Boychuk Back Sooner Than Expected?

Johnny Boychuk is on his way back into the lineup (Credit:Slidingsideways/Flickr)

When Chris Neil of the Ottawa Senators completely laid out Johnny Boychuk Saturday in Ottawa, it didn’t look pretty. Boychuk suffered a mild concussion from that hit and didn’t play last night in Boston and hasn’t practiced with the team since Saturday. Today it seems that things are looking up as Boychuk was at Ristuccia today.Coach Claude Julien confirmed that Johnny B did skate today.

CSNNE.com reported that Boychuk passed a stationary bike test on Tuesday that is designed to elevate heart rate. It seems as though things are moving forward for the 29-year-old defenseman and that he could be back in the game a lot sooner than some thought.

“Julien said that the B’s are dealing with Boychuk’s injury as if it was a concussion, but ‘He’s feeling better so we’re moving forward'”. (Via NHLBruins Twitter)

It’s safe to say that Boychuk probably won’t play Thursday against the New Jersey Devils in order to make sure he’s100% but it does look like he’ll be back within the next week.

In the meantime, Boychuk’s absence opens up opportunity for the new players Mike Mottau and Greg Zanon to make it into the lineup.