BOSTON — The Bruins know they will be without center Patrice Bergeron for at least the start of the Eastern Conference final against Tampa Bay, but they are getting healthy on the blue line.
Adam McQuaid and Steven Kampfer both participated fully in an intense practice Thursday at the Garden, while Zdeno Chara returned after getting a day off on Tuesday. The rest of the regulars also had Wednesday off as the Bruins balance getting some needed rest with staying sharp for their upcoming showdown with the Lightning.
That rest has been particularly valuable for McQuaid, who suffered a sprained neck in Game 2 against Philadelphia when he crashed headfirst into the boards on a missed check. He missed the final two games of that series but expects to be ready to go in Game 1 against the Lightning on Saturday.
"As far as I know, I should be good to go," McQuaid said. "I'm feeling good. I guess we'll see when the time comes, but hopefully."
Bruins coach Claude Julien echoed the defenseman's optimism.
"We're pretty confident that he'll be ready," Julien said. "We can make that decision on Saturday, but he's feeling better. He's had some time to heal. He's in practice, doing all the things he's supposed to do. So unless there's a setback, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be a possibility for Saturday."
McQuaid stated that he did not have any restrictions in Thursday's practice, which featured an up-tempo pace and plenty of battle drills.
"It was [a good test]," McQuaid said. "A little more quick movements and some contact, so it was nice to kind of get back into the battle type situation.
"I have been feeling better every day, so that's a good sign," McQuaid added. "And we have a couple more days here still. I'm happy with the progress that's been made."
McQuaid is also happy that an end to the wait for the start of this series is also finally in sight.
"I've been out a little longer than the other guys," McQuaid said. "I know they're ready to go, and it's been even longer for me. So I'm just anxious to get things started. It's nice to get a little bit of rest, but at this point, we're just anxious to get going."
Kampfer is anxious as well. He's been out even longer, as he suffered a right knee injury while assigned to the Bruins' AHL affiliate in Providence late in the regular season. He's slowly worked his way back and Thursday faced full contact in practice for the first time.
"Everything felt really good," Kampfer said. "It's going toward the right steps, so it's definitely good progress. I felt good today after everything we did. I'll talk to the trainers after this and we'll go from there.
"The battle drills were definitely a big thing," Kampfer added. "It's good to get out there and get some bodies around you and work hard."
Julien was also pleased with Kampfer's progress, though it will still take some time for Kampfer to get back into game shape.
"He's doing well," Julien said. "He's been cleared to battle and everything else. He's still [working] more on his conditioning than anything else right now. We're still cautious with that injury, but it's gone far enough that he's capable of handling some contact and some battles."
The Bruins have the luxury of bringing Kampfer along slowly. With McQuaid's expected return, their top six is entirely healthy, and veteran Shane Hnidy is capable of filling in if needed as he did when Chara was sidelined for a game in the first round and McQuaid missed the last two games.
Kampfer isn't expected to jump right into the lineup even when he is fully recovered, but he is a nice insurance policy to have if further injuries strike and the Bruins want to insert a more offensive element on the blue line.
