01:00 AM EST on Friday, January 20, 2006

BY DAN HICKLING
Special to the Journal

PHILADELPHIA -- Bruins fans have been waiting for the team to make a move that would help sort out its cloudy goaltending situation. The club did make such a move yesterday, although it was not the rumored trade of struggling incumbent Andrew Raycroft.

Instead, Boston plucked Chicago Blackhawks netminder Craig Anderson off waivers to serve as a backup to Tim Thomas, at least for now.

Anderson, 24, had spent parts of three seasons with Chicago, bouncing between the Windy City and the Blackhawks' AHL affilate in Norfolk.

He played his junior hockey for Guelph (OHL), where he was a teammate of former P-Bruins Kevin Dallman and Chris Madden.

Anderson, a Chicago-area native, was considered the odd man out when starter Nikolai Khabibulin returned from the injury list this week.

The Hawks were attempting to send Anderson back to Norfolk, but Boston took him on his way through waivers.

Anderson had a 1.94 goals-against average for Norfolk in 2002-03, which is the fourth-best average in AHL history. But playing behind a perennially woeful Chicago team, his success has been spotty, notching a 3.34 GAA in 41 games while posting an 8-25-2 record.

One of Anderson's career highlights came in Norfolk on Nov. 5, 2004, when he blanked the P-Bruins, 1-0, in a goaltenders' duel with Hannu Toivonen. In that game, Anderson stopped 32 shots, including 17 in the third period. Four of his saves came on breakaways by former Providence sniper Andy Hilbert, who became Anderson's teammate this year in Chicago.

Anderson, whose impact on the Bruins' salary cap will be negligible (he is making the $450,000 minimum), is scheduled to meet with the Bruins this morning at practice in Wilmington, Mass.

Rookie goalie Jordan Sigalet, who came up from Providence on Wednesday to back up Thomas, will rejoin the P-Bruins in time for tonight's game against Hartford. Anderson likely will follow him to Providence in a few days, when Raycroft's knee is deemed game-ready.

Praise for Alberts

Boston College coach Jerry York has sent plenty of players to the NHL, not the least of which is Bruins rookie defenseman Andrew Alberts. Alberts' steady development (and glass-rattling hits) has given the Black and Gold faithful something to cheer about in what has been a disappointing season thus far.

York has kept close tabs on Alberts' progress, and he expressed pride in him recently.

"I think he really enjoys it," said York. "I spoke with him (recently) and he said that coach (Mike) Sullivan treats him extremely well. They've made it a real good environment for him, and they've made it as comfortable for him as a rookie can be in the NHL. He's responding to that and he's progressing. We thought he could help the Bruins this year. He was a dominant player at our level, and generally those type of players can go to the next level. He brings a lot and he's going to be a very, very good player in the NHL."

Potvin funeral

The funeral service for former P-Bruins captain Marc Potvin were held yesterday in Kitchener, Ontario. Potvin, 38, was coach of the Adirondack Frostbite (UHL) when he was found dead last Friday in a Kalamazoo, Mich., hotel room.

The Frostbite will honor Potvin's memory tonight, prior to their home game against Missouri -- the team's first game since Potvin's death.

Fans can watch the Webcast of the ceremonies by logging on to the team's Web site, www.frostbitehockey.com. The start time is 5:30 p.m.

Ice chips

Philly was without top-line center Peter Forsberg, who has a groin pull . . . Boston's only healthy scratch was defenseman Jiri Slegr. Winger Nathan Robinson, a scratch for Monday's game with the Ducks, was back in the lineup . . . D Brad Stuart took an inadvertent stick to the face from the Flyers' Simon Gagne with 1:06 left in the first period. He returned for the second session.