BOSTON - Peter Cehlarik has been finding the back of the net quite frequently of late. He does not, however, believe that is sole reason he was promoted to Boston on Tuesday afternoon.

The winger has spent much of the last two seasons rounding out his game in Providence and is hopeful that his work solidifying his strength with and without the puck translates at the National Hockey League level.

BOSTON - Charlie McAvoy was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, his first since an infection in his foot sidelined him for the last six games. The 21-year-old blue liner has been ruled out for Thursday night's tilt with Washington, but - barring any setbacks - could be back in the lineup on Saturday in Toronto.

"He was a full go today," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "He's progressing well. Again, [Thursday] morning we'll find out if there's any setbacks. If not, then Saturday becomes a reality. Won't say he's in - he's not gonna play [Thursday], but that becomes a target date. We'll see how it works out."

BOSTON - The Bruins, in the midst of a four-game homestand, will be looking to continue building momentum on Tuesday night when they welcome the Minnesota Wild to TD Garden. Boston has won four straight and seven of nine dating back to the end of December, as the team has begun to get healthy and receive more consistent contributions throughout the lineup.

"I think we're getting production from the whole group right now which is great," said Brad Marchand. "When you look at our fourth line, they've been our best line the last few weeks. When you have that throughout the whole lineup it makes it tough to play against and also having essentially our whole team back, we're able to get a good look at our group.

"We've always had that depth, but with guys out consistently it's been tough to kind of keep it steady. It's good to have everyone back now and we're just kind of rolling from that."

BOSTON - The Bruins have faced their share of adversity through 41 games this season. Injuries decimated Boston's roster throughout much of November and early December, leaving the Black & Gold at one point down to their 12th defenseman.

Boston played over a month without both Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron, while Charlie McAvoy has suited up for only 17 games thanks to two separate injuries.

But through it all, the Bruins have battled through. They remain entrenched in the Eastern Conference playoff picture - they're just 4 points behind Toronto for second place in the Atlantic - and are on a 100-point pace, an impressive feat given the number of key players they have been without for substantial periods of time.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Bruce Cassidy toiled with the decision over the past few days, but ultimately announced on Monday that he has chosen to start Tuukka Rask between the pipes for Tuesday's 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic against the Chicago Blackhawks. It will be Rask's 469th game with the Bruins, the most by a goaltender in franchise history.

It was not an easy choice for Cassidy, who also has Jaroslav Halak - the league's leader in save percentage at .928 - at his disposal. Rask got the start in Boston's overtime win in Buffalo on Saturday night, making 26 saves in the victory.

BOSTON - Just when the Bruins thought they were back to full strength, the injury bug has once again infiltrated the dressing room.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said on Friday afternoon that Charlie McAvoy - who missed Thursday's game with New Jersey - has been placed on injured reserve and will sit out again on Saturday night in Buffalo with a lower-body injury. Brad Marchand also missed Friday's practice at Warrior Ice Arena with what Cassidy termed as an upper-body injury.

BOSTON - It really was the most wonderful time of the year for the Bruins on Wednesday.

For the first time this season, the Black & Gold had its entire roster present for practice, as Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, Jake DeBrusk, and Urho Vaakanainen all participated for the first time since suffering their injuries. Kevan Miller, who has been skating with the group since last week, also took part in the session.

BOSTON - David Backes has not had the best of luck over the past two seasons.

Last November, the veteran forward missed roughly a month - some four weeks less than expected - following colon surgery related to a bout of diverticulitis. Then in March, Backes required 18 stitches to close a wound in his leg after being nicked by the skate of Tampa Bay forward Yanni Gourde.

As a result, Backes - who also suffered a concussion in the Bruins' final game of the postseason, courtesy of a high hit from the Lightning's J.T. Miller - was Boston's 2018 nominee for the Masterton Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

BOSTON  - It has been a grueling few weeks for the Bruins.

Injuries have decimated the roster, particularly on the back end, yet Boston has found a way to pile up points. And they're doing so with plenty of grind.

Without Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara for the last six games, the Bruins have posted an impressive 4-1-1 record, with five of those contests being decided by one goal and three lasting into overtime or the shootout.

BOSTON - Brandon Carlo has only been in the National Hockey League for three seasons. But he knows the current state of the Bruins' defense corps is anything but routine.

Just 24 games into the season, Boston has had eight defensemen miss at least one game to injury - and most of them much more than that. The 12 blue liners the Bruins have used already are the most they have played in a season since 2013-14.