BOSTON — When Colby Cave made his NHL debut for the Bruins Thursday night at the Garden against Winnipeg, at least something about the night felt familiar: His left wing Jake DeBrusk.
Cave had centered a line with DeBrusk in junior hockey for the Swift Current Broncos in their native Canada and again in Providence last season.
So, he was happy to have DeBrusk at his side once again but they didn’t stay together for long.
Cave began the night centering the third line between DeBrusk and Anders Bjork. On his second shift, Cave was called for interference and Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine nearly made him pay for his mistake, ricocheting the puck off the post during the power play.
In the second and third periods, Frank Vatrano replaced DeBrusk alongside Cave. DeBrusk moved to a line with Tim Schaller and Noel Acciari. Vatrano had been mostly a healthy scratch lately, playing only 6:14 since Nov. 29, but the Bruins needed healthy bodies.
Cave wore No. 26, which Blake Wheeler once wore for Boston and now wears for Winnipeg. Wheeler played in 221 games with the Bruins from 2008 to 2011.
In juniors, Cave and DeBrusk dreamed of eventually playing in the NHL. DeBrusk’s dream came true when he skated for the Bruins in their season opener against Nashville on Oct. 5. Cave was recalled on Thursday from Providence on an emergency basis because centers Riley Nash and Ryan Spooner were sidelined by illness. In 27 games with Providence this season, the 22-year-old Cave recorded three goals and 11 assists with a plus-six rating.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pound center played the previous two seasons in Providence as well, collecting 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points in 75 games in 2015-16 and finishing with 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points in 76 games last season.
Before that, Cave and DeBrusk played two junior seasons together for the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League. In 2014-15, DeBrusk led the Broncos with 42 goals and 39 assists for 81 points and Cave ranked second with 35 goals and 40 assists for 75 points.
The Bruins signed the undrafted Cave, a native of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, to an entry-level contract on April 7, 2015.
Late in the second period, Cave set up Torey Krug for a good scoring chance but Connor Hellebuyck stopped the slap shot.
Because he was recalled on an emergency basis, Cave will be sent back to Providence. The Bruins must expect Nash and Spooner to be ready to play when they host Detroit at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Garden.
Cave became the third Bruin to make his NHL debut this season, joining DeBrusk and Anders Bjork. Charlie McAvoy also made his regular-season debut after playing in the playoffs last season. Thursday, on a night that he scored the winning goal in the shootout, was McAvoy’s 20th birthday.
Cave was trying to become the eighth Bruin to score his first NHL regular-season goal this season. DeBrusk, McAvoy, Bjork, Danton Heinen, Sean Kuraly, Peter Cehlarik and Matt Grzelcyk broke through earlier this season.
In the first two periods, Cave didn’t have any shots on goal, but he did win three of his four face-offs and blocked a shot.
Entering the night, the Bruins were 14-1-0 in their last 15 games against Winnipeg at the Garden, but the Jets have played well this season. They entered the night with a 20-10-5 record for 45 points, just one behind Nashville, St. Louis, Vegas and Los Angeles for most in the Western Conference.
Torey Krug gave Boston a 1-0 lead with 11:44 left in the third, but Patrik Laine tied it for Winnipeg just 57 seconds later.
Tuukka Rask stopped 21 shots in Boston’s net in the first two periods to keep the game scoreless. In the Bruins’ last game on Tuesday, Anton Khudobin shut out Buffalo, 3-0.
One of the best scoring chances of the game occurred early in the third when Patrice Bergeron deflected Brad Marchand’s pass into Hellebucyk’s pads.
— Contact Bill Doyle at william.doyle@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillDoyle15.