This is certainly not the best news.
Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm has been making good progress with his injury recovery. The left-shot blueliner has notably skated in a regular jersey at practice. However, while this is the case, the Bruins will still not have their blueliner in the lineup for a decent amount of time.
While speaking to reporters, head coach Joe Sacco shared that Lindholm likely won't return to game action before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
"It's unlikely that we're going to see Hampus before the break," Sacco said. "We're erring more on the side of caution right now as far as that goes. So, that's the plan right now."
Sacco also clarified that Lindholm has not suffered any setbacks in his recovery.
"No setback," Sacco said. "It's just that's where we're at in his progress, and like I said, it's unlikely that we'll see him before the break. Get him ready for after the break and just be a little bit more cautious at that point."
The Bruins have three challenging games against the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, and Vegas Golden Knights before the break. From there, they won't play again until Feb. 22 against the Anaheim Ducks.
With the Bruins needing every point they can get right now, it is undoubtedly tough that Lindholm is unlikely to play for the next three games. However, given how long Lindholm has been injured, the Original Six club's cautiousness is understandable.
Lindholm last played in the Bruins' Nov. 12 contest against the St. Louis Blues. In 17 games this season, he has three goals, four assists, and a minus-4 rating.
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