Marco Sturm Nears Return, But Will Not Play Friday at Buffalo

Marco Sturm is getting closer to returning from a leg injury suffered Jan. 14 in the Bruins' 2-1 shootout win at San Jose. On Thursday, Sturm completed his first full practice since before that game, but he wasn't quite where he wanted to be. While he will travel with his teammates to Buffalo, he won't play Friday night against the Sabres.

"Not [Friday at Buffalo], but like I said, I just gotta go day by day," Sturm said. "It was my first practice, so we'll see. I tried and I just wasn't ready. I thought I was but while I was on the ice, I knew. I'm just not ready."

Sturm is feeling his teammates' frustrations as they try to pull out of a season-high five-game losing streak and a 1-8-1 slump over their last 10 games.

"Sometimes you've got no choice and I'm just pushing as hard as I can to get back and help," he said. "It's hard watching, for sure, and you want to be there for the guys, so hopefully really soon I'll be back."

After missing the second half of last season, Sturm has learned how to deal with injuries and not let the disappointment get the best of him.

"I didn't really get frustrated when I stepped on the ice and realized I wasn't ready," Sturm said. "I just need to battle and battle again and I'll be back."