Mavrik Bourque nears return for Predators at Bruins

The Preds hit the road needing a center, and the best news of the week came out of Wednesday's practice.

Alex Daugherty

@AlexDaugherty1

Mavrik Bourque is practicing again today. He’s participated in four straight practices, so it seems like he’s close to returning. Still listed as day-to-day on the Preds website.

Four straight practices is not a guy getting light work on the side. It's a guy who's ready, or close to it. The day-to-day tag is still on the team website, but that label has been sitting there since the night he got hurt. Bourque went down in the 2nd period against the Canadiens back on October 8 and hasn't played since. He had been a game-time decision in the days after, then missed warmups, and the games kept going by without him.

Brunette wasn't going to commit to anything at the podium. Coaches never do the day before a road game. But he said the quiet part out loud: losing Bourque leaves a real hole up the middle of this lineup.

Alex Daugherty

@AlexDaugherty1

Brunette not ready to say Bourque is back in the lineup, but admitted it’s a big hole up the middle when he’s not there. I’d expect him to play based on today’s practice, but obviously have to wait and see.

That's an honest admission for a guy Nashville is still getting to know. Bourque is 24 and new to the Predators, and his start in Nashville was quiet: 1 assist in 4 games before the injury, according to CBS Sports. Still, a team that keeps throwing different people at center notices when its natural center is gone. Wednesday's lines had him skating between Ryan Kerfoot and Jonathan Marchessault, and that looks like the spot waiting for him.

Then came the line that matters most. Brunette told reporters the group is excited to have Bourque back soon, if not Thursday at TD Garden.

Brooks Bratten

@brooksbratten

#Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette says the group is excited to get Mavrik Bourque back “soon, if it’s not tomorrow” at Boston. Bourque has missed the last four-plus games with an upper-body injury.

So here's where it stands. 4 practices, a coach saying soon if not tomorrow, and the beat writer who watched practice expecting him to play. Nobody has made it official, so keep an eye on morning skate and warmups Thursday in Boston. If he's on the ice in the warmup this time, Nashville gets its middle-of-the-ice guy back for the Bruins. If not, the soft language from Brunette points to the next stop on the trip. Either way the wait is close to over.