BOSTON -- Boston Bruins center David Krejci's status for the game against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday is still up in the air.

Krejci took part in an optional morning skate at TD Garden, but coach Claude Julien did not know if Krejci would be able to take warm-ups.

"We'll see after he gets off there. If he does [take the warm-up] there's a chance he'll play obviously," Julien said.

Krejci has missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury. The Bruins have not only made do without Krejci lately but also have missed defensemen Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller and Torey Krug. In place of the three defensemen, recent American Hockey League call-ups Zach Trotman, David Warsofsky and Joe Morrow have filled in admirably. The Bruins have won three in a row and are 4-1-0 since Chara was injured.

BOSTON – Two of the most important players on the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers will not play Tuesday at TD Garden.

Bruins coach Claude Julien said center David Krejci is out with the same undisclosed injury that forced him to be a late scratch Saturday. Krejci is classified as day to day.

Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said forward Jonathan Huberdeau is still out with the flu and didn’t join the team in Boston. Huberdeau might join the Panthers on the next leg of their road trip in Philadelphia.

Aside from the absence of two of the better skilled players from both teams, Tuesday night marks an important event for a player known more for work ethic and toughness. Panthers forward Shawn Thornton, who left the Bruins as an unrestricted free agent last summer after seven seasons, will play his first game against his former team.

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins center David Krejci was a late scratch from the lineup Saturday against the Ottawa Senators at TD Garden.

Krejci took the pregame warmup and centered a line with Milan Lucic and Seth Griffith. But when the lineup sheet was issued, Krejci was listed as a scratch, and forward Matt Fraser had been inserted in the lineup.

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins defeated the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday to climb back to .500 with a 6-6-0 record.

They allowed 15 shots on goal in a game that reached overtime, including eight after the first period. It was a defensive performance more reflective of the Bruins' philosophy from the past several seasons than many of their early season performances.

According to Boston coach Claude Julien, the Bruins, who will be without injured defensemen Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug and Kevan Miller when they host the Ottawa Senators at TD Garden on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, TVA SPORTS, CITY), would have to tighten their play in their end regardless of who was playing defense in order to get their season back on track.

"I think it would've been that even if we would've been healthy because I don't think since the beginning of the year we've been as stingy as we have been in the past," Julien said. “So that's kind of been a little bit of an issue. And when you're having to play from behind, that's not a great situation either. So when we're stingy we're good because when we're stingy we're not giving them much and we're playing with the puck a lot more. Which was the case [Thursday]. I mean, we had the puck a lot more than the other team did. Now the results of the amount of scoring chances, the goals that we scored, may not have been where I think most people would've expected it to be. But we have to start somewhere and I think being stingy and doing a better job like we did [Thursday] of protecting what we call the house is a good way to start."

BOSTON -- Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin will not play against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday, Wild coach Mike Yeo said.

Brodin hit the boards after a hit by New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider on Monday in the Wild’s 5-4 loss. Brodin returned to the game and played 22:21, but Yeo said the 21-year-old was sore in several places.

BOSTON -- There are many signs Boston Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton is brimming with confidence early in his third NHL season.

Hamilton matched a career high with a three-point game in the Bruins road victory Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs in their first game since defenseman Zdeno Chara left the lineup with a knee injury. Two days later, the 21-year-old Hamilton was bold enough to wear a dress and pose as Elsa from "Frozen" during the Bruins annual reverse trick-or-treating event at Boston Children's Hospital.

As the Bruins continue life without Chara against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN) at TD Garden, Hamilton will continue to be a focal point of the Bruins defense corps.

"Yeah, I think it's more comfortable obviously everywhere," Hamilton said after the morning skate. "I think around this city, around the team, in the room and then on the ice as well, I think that as you get older and better the game slows down a bit. So I think I felt that a little bit. So just trying to play with confidence and try to make plays and keep playing hard."

BOSTON -- New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk isn't the only former Boston Bruins player returning to face his old team at TD Garden on Thursday.

Goaltender Chad Johnson established himself as an NHL regular last season as Tuukka Rask's backup. Johnson, scheduled to start for the Islanders, was 17-4-3 with a 2.10 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in 27 games for the Bruins before he signed with the Islanders as an unrestricted free agent during the summer.

When last season ended, Johnson knew the Bruins would be turning to prospect Niklas Svedberg to be Rask's backup.

"It was one of those where if you move on probably in this business it's for bad reasons. But I think just for my situation there wasn't enough, I guess, room to do that for the Bruins," Johnson said after the morning skate. "So it's a different feeling coming back when there's really no animosity between both sides."

BOSTON -- The San Jose Sharks' first regulation loss of the season and the return to health of center James Sheppard have caused coach Todd McLellan to juggle his forward lines against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday.

San Jose's 4-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Sunday put the Sharks' record at 4-1-1.

Sheppard is scheduled to make his season debut after recovering from knee surgery. He thinks he's just about 100 percent healthy.

"I've gone through this rehab more than one time. And it kind of gets redundant but you get a better feel for where you are in your rehab process, things like that," said Sheppard, who had four goals and 20 points in 67 games last season. "My biggest thing was just trying to get back where I was at the end of last year because I think that's the best that I've played in my career, having a bum knee or a good year. So I kind of got a better feel for where I was and I know that now I'm ready to go, I’m ready to contribute to our team."

BOSTON – The Washington Capitals should be adding one of their best defensemen to the lineup Saturday against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden, while the Bruins avoided a minor scare with their best defenseman during the morning skate.

Coach Barry Trotz said Mike Green should play against the Bruins after he missed the season opener Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens with an upper-body injury. The Capitals were 0-for-5 on the power play in their 2-1 loss, so Trotz is looking forward to Green’s debut.

“He’s a puck mover. He’s a real key on the power play,” Trotz said. “So that’s where he can have his impact most. I think breaking out of our end he’s such a good skater and a passer. If he’ll be really efficient on that then we’ll be in really good shape.”

For the Bruins, Zdeno Chara ran into teammate forward Milan Lucic during a power-play drill and Lucic’s stick clocked Chara near his right eye. Chara hit the deck, but got back up and continued in the drills. He iced his eye and finished the morning skate.

BOSTON -- The Philadelphia Flyers know how much their 1-7-0 start from last season hurt them.

They recovered enough to finish third in the Metropolitan Division but then lost to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference First Round.

A better start is a huge point of emphasis for the Flyers when they open the 2014-15 season against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN) at TD Garden.

"I think obviously we talk about it without wanting to talk about it," Flyers captain Claude Giroux said after the morning skate. "We just talk how hard it was to get back in the playoffs. And as much fun as it was, I think we don't want to put ourselves in that situation again. And we need to make sure we put ourselves in a better position halfway through the season."

The Flyers lineup will be at full strength because forward Wayne Simmonds' lower-body injury has healed and he will play against the Bruins. Simmonds was in a walking boot not too long ago, and when he was first injured there were fears he might miss an extended period of time.

"You never know what's going to happen," Simmonds said. "Obviously I kept my hopes up, kept optimistic and just kept working towards the goal of getting back into the lineup [Wednesday]."