McQuaid will be a game-time decision for B's vs. Detroit

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The Bruins may get a familiar, bruising face back in their lineup on Saturday for the first time in a long time.

Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid will be a game time decision for Saturday afternoon’s matinee against the Detroit Red Wings after going through a full practice for the first time on Friday afternoon at Warrior Ice Arena. McQuaid has missed 27 games after a blocked shot broke his leg during an Oct. 19 win over the Vancouver Canucks. The veteran would certainly bring an element of size, strength and snarl to the Black and Gold lineup if he returns for the first time in months.

“It’s a game-time decision. He’s obviously getting closer, but we want to make sure it’s the right time for him and the right time that the lineup requires it,” said Bruce Cassidy. “It’s the decision we’ve been going back and forth on, and we’ll do that again tomorrow. It makes it easier to push it back when the team is going well, and there’s not as much urgency to force him back into the lineup."

“He certainly brings an element of toughness, hard-to-play-again and penalty kill that we have in our lineup, but he’ll bring even more of it. Big, heavy teams like we saw against Washington and even a little bit against the Rangers when they got going, we miss that element of his game [with the battle in front of the net].”

The dilemma for Cassidy is to not mess with something that isn’t broke, given that the Bruins have won 12 of their last 16 games, and have captured back-to-back games against the Blue Jackets and Jets. They appear to be healthy on the back end now, although the flu bug is running through the team and it could certainly create an opening for McQuaid leading up to the afternoon puck drop.

As it is, Riley Nash and Ryan Spooner returned to the practice ice on Friday after missing Thursday’s game with the flu. Brad Marchand was missing from Friday’s skate after topping 20 minutes of ice time while sick as a dog in the Thursday win vs. the Jets. Cassidy is hoping that all of the flu-ridden Bruins will be good to go on Saturday with three days off around the Christmas break.

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