B’s getting healthy for showdown with Sabres
The Bruins wrapped up a week of preparation today in Wilmington, and will finally get back in action tomorrow night in Buffalo.
They’ll have a few more healthy bodies for that one, too. Marc Savard has been cleared to return after practicing this week. He has missed the past eight games with a partially torn ligament in his knee. He’s been skating with Milan Lucic and Miroslav Satan. With Satan wearing Phil Kessel’s old No. 81, that line will at least look like last year’s top unit in the program. Whether they can replicate their success on the scoresheet will be another matter.
Byron Bitz, out the last four games with an undisclosed injury, is also expected to be back in the lineup tomorrow. Steve Begin, who’s also missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury, will make the trip and be a game-time decision. Marco Sturm, out the last five games with a leg injury, will also go to Buffalo, but is not expected to play this weekend. Andrew Ference (groin) skated on his own before practice but is still at least a week away from returning.
“It’s coming along,” said coach Claude Julien after practice. “We’re slowly getting back to hopefully a full roster.”
Julien also hopes the club is healing the psychological damage that their current 1-7-1 streak has caused. This last four days of practice have been designed to restore some of the team’s confidence and work on some of the more technical aspects of the game that the Bruins have struggled in this season.
“I think the guys are feeling better,” said Julien. “I see our team skating better in practice. It’s been a good week for us.
“It’s been a good week for us to practice and try to get our game back together here,” added Julien. “But at the same time we’re kind of itching to get back to playing and hopefully see the results of our work this week.”
The Bruins will find out right away, as they’ll have to face the Northeast Division-leading Sabres in Buffalo, where they are 17-5-5 this year.
