WILMINGTON -- Being a healthy scratch is nothing new to Daniel Paille. It's just been a while. 

Acquired during the 2009-10 season, Paille saw his fair share of healthy scratches in his first two seasons with the Bruins -- most notably last season. He got used to sitting for stretches at a time, but finally solidified his spot in the lineup late last season. For the last calendar year, he's been in the lineup when healthy, often playing on the Merlot Line with Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell as well as serving as a penalty killer. 

Given that spot he'd earned, the familiar news was tougher to hear when Claude Julien told him he'd be the healthy scratch when Rich Peverley returned from a knee sprain Sunday night against the Ducks. Paille remained the odd man out Tuesday against the Lightning as well. 

"It definitely hurts a lot more than usual, even though it's two games," Paille said of his situation. "For me, I work every night and try to do the best that I can. Some nights, some guys are going, are streaky, and I've just got to wait it out. When I get back out there, I'm going to fight [for] every chance. It's the same story, but I'm not going to quit. I'm going to battle to the end and help the team as much as I can." 

When Julien has tweaked the lines throughout the season, it's often been that fourth line that's gone untouched. It's a line that provides energy and one that Julien often trusts to take the shift following goals. 

As a result, when Peverley was closing in on a return, Paille wasn't among the names kicked around by the media when debating who would lose their spot. Even Paille himself didn't suspect he'd be scratched, so he was surprised to hear the news. 

"Yeah, kind of. I was," he said. "I just felt that we'd been a good line all year and had been pretty solid, but it's just a point right now where there's six games left, and our main focus for us is to clinch that playoff spot and to get that division lead. Last year, I didn't play too much either, and I was able to play in the playoffs. I'm going to do the best I can to work back in there. I know I'm giving 100 percent every night. Eventually it's going to come back and [I'll] find the groove again."

It hasn't necessarily been Paille's play that's landed him in the press box. Unlike past seasons, the healthy scratch situation has been dictated more by the team having too many bodies than a lack of productive players. Take last year, for example. Paille had a horrid first game of the season on Oct. 9 against the Coyotes, so the Bruins gave Jordan Caron a shot. Paille's bad game really ended up costing him, as he didn't get back into the lineup for over a month, when he finally played against the Penguins on Nov. 10. This year, the scratches don't come as a punishment as much as they do the result of a numbers game. 

"There's a lot of good players sitting out," Julien said. "Right now, it's about competition, and the other day I kind of explained a little bit, putting Jordan on that line allows us to move him up with Rich Peverley just coming back and there's times where he needs to skip a shift here or there, Jordan's done a good job on those top two lines, so it gives us that element again. The way that he's scored and played lately, it's hard to take him out of the lineup." 

Julien said Tuesday night that there will be competition amongst for the forwards for the rest of the season, as many productive players (Caron, Brian Rolston, Benoit Pouliot) have played too well to be scratched. That wasn't the case at this time last season, when Julien was scratched Michael Ryder just to wake him up. 

"It seems like we have a lot more depth this year, not just on forward, but on D as well," Paille said. "That's a part of a winning team. There's a lot of competition, and who's willing to fight for the battles. I think that's what it comes down to, is will."

Paille's been an iron man of sorts for the Bruins this season. He's been hit in the face by a puck, which broke his nose and other bones in his face, and he's suffered both a concussion and an arm injury. Still, he had missed only nine games prior to becoming a healthy scratch this weekend. 

Even so, there's no relief on Paille's part that he's now able to rest his body in what's been a very bruising season for him. He wants to be out there, and he's not hiding it.  

"I've had enough rest," he said. "I don't need any more. I'm itching and willing to work as hard as I can, and that's exactly what I'm going to do every chance because I know how it feels to sit out and how to work, and not to lose that spot." 

There's no telling when Paille will see his return to the lineup. Caron performed well with Campbell and Thornton Tuesday, while Rolston has a seven game point streak (three goals, nine assists) and Pouliot has registered 11 points (four goals, seven assists) over his last nine games. He'll have to wait his turn, whenever it may be, 

"It's unfortunate, because there's a good player sitting out -- Dan's done a good job -- but at the same time, you look at what Jordan did with that like yesterday, they were a real good line as well," Julien said. "We didn't lose anything there, and right now, we're going to need those guys to step in at some point. We've just got to make sure they stay positive and ready."