The Bruins have been quarantined since returning from Buffalo on March 19. They are scheduled to practice at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday and to host the New York Islanders on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, NESN. MSG+2, NHL.TV).
Forward Sean Kuraly was placed on the protocol list prior to a 4-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres on March 18. The next day, forwards Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci, David Pastrnak and Craig Smith were added to the list, causing two games (at the Sabres on Saturday and against the Islanders on Tuesday) to be postponed.
Krejci, Pastrnak and Smith were removed from protocol Wednesday. DeBrusk remains on the list.
Coach Bruce Cassidy said Wednesday that Kuraly would not be available for practice or the game Thursday.
Boston has won three of four after a 2-3-2 stretch.
"It felt like we were starting to turn the corner," Cassidy said. "Even some injured guys were back skating. In the moment you're like, 'What now?' And at the end of the day, it's one of those years you have to kind of just grind through it.
"That's the easiest way to say it. And then hopefully we continue where we left off. That's the best way I look at it. Play the hand you're dealt. Control what you can control. So that's where we're at now."
Boston general manager Don Sweeney said Monday that the people in the traveling party have been able to return to team facilities only to test, though some injured players have had the opportunity to skate. Among those is defenseman Brandon Carlo, who sustained an upper-body injury March 5 following a hit by Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, who was suspended seven games for boarding.
Sweeney said there has been contact tracing to locate the reason for the five players entering the protocol but he did not specify what had been learned. Those players traveled from Buffalo separately by car from the rest of the team, which flew to Boston.
"Out of an abundance of caution, you've seen it in different times, where teams have had to take a pause," Sweeney said. "That's where we are. We're in the middle of our pause. And hopefully we've contained where we thought the initial test result was, and you go from there."
If the Bruins are able to play Thursday, it would mark the return of fans to TD Garden, which is now allowed to operate at 12 percent capacity, according to Massachusetts regulations.
Sweeney said the most difficult part of the situation is how "mentally tiring" it has been.
"You've got a lot of people that are making decisions for you and putting forth their best medical advice," he said. "Even whether or not we're playing that game on Thursday night, you're not in a normal routine of preparing, you're not at the rink on Friday, you're waiting until a certain period of time when test results come back before you're able to go to the rink as a group.
"It's challenging on the players, challenging on the coaching staff, for all teams involved. Not just for our team. … You're wondering. It's kind of a looking over your shoulder and wondering is there another shoe to drop."
