PROVIDENCE -- After the Boston Bruins were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes last Thursday, Byron Bitz thought he was headed to Saskatchewan to help an uncle plant wheat, barley and canola on his farm.

Peter Chiarelli had other ideas.

On Monday, the Boston general manager talked to Bitz about finishing the season in Providence, where the Bruins are playing Hershey in the Calder Cup semifinals.

"He said he thought it would be good for me to come down here,'' Bitz said.

That was fine with Bitz.

"I'd rather be playing,'' he said. "I'm excited to get back into it,''

The 24-year-old right winger, who played all of last season and 37 games in the first half of this season in Providence before spending the rest of the year in Boston, skated Tuesday morning at the team's optional practice.

"It was kind of fun to walk into the room and see all the guys again,'' Bitz said.

Providence coach Rob Murray, as you might expect, is delighted to have him.

"He's definitely, in my eyes, established himself as an NHL player,'' Murray said.

The Cornell grad has never been known as a scorer. In college, Bitz never scored more than 10 goals in a season. In his rookie year with Providence in 2007-08, he had 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 61 games.

In Boston this year, Bitz scored 4 goals and 3 assists for 7 points in 35 games. Games Six and Seven of the Carolina series were two of his better games all season.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder has developed into a dependable player who uses his size to protect the puck and move it out of the defensive zone, and to keep possession in the offensive zone.

"He did what he needed to do when he went up,'' Murray said. "He earned the time that he got to play up there. It's a good chance for him to continue on here and get more ice time, and hopefully help us out.''

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Murray said that Wacey Rabbit's availability Friday night will be a game-time decision. Rabbit left Game One with a lower-body injury after three or four shifts, and did not dress for Game Two.

Rabbit's injury is not serious, Murray said.

"We've been careful with him," he said. "Right now, I expect him to play Friday. I talked to him this morning, he's feeling a lot better. It'll come down to how this week progresses for him. Obviously, having four or five days between games helps anybody that's banged up on both teams. I'm pretty confident he'll be able to play this weekend.''

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In Rabbit's place, Jamie Arniel, in just his fourth pro game, did a good job on Saturday.
Centering Jeremy Reich and Kirk MacDonald, Arniel went head to head with Hershey's explosive line of Alexandre Giroux, Keith Aucoin and Graham Mink, and helped hold them to a combined 7 shots and no goals.
"I like Jamie Arniel. He's ahead of the curve. He's a very good skater, he works hard, and I find him to be a very intelligent hockey player. For me, it was advantageous to have him in the lineup when Wacey went down,'' Murray said.
Arniel, 19, was one of several young, unsung Bruins who made major contributions on Saturday. Matt Marquardt , 21, scored the winning goal. Zach Hamill, 20, had two assists. Jordan Knackstedt, 20, had a goal. David Kolomatis, 20, was steady on defense.
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How important is goaltending in the playoffs?
The starting goalies for the four AHL teams that are still playing are the league leaders: Drew MacIntyre, Milwaukee, 1.65 goals-against average; Cory Schneider, Manitoba, 1.76; Tuukka Rask, Providence, 1.76; Michal Neuvirth, Hershey, 1.92.
Both Providence and Hershey got superb goaltending in Games One and Two.

"Tuukka played very well, and their goalie played very well, too. You're not going to get to where we are without goaltending. You're not gonna do it with smoke and mirrors,'' Murray said.

Of Rask, Murray said: "He's been good all year. Right now, he seems really focused and engaged. He's interested in doing well and playing well and it shows not only in his games but in practice. He's really on in practice. He's doing the job he needs to do for us in order for us to be successful.''

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Brad Marchand, the leading rookie scorer in the playoffs, will answer questions from fans in the AHL Chat Room on Thursday. To participate, go to theahl.com.