three faceoffs this season, but has won two of them. He pointed to faceoffs as the biggest burden as he accepts his cameo as a center, and admitted that he hasn’t been practicing them since training camp. As long as he doesn’t lose them clean, Wheeler feels he and his line will be alright.

“That will be the biggest challenge, is the faceoffs. That’s always the toughest part, when you haven’t taken them in a while. I’ll just try to do my best and battle,” Wheeler said. “I know those two guys will be in there helping me out, and trying to get some good wins for me. I guess the job for me is not to lose them clean. As long as you’re in a battle and creating sort of a scrum, that’s half the battle.”

Through 11 games, Wheeler has one goal and two assists.

WILMINGTON — After taking the day off Sunday, the Bruins returned to work at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington on Monday for their first practice following Saturday’s injury to David Krejci. The top-line center suffered a concussion when he hit the boards following a hit from T.J. Oshie in overtime.

With Krejci out, the color-coded lines saw a bit of shuffling. Patrice Bergeron is now wearing a white sweater, signifying he’ll be on the top line with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. Blake Wheeler appears set to center the second line, while it looks like Daniel Paille might get some third-line ice time out of this deal. Here are how the lines look based on the practice jerseys.

Lucic – Bergeron – Horton

Caron – Wheeler – Recchi

Paille – Seguin – Ryder

Marchand – Campbell – Thornton

- Brian McGrattan has been placed on waivers for the purpose of assigning him to Providence. The Bruins have indicated that they will not be recalling anybody for the time being.

AP Photo

The Bruins announced on Sunday that David Krejci is out for at least a week with a mild concussion after his head collided with the far center boards on a check by St. Louis center T.J. Oshie with 4:15 left in overtime on Saturday night at TD Garden. He was on the ice for a minute before getting to his knees and then his feet. He was helped off the ice by Zdeno Chara and Andrew Ference and then headed directly to the dressing room and did not return.

“Obviously, he got his bell rung there,” Claude Julien said following the game.

Krejci, who was knocked out of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Flyers last spring with a dislocated wrist, leads the team in assists (8) through 11 games and is tied for second with Milan Lucic in points (10), one behind Nathan Horton.

Oshie defended the hit, which was not penalized. “Just two guys going at the puck, Oshie said. “I tried to get low and get a good center of gravity. He was coming at me. From what it looked like, he was coming to hit me as well. It was a hard battle tonight, a physical game. I certainly hope that he’s ok and he’ll be back.”

The Bruins are awaiting further word on the health of top-line center David Krejci after his head collided with the far center boards on a check by St. Louis center T.J. Oshie with 4:15 left in overtime on Saturday night at TD Garden. He was on the ice for a minute before getting to his knees and then his feet. He was helped off the ice by Zdeno Chara and Andrew Ference and then headed directly to the dressing room and did not return.

“Not yet,” Julien said when asked if he had any word on Krejci’s condition. “Obviously, he got his bell rung there We don’t know what the severity is yet. I didn’t see the replay. He’s here and he’s being evaluated.”

Krejci, who was knocked out of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Flyers last spring with a dislocated wrist, leads the team in assists (8) through 11 games and is tied for second with Milan Lucic in points (10), one behind Nathan Horton.

Oshie defended the hit, which was not penalized.

“Just two guys going at the puck, Oshie said. “I tried to get low and get a good center of gravity. He was coming at me. From what it looked like, he was coming to hit me as well. It was a had battle tonight, a physical game. I certainly hope that he’s ok and he’ll be back.”

The Bruins are preparing for their first match-up against the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday night, in an always-anticipated clash of original six teams. In the 2009-10 season, the Maple Leafs were nothing special, finishing at the bottom of the Northeast Division with a 30-38-14 record. Now, eight games into 2010-11, it seems the Leafs have turned things around. Toronto won its first four starts, then dropped three games in a row before picking up a 3-1 victory over the Panthers Tuesday night. The Leafs’ 5-2-1 record currently has them sitting atop the division standings.

“They’re a good team, they’re a young team,” Patrice Bergeron said after practice on Wednesday. “Their players have developed into good players so I think that’s why they’re improved.”

Right wing Nathan Horton said he knows the Leafs have shown plenty of reasons for other teams to fear them thus far.

“Their defensemen are big, strong, physical, and their forwards are quick and fast,” Horton said, adding the Bruins will need to be prepared to work for 60 minutes on Thursday. Coach Claude Julien seemed to agree, noting that the B’s are “facing a team that’s coming in with lots of confidence, lots of speed and lots of energy.”

Speaking of energy, it has seemed to be just that the B’s have lacked early on in each of their losses this season. On Saturday, the Rangers put up a quick 2-0 lead on the Bruins in the first period, and the Bruins, despite getting goals from Zdeno Chara and Horton, were never quite able to make a full comeback.

“I think it’s just about making sure we have a good first couple shifts and be good on the forecheck right away,” Bergeron said. “If we get scored one goal against, we’ve got to make sure we keep our balance instead of just getting back over our heels for a couple shifts and letting them score another one.”

Read the rest of this entry »

WILMINGTON — David Krejci‘s teeth have been popular around Ristuccia Arena recently, as the B’s first-line center missed Monday’s practice after getting his wisdom teeth removed. Here’s the video of him talking about how he feels and how the team is gearing up for Thursday’s game against the Maple Leafs.

WILMINGTON — Johnny Boychuk was expected to be the lone Bruin missing from the team’s Monday practice, so when Daniel Paille was sporting a white first-line jersey in place of an absent David Krejci, the team’s top center suddenly became the topic du jour at Ristuccia Arena.

The reason for Krejci’s absence? The removal of his wisdom teeth. Claude Julien called it a regular maintenance day for the center, so there’s no reason not to expect he’ll be back to skating with the team in short order and will be good to play when the B’s take on the Maple Leafs on Thursday night.

In six games this season, Krejci has a goal and six assists, good for seven points, a total that is second only to linemate Nathan Horton.