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Bruins’ Eriksson eager to prove himself on first line

Montreal Canadiens v Boston Bruins - Game Five

BOSTON, MA - MAY 10: Loui Eriksson #21 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his goal at 14:21 of the third period against the Montreal Canadiens during Game Five of the Second Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the TD Garden on May 10, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeated the Canadians 4-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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When Jarome Iginla signed a three-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche in July, it left a sizable hole on the Boston Bruins’ top line.

The guy who wants to fill that spot and make it his own is Loui Eriksson. As Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com shared, he’s eager to prove to coach Claude Julien he can provide the same kind of offensive punch playing on what’s already a talented first line.

“It’s definitely two great players to play with. I played two games with [David Krejci and Milan Lucic] last season, and it was nice,” said Eriksson. “We’ll see when the preseason starts, and if maybe we practice together a little bit. Then we’ll see how things work out. Krejci is a great player, and he can see the ice really well.”

Eriksson said he wasn’t happy with his first season with the Bruins after arriving in Boston in the deal that sent Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars. He had 10 goals and 37 points in 65 games. He missed 17 games after two separate concussions, something that kept him from being the total two-way player he was in Texas.

If he’s healthy, putting him with Krejci and Lucic could be just the elixir to get the former 30-goal scorer back into offensive form. Krejci’s ability to distribute the puck and Lucic driving the net and wreaking havoc could free space for Eriksson to shoot.

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