Ullmark is cleared to return between pipes
Reinforcements are on the way for the Bruins.
They welcomed back four lineup regulars for Wednesday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, with goaltender Linus Ullmark, defensemen Brandon Carlo and Derek Forbort, and forward Matt Poitras taking to the ice without any restrictions.
Coach Jim Montgomery noted that Ullmark is cleared for game action Thursday, though it remains to be seen whether he gets the nod against the Avalanche at TD Garden.
The reigning Vezina Trophy winner made a quick recovery, considering how concerning the optics were when Ullmark suffered a lower-body injury during an overtime loss to the Coyotes in Tempe, Ariz., Jan. 9.
Ullmark needed help getting off the ice at Mullett Arena after lunging toward a sailing shot, but returned for the team’s morning skate just four days later in St. Louis.
“My initial reaction was, ‘Jesus, that might be a while,’ ” Montgomery said. “It’s a good thing that he’s got good remedy powers, because it’s not going to be as long as we thought.”
Poitras and Carlo have missed three and four games, respectively, with upper-body injuries.
“Carlo is closer. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow before we know for sure where he’s at,” Montgomery said. “Forbort, he’s not going to be an option tomorrow night. He’s just starting the steps towards progressing back. And Poitras, again, we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.
“I know it’s kind of vague, but it’s the steps they take.”
Forbort has been limited to 20 games this season, with a nagging lower-body ailment prompting the Bruins to place him on long-term injured reserve Dec. 7.
“Ran into a couple of setbacks along the way,” Forbort said. “So kind of had to restart and just kind of had to build it, brick by brick. And yeah, it took a lot longer than I thought. But we’re here.”
The Bruins have received solid contributions from blue liners Parker Wotherspoon and Mason Lohrei during Forbort’s absence. But the veteran’s eventual return will be welcomed during the second-half stretch.
Along with his contributions on the penalty kill, Forbort is having arguably his strongest season of five-on-five play. During his 282 minutes of five-onfive this season, the Bruins have outscored opponents, 16-7.
One noteworthy absence at practice was forward Trent
Frederic.
“Precautionary, we didn’t want him to extend,” Montgomery said. “We think he should be fine. But again, that’ll be addressed tomorrow.”
Work and reward
The writing was on the wall that Montgomery and the Bruins were in for some tough sledding in 2023-24.
Not only did the Bruins’ record-setting roster lose two franchise pillars in Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci ,butacap crunch prompted them to trade Taylor Hall and let other key contributors walk in free agency.
Despite the talent drain, the Bruins still sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 26-8-9 record — and Montgomery is set to represent the Atlantic Division at the NHL All-Star Game for the second year in a row.
For Montgomery, joining a team already anchored by established leaders like Bergeron made for a seamless transition in 2022-23. This year has presented more hurdles but plenty of rewarding returns.
“Last year, I joked that I could have fallen asleep behind the bench and I would have been the All-Star coach,” Montgomery said. “And this year we’ve had to grind. And it’s just because that’s the nature of the business. So this year, I feel like it’s more rewarding for the staff because of the work we’ve had to do.
“But also it’s rewarding to see the players and the team develop like they have. We were a well-oiled machine eight games in last year. And I feel like we’re starting to develop somewhat of an oiled machine now, understanding how we need to play, how we have to get there.
“We’re a lot simpler of a team. In a lot of ways easier to coach, but a lot of ways harder to coach.”
Holding his own
In just his third game back after representing Canada at the World Juniors, Poitras landed on the shelf after colliding with Coyotes defenseman Sean Durzi and hitting the ice hard Jan. 9.
The 19-year-old center has taken his fair share of bumps and bruises in his first foray against NHL competition, but he doesn’t feel the physicality has been a deterrent.
“That was just kind of a fluky thing,” Poitras said of his collision with Durzi. “It wasn’t exactly the hit. It was more I just fell awkwardly.
“But yeah, obviously the game is a bit more physical, guys are bigger and stronger. But I felt like I’ve done a pretty good job of adapting and obviously there’s always going to be bigger guys than me. So it’s just about finding that area where I can protect myself.
“I don’t shy away from physicality. I like getting into the dirty areas.”