Injured Bruins players ‘real close’ to returning
BOSTON — Matt Poitras and Brandon Carlo were possibilities for Thursday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. But the Boston Bruins were without both players in their 5-2 win at TD Garden.
Poitras was on the ice for warmups Thursday, but Carlo wasn’t.
“It was just precautionary,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said after the game. “They’re real close. Checking the boxes.”
Carlo is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury suffered during the Bruins’ loss to the Avalanche during their four-game road trip earlier this month. The defenseman was in the midst of his best injury before getting injured.
Once he returns, the Bruins will need to make a roster move.
Poitras was also injured on the road trip against the Arizona Coyotes when the rookie initiated a hit on Sean Durzi. He absorbed most of the contact and left the ice favoring his shoulder.
The Bruins continue to get healthier after getting Linus Ullmark back on the bench Thursday. The goalie served as Jeremy Swayman’s backup after suffering a lower-body injury that left Ullmark needing help off the ice. Derek Forbort also returned to practice, but he’ll remain on long-term injured reserve a little longer as he continues to progress from a lower-body injury.
Boston continues its homestand Saturday when it welcomes the Montreal Canadiens to TD Garden for a 7 p.m. EST puck drop.
