The Boston Bruins hold a 3-1 lead in their first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and more reinforcements could be on the way.
BRIGHTON, Mass. – The Boston Bruins are rounding up the troops.
After returning from Toronto with a 3-1 lead in their first round series with the Maple Leafs, Boston could potentially see two players make their 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs debut on Tuesday in Game 5.
Defenseman Derek Forbort and forward Justin Brazeau each practiced in full with the team on Monday. Forbort has not played since March 2 due to two separate undisclosed injuries, while Brazeau is working back from an upper-body injury he suffered against the Nashville Predators on April 2.
Both are options for Tuesday’s potential close-out game, according to Bruins coach Jim Montgomery.
“We’ll see tomorrow night if they’re in the lineup or not,” Montgomery said. “There’s steps left to be made, but they are close.”
Forbort practiced on the third pair with Parker Wotherspoon during line rushes, while Brazeau skated on the fourth line alongside Pat Maroon and Jesper Boqvist. However, Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen both missed practice for maintenance, so the projected lineup for Tuesday is not as clear.
Brazeau said he has no apprehension about making his return, and that he trusts the recovery process the Bruins training staff has put him through.
“I think that was kind of the whole point of taking the time with it, making sure that I was at a point where when I go on the ice, I have no second thoughts and I can just play,” Brazeau said.
“I’m excited to get out there and hopefully help out.”
In addition to Forbort and Brazeau, two other injured Bruins made noticeable appearances on the ice at Warrior Arena prior to Monday’s practice.
Andrew Peeke (upper body) and Matt Poitras (shoulder) got some on-ice work done in the morning. Peeke is week-to-week after exiting early in Game 2 against Toronto, while Poitras is recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery he had in early February.
The session appeared to work more on skating and edge work rather than full strides with hard stops and starts, and neither player did any shooting on net from what I saw, but it’s a welcome sign for the organization that both are active on the ice again.
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