The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins on Thursday, but the contributions of rookie Jesse Puljujarvi were certainly limited in the victory.
The first-year Oiler was limited to 3:27 of ice-time on the night, his lowest total since he played 3:07 versus the New York Islanders on Nov. 5, a game he left in the first period after suffering an injury.
Puljujarvi has been a healthy scratch on 10 other occasions this season, including three of Edmonton's last eight games. Prior to Thursday, his previous season-low was 6:36 of ice-time on Dec. 21 against the Arizona Coyotes.
Facing the Bruins, Puljujarvi had a seat on the bench in the third period, not seeing a single shift. Here's how it broke down:
| Period | Shifts | TOI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 3:01 |
| 2 | 1 | 0:26 |
| 3 | 0 | 0:00 |
With those sorts of numbers, it's difficult to understand why the Oilers have not assigned Puljuarvi to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
Beyond that, the Oilers opted against sending Puljujarvi to join his fellow Finns at the world juniors. Finland certainly could've used the help, as last year's gold medal champions fell to the brink of relegation this year. Puljujarvi was the top scorer in the tournament last year, finishing with 17 points in seven games.
Puljujarvi has appeared in 28 games with the Oilers this season, tallying eight points, with his lone goal coming in the season opener.
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