Bruins get 4 lineup regulars back at practice on Wednesday

Reinforcements are on the way for the Bruins.

Boston welcomed back four lineup regulars during Wednesday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, with goaltender Linus Ullmark, defensive Brandon Carlo and Derek Forbort, and forward Matt Poitras taking to the frozen sheet without any restrictions.

Jim Montgomery noted that Ullmark is cleared for game action on Thursday, although it remains to be seen if the netminder will get the starting nod against the Colorado Avalanche at TD Garden.

The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has made an about-face in his recovery, especially considering how concerning the optics were when Ullmark suffered a lower-body injury during Boston’s overtime loss to the Coyotes on Jan. 9.

Ullmark needed help getting off the ice at Mullett Arena after lunging toward a sailing Logan Cooley 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 of Ullmark’s injury. “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 the last three and four games, respectively, due to upper-body injuries.

“Carlo is closer. We’ll see how he feels (Thursday) before we know for sure where he’s at,” Montgomery said. “Forbort, he’s not going to be an option (Thursday) 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. It’s not like they have a good practice today — like we got to see how we feel tomorrow.”

Forbort has been limited to just 20 games this season, with a nagging lower-body ailment prompting Boston to place him on long-term injured reserve on Dec. 7.

“Ran into a couple of setbacks along the way,” Forbort said of getting back on the ice. “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.”

Boston has received solid contributions from blue-liners like Parker Wotherspoon and Mason Lohrei during Forbort’s extended absence. But the veteran’s eventual return will be welcomed during the Bruins’ second-half stretch.

Along with his stout contributions on the penalty kill, Forbort was having arguably his strongest season with Boston during 5-on-5 play. During his 282 minutes of 5v5 ice time this season, the Bruins have outscored opponents, 16-7.

One noteworthy absence as Wednesday’s practice progressed was forward Trent Frederic.

“Precautionary, we didn’t want him to extend,” Montgomery said of the pugnacious forward’s status. “We think he should be fine. But again, that’ll be addressed tomorrow.”

A tougher task for Montgomery

The writing was on the wall that Montgomery and the Bruins were in line for some tough sledding in 2023-24.

Not only did a record-setting roster lose two franchise pillars in Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci last summer, but a severe cap crunch prompted Boston to trade Taylor Hall and let several other key contributors walk in free agency.

Despite undergoing such a severe talent drain in the off-season, Montgomery and the Bruins still sit atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 26-8-9 record — with Boston’s bench boss 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 for the head coach, 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, [it’s] easier to coach, but a lot of ways harder to coach.”

Holding his own

In just his third game back with Boston after representing Canada at World Juniors, Portraits landed on the shelf after colliding with Coyotes defensive Sean Durzi and hitting the ice hard on Jan. 9.

The 19-year-old Bruins pivot has taken his fair share of bumps and bruises in his first foray against NHL competition, but he doesn’t feel as though the physicality found at his level 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 [that] 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 gonna 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.”