After the Bruins' 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy had several updates on the health of his players that have been out of the lineup in recent days.
Currently, David Pastrnak, Hampus Lindholm and Linus Ullmark remain out of the lineup, with Pastrnak and Lindholm having missed the most time (now six games for Pastrnak and five for Lindholm).
However, Cassidy said the plan is to get them in as soon as they're ready, despite already having clinched a playoff spot.
"We're not going to rush anybody, but they're going in when they're ready," Cassidy said. "I think those two guys mainly, because they're the ones that have missed the most [time]."
Here's the latest on the progress of all three injured Bruins, as well as the health of Brandon Carlo:
Update on Pastrnak and Lindholm
According to Cassidy, Lindholm and Pastrnak have been skating on their own, with both being spotted on the ice at Warrior Ice Arena ahead of Friday's team practice.
"Some guys like now Pasta and Lindholm, we'll use them. They've been out for a bit here. Lindy hasn't played a lot of hockey with us, so I think it'll benefit him to play with our guys in our system," Cassidy said about why it's so important to get the two back on the ice expeditiously.
Cassidy said Pastrnak could benefit from more games before the playoffs, too.
"Pasta has been here a lot of years, but again, he's a timing guy, so he needs to play," Cassidy said. "So when they're ready, they're in. Now, whether you play them in the back-to-back the last game of the year, stuff like that, or we have three in four, that's a different story. But right now we'd like them to get in and get playing as quickly as possible."
Lindholm, who was added to the roster at the trade deadline, played just seven games with the Bruins before leaving the game with a lower-body injury on April 5 at Detroit.
His injury appeared to stem from a leg-to-leg collision with Pius Suter. Lindholm was able to finish his shift like normal, but never returned to the ice.
Immediately after that game in Detroit on April 5, Cassidy said he seemed OK. He said he didn't think the injury would be serious enough to keep Lindholm out of the lineup for long, but that a further medical evaluation was needed.
That turned out to not be the case, as Lindholm has now missed the Bruins' past five games over an 11-day span.
David Pastrnak has been out even longer. His last appearance on the ice for the Bruins was April 4 in Columbus, when he took an awkward fall after getting tangled up with a Blue Jacket. Pastrnak had previously been playing through some sort of core injury.
The two have yet to practice with the team.
Update on Ullmark: 'He feels better'
Cassidy shared what seemed to be positive news about the recovery of his netminder on Saturday, two days after Ullmark took himself out of the Ottawa game with an upper-body injury.
"I was talking to Linus. He feels better," Cassidy said. "How quick that comes around remains to be seen, but good to see him up and feeling good."
The play that injured the goalie seemed to be when a puck rang off the cage of his helmet in the first period against Ottawa, on a slap shot from Erik Brannstrom that deflected off Jesper Froden's stick.
Ullmark has yet to practice since the injury.
While Ullmark is out, Troy Grosenick will back up Jeremy Swayman.
How Carlo is feeling after re-entering lineup
"Carlo looked like his old self today," Cassidy said after Saturday's game.
"I talked to him, he seemed fine before the game. Well he was fine before the game, so that might have been a one-and-done, a one-off. Kind of one of those red flags quickly, and then, 'OK, I feel good.'"
Getting Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk back in the lineup means three of the Bruins' top four defenseman are now playing, awaiting a return by Lindholm to round out the Bruins' top two defensive pairings.
