Bruins' Krejci 'back pretty soon'; Rask practices

Boston Bruins forward David Krejci and goalie Tuukka Rask were at practice Wednesday.

Krejci has been out since sustaining a knee injury on Feb. 20 and has missed 12 games. It was the second time he skated with teammates since the injury.

"I feel pretty comfortable that I will be back pretty soon and I can play a bunch of games," Krejci told the Bruins website. "That should be enough to get myself ready for the [Stanley Cup Playoffs]. Once I am 100 percent, I will be back."

Krejci has seven goals and 26 points in 38 games. He will travel with the Bruins, who play at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

"He's progressing well, but I don't know exactly how close he is [to returning]," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "I think the earliest would probably be the weekend."

Boston plays at the Florida Panthers on Saturday and at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.

Rask was scratched from a 2-1 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday because of soreness. He has played in 58 games (29-17-10), including 25 of 27 games prior to Tuesday. He played 18 straight games from Jan. 10 to Feb. 24.

"I had a couple days off there, so [I feel] refreshed," Rask said.

"You can just kind of watch the game and kind of relax. But I take advantage. I've played a lot of hockey, so I take advantage of it for sure."

Boston leads Ottawa by four points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.