Bruins' Patrice Bergeron suffers setback, out Thursday vs. Lightning

The original plan was for Boston Bruins star center and captain Patrice Bergeron to return to the ice for Thursday's home matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning after he missed the previous three games due to an elbow infection that left him requiring a clean-up surgical procedure. 

However, Amalie Benjamin of the NHL's website notes that Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed Bergeron encountered a setback and will sit Thursday evening. There's a chance the 36-year-old could be available for the Saturday afternoon showdown versus the New York Islanders at TD Garden.

"We got bad news on that one, so he's out tonight," Cassidy explained about Bergeron's status. "It was a bit of a curveball because leading into today we thought he'd be cleared, but doctors felt otherwise. It's not long-term. We knew that going in. Now we're looking at Saturday. Hopefully things calm down, he's good to go then."

Benjamin adds Bergeron must be medically cleared to return to the lineup. Per ESPN stats, he's tied for third on the Bruins with 45 points and sits third on the team with 17 goals tallied across 56 games this season. 

Boston enters Thursday evening trailing the third-place Lightning by just one point in the Atlantic Division standings while holding the conference's top wild-card playoff berth.