The Boston Bruins have been fighting injuries all season, and the postseason has provided little reprieve.
But a pair of important contributors could be returning as soon as Wednesday.
The B’s currently trail the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series, but when the puck drops in Game 4, it’s possible winger Marcus Johansson and defenseman John Moore both will be available.
Johansson missed Games 2 and 3 after he suddenly became ill. His absence allowed David Backes to get into the lineup.
Moore has yet to play in a game this postseason with an upper-body injury suffered last month. He skated on the third pairing with Matt Grzelcyk during practice Tuesday.
Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy is erring on the side of caution with both for now, designating them as game-time decisions for Game 4.
“(Johansson) made it through practice, skated a little extra,” Cassidy said, via NHL.com. “Obviously feeling better, he looks like he has some color again. But again, until he shows up tomorrow healthy he’ll be a game-time decision. But encouraging, at least, that he’s here today working with the group.
“Johnny Moore went through the whole practice in a normal color jersey — encouraging again. Tomorrow if he has no ill effects, he’ll be a game-time decision as well.”
Sean Kuraly, who is dealing with a hand injury, skated with the team at the end of Tuesday’s practice, but isn’t ready to play in a game quite yet. Connor Clifton skated in a non-contact jersey.
Here are the B’s lines from Tuesday.
