The Boston Bruins are set to receive a lineup boost, which might help ease the sting of their latest manpower loss.
Brandon Carlo practiced fully Friday at Warrior Ice Arena, signaling his likely return to action, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters at a press conference. Carlo exited Tuesday’s loss to the St. Louis Blues in the first period due to an unspecified injury. The defenseman subsequently missed Thursday night’s setback against the Ottawa Senators. Cassidy believes Carlo has a good chance of playing Saturday afternoon when the Bruins host the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We’ll see how he is in the morning, but yeah, (he) practiced today. That’s a good sign,” Cassidy said at a press conference, as seen in team-provided video.
Carlo’s return should strengthen the Bruins’ defensive corps. He’ll be expected to play on the right side of the second pairing alongside Matt Grzelcyk, who also came back from injury this week.
Cassidy also ruled out Linus Ullmark from Bruins-Penguins. Ullmark took a shot to the head in the first period of Bruins-Senators, and Jeremy Swayman replaced him after the first intermission.
“He is not available (Saturday),” Cassidy said. “(He) was around this morning, so he’ll be a day-to-day. Swayman will go in, Troy Grosenick is here to back him up. Hopefully it’s a quick one.”
NESN will air Bruins-Penguins in full, with pregame coverage starting at noon ET. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., and postgame coverage immediately will follow the final horn. If you’re on the go, be sure to stream the game online at Watch NESN Live.
