Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort was recalled from a conditioning stint with the Providence Bruins on Monday morning and skated at the game-day skate ahead of Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Following the skate, Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery ruled Forbort out for Game 2 on Monday night but told the media that the 6-foot-4, 216-pound defenseman will head to Toronto with the team for Game 3 (Thursday) and Game 4 (Saturday).
Derek Forbort has been on long-term injured reserve since the March 8 NHL Trade Deadline. Last Tuesday, the 32-year-old rearguard was sent to Providence on a conditioning stint, which was surprising given the fact that he underwent two surgeries a month ago, and Sweeney had indicated his season was over. Well, now it appears that Forbort could return to the lineup at some point in this series.
“Yeah, that’s a wait and see,” Sweeney acknowledged on Friday. “I mean, Derek [Forbort] has made great strides, and a little bit surprisingly, to tell you the truth, he was on an operating table not too long ago for two different situations. So, good on him and good on the training staff. We still have an undetermined timeline in terms of how he’s going to continue to progress. But it’s certainly a positive sign that he’s made the progress that he has, and credit to Derek, to tell you the truth… because he could have just arguably shut things down completely. But he wants to play, he’s a gamer and wants to play, he wants to see whether or not the healing process can continue, and if he becomes a factor at some point in time during the playoffs.”
The Bruins are also hoping they will get forward Justin Brazeau back into the lineup, potentially in the second round. Brazeau hasn’t played since leaving in the second period of the Bruins’ 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators on April 2. On Friday, Sweeney indicated that it’s still a longshot that the 26-year-old, 6-foot-5, 220-pound winger could be ready even if the Bruins-Leafs series goes deep.
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