The Boston Bruins will once again be shorthanded when they take on the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.
According to the Bruins official Twitter account, head coach Bruce Cassidy has confirmed that Patrice Bergeron will be out once again. Bergeron has missed the team's last three games with a lower body injury and there's no timetable for his return right now.
In addition to Bergeron being out, Cassidy also confirmed that Brad Marchand is dealing with flu-like symptoms that he played through against the New York Rangers. His status for Sunday's game is yet to be determined, but it appears that Marchand could be a game-time decision for the Bruins.
Marchand is in the midst of a great season, as he has logged 18 goals and 25 assists so far this season. He had a four-game point streak snapped against the Rangers on Friday afternoon. So, it's safe to say that the Bruins will miss him if he can't suit up.
Despite the negative news about Bergeron and Marchand, the team did get some positive updates. Winger David Backes and defenseman John Moore are both nearing returns to the ice.
Backes has skated in eight games this season before suffering an upper-body injury that has sidelined him for about a month. While Backes only has a single assist on the season, getting him back will help to shore up the team's depth.
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Meanwhile, Moore hasn't recovered this season as he has been recovering from shoulder surgery he had after the Bruins' playoff run came to an end. Moore, 29, logged 13 points and 77 hits in 61 regular-season games for the Bruins last season.
Like Backes, Moore will give the Bruins more veteran depth at the defenseman position and he could slot into the lineup on various occasions. He'll likely replace Urho Vaakanainen as the team's top backup left-shot defenseman once he's fully healthy.
Here's a look at the Bruins' practice lines from Saturday afternoon, courtesy of The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa:
FORWARD LINES
| Jake DeBrusk | David Krejci | David Pastrnak |
| Anders Bjork | Charlie Coyle | Danton Heinen |
| Brendan Gaunce | Sean Kuraly | Jack Studnicka/David Backes |
| Joakim Nordstrom | Par Lindholm | Chris Wagner |
DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS
| Zdeno Chara | Charlie McAvoy |
| Torey Krug | Brandon Carlo |
| Matt Grzelcyk | Connor Clifton |
| John Moore | Steven Kampfer |
STARTING GOALIE
| Tuukka Rask |
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