Bruins Activate Mark Stuart From Injured Reserve, Matt Bartkowski Sent Back to Providence

The musical chairs at the blue line for Bruins continues to go round and round.

The Bruins announced on Sunday that they are activating defenseman Mark Stuart from injured reserve. As a result, the B's are sending rookie defenseman Matt Bartkowski back to Providence.

Stuart fractured his finger on Dec. 7, and has been out since. His return comes right on schedule, as he was originally thought to miss four-to-six weeks.

The Bruins take on Carolina on Monday at TD Garden, and they'll likely be without defenseman Andrew Ference who continues to recover from an undisclosed injury that's caused him to miss the last two games. He could be back for the back end of the home-and-home series with the Hurricanes in Carolina on Tuesday.