Charlie Coyle has been on the shelf for the last four games, but that time out could be coming to an end soon.
The Boston Bruins forward has been out since sustaining an upper-body injury last Tuesday in an overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils.
But following the regular season finale this Tuesday night, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated to reporters over Zoom that Coyle is expected back for the playoffs.
While the rest of the schedule hasn't been released, we know Game 1 of the Bruins' first-round series against the Washington Capitals is set for Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET.
It's unclear where Coyle will go back in when he returns. Typically the third-line center, he had been finding success on the third-line right wing opposite Nick Ritchie with Sean Kuraly pivoting the two. The long-term plan is for Coyle to be a center, but at the time of his injury, Boston was getting the best out of him on the right side.
It's unclear how exactly Coyle got hurt, because he did not look visibly in pain when he departed last week. However, he did get hit by a Brandon Carlo shot, which is presumed to be the cause of the ailment.
