BOSTON — Determined to protect their playoff spot, the Boston Bruins have added more offense and grit up front.
Boston acquired forwards Maxime Talbot and Paul Carey from Colorado at the NHL trade deadline Monday, not long after picking up forward Brett Connolly from Tampa Bay.
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The Bruins also got forward Zack Phillips from the Minnesota Wild for forward Jared Knight in a swap of minor leaguers.
Boston sent forward Jordan Caron and its sixth-round pick next year to the Avalanche. The Lightning will get the Bruins’ second-round picks this year and next.
Connolly has 12 goals, three assists and 38 penalty minutes in 50 games for the Lightning this season.
General Manager Peter Chiarelli wanted to upgrade his offense but also acquire a player the Bruins could control for a few seasons. Connolly is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer.
“I see a top-six forward,” Chiarelli said during a news conference at TD Garden. “And if you look at all his goals, he’s a shooter. He’s a shooter first. He’s a net-front guy. He’ll go and get goals at the top of the blue (paint). He’s a rangy guy. He makes plays, but he’s a shoot-first guy. I really like his release. And he’s young and he’s growing and he’s going to be a top-six player.”
The 22-year-old Connolly was drafted sixth overall in 2010. He has 18 goals and 14 assists in 134 NHL games.
Tampa Bay’s depth at right wing limited Connolly’s opportunities to contribute more and also made him expendable for the Lightning, who are second in the Atlantic Division.
“Yeah, for sure, I think I’m going to get a little bit more of an opportunity in Boston,” Connolly said on a conference call. “Obviously, we had a deep forward group in Tampa. So again, I’m very excited to get to Boston and find out my role and meet the guys and kind of settle in.”
The 31-year-old Talbot had five goals and 10 assists for the Avalanche, who were eight points out of a playoff spot Monday. He has 84 games of NHL playoff experience, including 24 games in 2008-09 for the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Talbot is most famous for scoring both goals in the Penguins’ 2-1 win over Detroit in Game 7 of the Cup finals.
“He’s excited to come here,” Chiarelli said. “I would characterize him as a glue guy. He’s played in a lot of playoffs. Plays all three (forward) positions. He’s a gritty guy. Plays all out. And we believe he’s a good add to our forward group.”
The Bruins entered Monday eighth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Florida in the race for the final playoff spot.
Ducks: Anaheim acquired defensemen James Wisniewski, Simon Despres and Korbinian Holzer and center Michael Sgarbossa in four separate deadline deals, dramatically revamping the Pacific Division leaders’ defense 18 games before the postseason.
The Ducks traded defensemen Ben Lovejoy, Eric Brewer and Mat Clark, center William Karlsson and wing Rene Bourque to swing the deals, which also involved a few draft picks.
Canadiens: Montreal acquired forward Brian Flynn in exchange for a 2016 fifth-round pick from the Buffalo Sabres.
Flynn, who played at the University of Maine, has five goals and 22 assists in 54 games while playing a second and third-line role this season.
Islanders: New York acquired goalie Michal Neuvirth from Buffalo for goaltender Chad Johnson and a 2016 third-round pick.
Penguins: Pittsburgh acquired defenseman Ian Cole from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and a seventh-round pick in the 2016 NHL draft.
Monday’s games
Rangers 4, Predators 1: Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard both had two assists, and New York rebounded from a rare regulation loss and sent Nashville to its third straight defeat, in New York.
Blackhawks 5, Hurricanes 2: Jonathan Toews had two goals and assisted on Marian Hossa’s score as Chicago rolled to a win over Carolina in Chicago.
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