Hampus Lindholm participates in Bruins' optional skate, Game 5 not ruled out for D-Man
BOSTON (CBS) -- When Hampus Lindholm was knocked out of Game 2 of the Bruins-Hurricanes first round playoff series, it looked as though the defenseman wouldn't be back any time soon.
Yet on Monday, with the Bruins holding an optional skate at Warrior Ice Arena before heading back to Raleigh, Lindholm was back on the ice.
Lindholm participated in the skate and was not wearing a non-contact jersey. Head coach Bruce Cassidy didn't have much in the way of an update on Lindholm, but did say that a Game 5 return has not yet been ruled out.
Hi there, Hampus 👋 pic.twitter.com/CA2p0oUVTt
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 9, 2022
"He's skating today. I'll get an update on him from the medical team. So I'm not gonna rule him out, but I'm not putting him in either right now," Cassidy said. "I have to hear from the doctors that he's cleared. I don't need to see anything. If he's cleared, he's in. If he's not, then we'll list him [as] probable for the next game. But the fact that he's out there skating is always a positive sign."
Lindholm left Game 2 after he was on the receiving end of a massive hit by Andrei Svechnikov. Lindholm was woozy in the immediate aftermath of the hit but did fly home with the team.
If Lindholm can play, it would be a huge boost for the Bruins' defense, which lost Charlie McAvoy to COVID-19 protocols on Sunday before Game 4. The team was able to weather that storm for a day to tie the series at two games apiece but will likely need one of Lindholm or McAvoy -- if not both -- to return in order to win the series.