The Bruins got some good news upon their return from their two-game road trip: David Pastrnak, Hampus Lindholm and Linus Ullmark are all back.
Bruce Cassidy told reporters prior to Saturday's home game against the Rangers that all three will be in the lineup.
Pastrnak had missed the previous eight games since falling awkwardly against the Blue Jackets on April 4. The exact nature of his injury was never disclosed, but he had been playing through a core injury for a couple weeks prior to that.
Lindholm got hurt the next night, April 5, in a leg-on-leg collision with Detroit's Pius Suter. He ultimately missed as many games (seven) as he's played with Boston so far since being acquired at the trade deadline.
Ullmark suffered an upper-body injury last week when he took a slap shot off the helmet. He missed the last three games and, like Pastrnak and Lindholm, wasn't on the road trip.
Cassidy said the plan all along was that if Pastrnak, Lindholm and Ullmark were cleared to play this weekend, they would all play one of the Bruins' two games. That remains the plan. Jeremy Swayman will start Sunday night's game in Montreal with Ullmark backing up, and Pastrnak and Lindholm are not expected to play Sunday.
"I doubt Lindholm and Pastrnak will travel. That's the initial plan. Hopefully they get through today's game, they feel great, and then they're back in Tuesday for good," Cassidy said.
Cassidy told reporters that Marc McLaughlin and Mike Reilly will come out of the lineup to make way for Pastrnak and Lindholm. Here is the Bruins' expected lineup for Saturday, which could also be their lineup for Game 1 of the playoffs if everyone's healthy:
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall - Erik Haula - David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Nick Foligno - Tomas Nosek - Curtis Lazar
Hampus Lindholm - Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Connor Clifton
Linus Ullmark
