ESPN

BOSTON -- After completing the preseason exhibition schedule on Friday and then having Saturday off, the team returned to the practice ice Sunday to find the regular-season roster set.

The team sent forwards Ryan Spooner, Matt Fraser, Matt Lindblad and goaltender Niklas Svedberg to Providence of the AHL, and placed forward Nick Johnson on waivers.

When the Bruins host the Tampa Bay Lightning in the season opener on Thursday night at TD Garden, Boston will have 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies on the roster. Earning spots were forwards Jordan Caron, Reilly Smith and Carl Soderberg, defenseman Kevan Miller and backup goaltender Chad Johnson.

“This was my goal, obviously, coming into camp to be with this club,” Johnson said. “I’m happy. I’m excited. It was a tough camp. Svedberg played great and had great camp, too. It was obviously a tough decision. We both played well. I’m happy I’m here. It was a tough camp, but it’s kind of like the easy part is over because you’ve got to play well during the season. I’m excited for it and I’ll focus on the day-to-day. It’s a tough league. The best players are here and this is where I want to be.”

Goaltender Tuukka Rask will see the bulk of the ice time and Johnson understands that. Meanwhile, Svedberg will split time between the pipes in Providence with prospect Malcolm Subban.

“Having good practices and playing those as they’re games, play those situations like they’re game situations,” Johnson said. “[Rask] is going to play a lot and he’s one of the best goalies in the league and he wins a lot of hockey games. I’ll be ready, and when I do get those games I’ll help this team win hockey games.

Coach Claude Julien doesn’t have a set game schedule for his goaltenders. Julien normally decides it on a weekly basis, taking into consideration the amount of games, the travel schedule, and whether Rask needs a rest.

“Sometimes he looks like he’s fresh and other times he may look tired and I’d rather make that decision then, than look too far ahead,” Julien said. “And that’s not to say that during that week I say, ‘Well maybe we can use him for these games and we’ll use the other goaltender for those ones.’ I do those things but I don’t necessarily stick to them as if it’s carved in stone. So I like to make decisions based on what I see and feel and what I think is right.”

Caron on a mission

It was evident a season ago that the Bruins were not happy with Caron’s development path. The talented forward spent the majority of the season with the P-Bruins. When he returned to Boston after the P-Bruins’ playoff run ended, Caron still couldn’t crack the lineup when the Bruins needed reinforcements due to injuries.

Caron admits he lost his confidence last season but believes it has returned, and still being on the roster helps.

“I know I can do it,” he said. “I just need to go out there, play my game, be confident and good things will happen.”

When he arrived at camp, he was noticeably more engaged and focused.

“The last couple of games I thought there was a little bit more urgency in his game, in doing the things we talked about,” Julien said. “His whole camp was what we know about Jordan. He was reliable and doing the things he has to do. But we asked him to do a little bit more.”

Caron worked on the penalty-killing unit. Offensively, he went to the net more and created more chances.

“That has to continue,” Julien said. “He’s 23 years old, he’s still a young player, and he’s a player that an organization doesn’t want to give up on too early. So we feel as coaches that we can help him improve and we’re going to work with him to make him improve in those areas.”

High expectations for Smith

Reilly Smith also impressed during training camp.

From the start, he was working the wing on the third line with center Chris Kelly. As training camp numbers decreased, Julien decided Soderberg, Kelly and Smith could work as the team’s third line.

Smith, who was one of the prospects the Bruins received from Dallas as part of the Tyler Seguin trade last summer, has 42 games of NHL experience with the Stars. The Bruins heavily scouted Dallas last season and were impressed with what they saw in Smith. The one thing Boston’s management wanted to see from Smith was more tenacity and grit, and he’s added that to his game with the Bruins.

As a result, the 22-year-old right wing earned a spot on the roster.

“It’s a great feeling, obviously, to be a part of this group,” Smith said. “But it doesn’t stop here. I’ve got to keep doing the same thing that I was doing to make this team.

“Playing with Kells and Soderberg is great,” added Smith. “There are two real good players and they help me a lot. It’s a competitive atmosphere here, so I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

After Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli rebuilt the team’s roster last summer, the depth in the organization was evident. He knew there would be an influx of youth for the 2013-2014 season. What he and Julien witnessed during training camp was satisfying and the team is ready to drop on puck for real on Thursday.

BOSTON -- After Boston's top four defensemen of Zdeno Chara, Dennis Seidenberg, Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk, it will be a true competition between Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski for the final two spots on the blue line.

Hamilton, Krug and Bartkowski have all played well in the first week of camp and into the preseason exhibition schedule. But one of those three will serve as the healthy scratch once the season starts, so the competition should be intense and healthy.

"We don't have to spell that out to them," said Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli. "I spoke openly to the group about competition. I'm really looking forward to seeing the competition at all levels, at all positions.

"Common sense would dictate right now that it would be those three guys for those two spots. They've embraced it and they've played well. I thought Dougie had a good game [Tuesday night]. He was strong on the puck and made some good plays and closed well as the game progressed. Torey and Bart, the other night in Montreal, they both played well."

Chiarelli added that no spot is guaranteed, but when asked if he would be comfortable seeing Hamilton play for the P-Bruins at some point instead of watching from press level as the healthy scratch, the GM said: "My goal is to have him in the NHL."

* With two exhibition games in the books, all four goalies have each played half of a game. Tuukka Rask and Niklas Svedberg played Tuesday night against the Washington Capitals, while Chad Johnson and Malcolm Subban played Monday at Montreal. The latter three are competing for the backup role behind Rask.

"We're all competitive and we all want to be out there," Rask said. "I haven't paid too much attention to that yet but I'm sure as the camp keeps going further and further I'll get to practice with the other goalies and see how they're doing."

Camp has been split into two groups, so Rask has been on the ice with Svedberg all week.

"I thought he made some key saves out there," Rask said of Svedberg's performance Tuesday night. "I thought he was solid."

* Bruins forward Daniel Paille did not practice Wednesday, but both Chiarelli and coach Claude Julien said it had nothing to do with hockey, simply saying Paille was ill and expected back on the ice Thursday.

* While it's a possibility Gregory Campbell could return to game action Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden, teammate Patrice Bergeron still needs more time, according to Julien, but the coach added it's a possibility Bergeron could play Saturday at Detroit.

* Rask's spirited temper is in midseason form. During the last drill of Wednesday's practice, he took a couple of shots up high and had a few goals scored on him. He stormed off the ice, smashed his stick into pieces against the boards and threw his gloves down the hallway. Afterward, he was fine, saying he's not a fan of the neutral zone scrimmage.

* The Bruins made their first round of cuts Wednesday afternoon. Camp invites Scott Campbell, Jack Downing, Steven Spinell and Ben Youds will join the Providence Bruins training camp, while Tyler Randell and Adam Morrison have been assigned to Providence.

The Bruins can move on from Nathan Horton and let him enjoy playing under the radar for the Columbus Blue Jackets because, after one exhibition game at least, his replacement in Boston, Jarome Iginla, fit perfectly on the team’s top line along with David Krejci and Milan Lucic.

After Horton’s surprise departure from Boston during the summer as a free agent, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli signed Iginla in hopes the future Hall of Famer would have an impact in Boston.

During the first four days of training camp, the chemistry between Lucic, Krejci and Iginla was evident. It continued during the Bruins’ first preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens Monday night at Bell Centre.

Iginla scored a pair of goals as the Bruins defeated the Canadiens, 6-3, as Lucic added three assists and Krejci contributed a goal.

VERY SPECIAL: Boston’s power play, which has struggled the last few seasons, was tremendous against Montreal. Sure, it’s only a preseason game, but Boston went 4-for-6 on the PP and showed quick puck movement and quality goals. The top unit Monday night of Iginla, Lucic, Krejci, Carl Soderberg and Torey Krug was outstanding.

KRUG IMPRESSIVE: The phenom rookie defenseman doesn’t want to be a flash in the pan, and by the way he played in the first preseason game, that won’t be the case. He provided three assists to help Boston to victory. He burst onto the scene for the Bruins last spring during the Stanley Cup playoffs and made significant contributions to help Boston reach the finals. He entered camp in great shape and with one goal: to earn a roster spot. Krug, who has shown an ability to get his shot from the point through on a consistent basis, assisted on Iginla’s second goal of the night. Krug also quarterbacked the power play. So far this preseason, he’s been paired with veteran blueliner Adam McQuaid.

IN GOAL: The Bruins had goaltenders Chad Johnson and Malcolm Subban split net time against the Canadiens. Johnson started and played the first 30 minutes and allowed three goals. Subban made his NHL preseason debut and did not allow a goal in his 30 minutes of action. Early in the third period, however, Subban learned he’s no longer playing junior hockey. He mishandled the puck to the left of his net, then was penalized for playing the puck outside the trapezoid. Subban played against his older brother, Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban, for the first time in their respective careers. Malcolm picked up the win with his 12-save performance, while P.K. scored a goal for Montreal.

BATTLING FOR A SPOT: There are two forward positions up for grabs in Boston’s lineup this season, and while the young homegrown prospects in camp are all in the mix, newcomer Nick Johnson made his presence known in the first preseason game, scoring a pair of goals. Johnson has 104 games of NHL experience with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild and Phoenix Coyotes. Boston signed the 27-year-old forward as a free agent in July.

LINED UP: Here are the lines used against the Canadiens:

FORWARDS
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Jarome Iginla
Matt Fraser-Carl Soderberg-Craig Cunningham
Anthony Camara-Ryan Spooner-Nick Johnson
Daniel Paille-Alex Fallstrom-Shawn Thornton

DEFENSE
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid
Matt Bartkowski-Kevan Miller
Tommy Cross-Zach Trotman

GOALTENDERS
Chad Johnson
Malcolm Subban

UP NEXT: With the first of seven preseason games in the book, the Bruins travel to Baltimore on Tuesday and will face the Washington Capitals.

BOSTON -- There are four goalies in Bruins camp battling for the backup role behind starter Tuukka Rask.

Chad Johnson, Niklas Svedberg and Malcolm Subban are all vying for that job in a healthy competition.

“It’s been good,” coach Claude Julien said. “I think when you look at the candidates, we’ve got some pretty good depth. From the fact that Chad Johnson has looked really good and Svedberg, who proved himself in the American League last year, and your first-round pick, Subban, who obviously is a little young and may not be ready right away but who knows when he’ll be ready as far as it could be sooner than later.

“So we’ve got some good competition back there and the competition has probably better depth than what most people think, so I’m comfortable with what I’ve seen and I think they understand that. Those guys that are battling for that backup spot understand what’s at stake. They’re certainly trying to be at their best here.”

Svedberg, 23, was outstanding for Providence last season, recording a 37-8-2 record with a 2.17 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 48 regular-season games.

Johnson, 27, has spent the majority of his career in the AHL and has 10 games of NHL experience between the New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes. He signed a one-year, one-way contract worth $600,000 in July.

Subban, 19, enters his first professional season and is expected to be the starting goalie for the P-Bruins.

Adam Morrison, 22, also is in camp. He spent the majority of the 2012-13 season in the ECHL.

Svedberg has played well during camp and he’s looking forward to the challenge of the preseason games.

“It’s been good,” Svedberg said. “It’s good intensity and guys are competing hard. It’s really nice to start off the season and get going right away. It’s been fun.”

Since Rask will play the majority of the games during the season, the backup’s ice time will be limited. Still, it’s a position all four candidates would rather play than getting more playing time in the minors.

“You want to play, but at the same time you want to come up to the highest level,” Svedberg said. “My only mindset now is to make the team here and to be in the NHL. That’s all my focus goes to now and we’ll see how well I play and see what happens after that. But at this moment I’m just focused on being here and staying here.”

Svedberg served as the Bruins’ black ace goalie during the final two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring. It was a valuable experience, and even though he’s still developing and honing his skills, Julien believes if the young goalie is ready for the NHL level, then that’s where he’ll be.

“That remains to be seen. I think if he’s ready, he’s ready. It’s as simple as that,” Julien said. “If we feel he’s ready to be a backup here, we’ll make him a backup here. I think if he earns a job I have no issues with him being here even if he’s got one year in the American League. He had a great year last year and if we feel he’s ready, then make that jump.”

BOSTON -- Now that former Boston Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin has signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, Providence Bruins netminder Niklas Svedberg could be next in line to be the backup in Boston behind Tuukka Rask for the 2013-2014 season.

Svedberg could face competition for Boston's backup goalie spot from Chad Johnson, whom the Bruins signed Friday to a one-year, one-way contract worth $600,000.

Svedberg, 23, was outstanding for the P-Bruins last season and recorded a 37-8-2 record with a 2.17 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage in 48 games during the regular season. During the Calder Cup playoffs, he posted a 6-6 record with a 3.29 GAA and a .889 save percentage.

It was Svedberg's first season playing in North America. Prior to signing with the Bruins and being assigned to Providence, he played four seasons in the Swedish Elite League.

"It was a good season to learn a lot of new things, and to play over here and to adjust to the game over here. It's been a good year, a long season and hopefully it'll help me next year," Svedberg said.

After the P-Bruins' season was over, the Bruins recalled Svedberg from Providence and he served as Boston's third goaltender during the playoffs.

"I think it was good for next year, just to see how everything works up here and get to know the guys and everything," he said. "It'll be good for next year."

During the team's exit meetings, the Bruins told Svedberg to work on his strength training in preparation for training camp.

"Get a little bit stronger and work on my physical part, just stuff like that," Svedberg said. "It'll be a short summer but I'll try to focus on my strength. I'll try to have a good summer, get ready for camp and take it from there."