BOSTON — Claude Julien got a reprieve from the decision he has been dreading.
Defenseman Andrew Ference will return to the lineup Thursday against Buffalo after missing the last three games with an upper-body injury, but Julien didn't have to struggle with deciding who to take out, as Adam McQuaid was already in need of some time off.
"It's not a tough decision because in his case, [McQuaid] has been playing banged-up for the last couple of weeks," Julien said after Thursday's morning skate at the Garden. "The medical staff said it would probably be beneficial for him to take a little bit of a break. He could play through it if he had to, but we have a healthy back end so we might as well try to get our guys as healthy as possible."
One banged-up blueliner won't get any rest, however, as talented rookie Steven Kampfer will remain in the lineup despite still having trouble breathing out of his broken nose. Kampfer stated he may have to undergo a procedure to clear the passage during the All-Star break, but he will continue playing through it for now.
"I think it's been getting a little better, but there's blood up there that's clogged up his sinuses and made it hard for him to breathe," Julien said. "He's certainly playing through it. … We know what Kampfer brings to our team. We haven't got a lot of guys that are offensive-minded and mobile defensemen like he is. When you make a decision, you make it based on that as well."
Eventually though, it's possible that all seven Bruins defensemen will be healthy at the same time, and with how well they all have been playing, Julien will have a tough decision to make on who to sit.
"If they keep playing the way they are, it's going to be difficult, there's no doubt," Julien said. "It's certainly not going to be an easy decision to make. And if they're all playing well, I've seen situations where you alternate and make sure they're all playing. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. It's not something you look forward to, but it's something that you have to deal with at times. Right now, I think our back end has been pretty good for us and they all deserve to play."
Julien already has a tough decision in goal every night, but it appears he'll give All-Star Tim Thomas a night off in this one. Tuukka Rask was the first goalie off the ice at the skate, usually the indication of that night's starter.
For Buffalo, there's usually no question about who will be in goal. Ryan Miller has started the last 22 games for the Sabres and is expected to be in net for a 23rd straight on Thursday.
The Sabres will be without forward Drew Stafford, who is sidelined with a groin injury. That's good news for Boston, as Stafford has seven goals in three games against the Bruins this season, including hat tricks in each of the last two meetings.
Marc-Andre Gragnani, usually a defenseman, was called up from Buffalo's AHL affiliate in Portland and will play on the fourth line, while Cody McCormick moved up to Stafford's spot alongside Tyler Ennis and Tim Connolly in practice on Wednesday.
Projected Bruins lines
Forwards
Michael Ryder-Marc Savard-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand -Patrice Bergeron-Mark Recchi
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Tyler Seguin
Blake Wheeler-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Defense
Zdeno Chara-Steven Kampfer
Dennis Seidenberg-Johnny Boychuk
Mark Stuart-Andrew Ference
Goalies
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
Scratches: Daniel Paille, Adam McQuaid
Projected Sabres lines
Forwards
Thomas Vanek-Jochen Hecht-Jason Pominville
Tyler Ennis-Tim Connolly-Cody McCormick
Nathan Gerbe-Paul Gaustad-Mike Grier
Patrick Kaleta-Rob Niedermayer-Marc-Andre Gragnani
Defense
Andrej Sekera-Tyler Myers
Jordan Leopold-Steve Montador
Shaone Morrisonn-Mike Weber
Goalies
Ryan Miller
Patrick Lalime
Scratches: Drew Stafford (groin), Chris Butler, Craig Rivet
