The Bruins were missing a couple of key guys from Saturday's practice in Jordan Caron and David Krejci. Both players, as well as Marco Sturm, were battling the flu, but the absences weren't the story for B's. Instead of worrying about who wasn't on the ice, it seemed the focus was on the guy who was there -- the guy who was doing everything without any problems. 

That sort of excitement, of course, is to be expected. Gone are the days of Marc Savard being a ways away from returning to the lineup, and there's a room full of Bruins happily awaiting his eventual debut. After passing the mother of all tests, a six-hour epic with concussion specialist Dr. Mickey Collins in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Savard was cleared for contact and has since practiced without restrictions. 

Savard is still getting his feet wet, but he received quite the welcome back on his first day of contact drills. While spending extra time on the ice in battle drills with Adam McQuaid on Wednesday, Savard caught an elbow on the chin from the 6-foot-5 blueliner. 

McQuaid knew he was out there to help Savard get used to physical contact as the center works toward his return from post-concussion symptoms, but he had no intention of roughing up his teammate. Much to McQuaid's relief, Savard's reaction was purely indicative of a competitor who was glad to be back at his craft. 

"Immediately after he said, 'Ah, you got me with an elbow there,'" McQuaid recalled. "He's like, 'I feel good! I feel good!'"

And that, in a nutshell, seems to be Savard's attitude through all this. He knows he isn't going to be inserted right back into the lineup just yet, but he's eager and focusing on taking all the time necessary to get to where he needs to be. 

"I'm pretty much where I expected I'd be, and I'm getting closer," Savard said after practice. 

As for when he'll return, nobody seems shy about giving "December" as an answer to the commonly asked question. 

"Whether that's early December or middle [of the month], I'm not sure, but every day I'm getting closer, doing more drills, working on the battles and just having fun," Savard said. "I'm enjoying every day."

The extra work with McQuaid, which continued Saturday following practice, has helped, but both players seemed aware that nothing can perfectly simulate the physical toll of a real game. The team knows he won't fully feel it until he gets that first real hit in a game, but McQuaid will have to suffice as a primer. 

"I don't want to crush him from behind or anything like that," McQuaid said with a laugh. "I'm just trying to give him a little bit of resistance and get him used to getting pushed. It's different. You can skate all day, but when you get into those battles, it's a different kind of energy."

The only problem Savard encountered on Saturday was a bit of difficulty in understanding a drill. He said after practice that he had to watch it a couple of times before totally getting it, but aside from that he was encouraged once again. His teammates, meanwhile, are just encouraged to see him going through the same motions as them.

"He gives us someone with the ability of making plays that only a few players in the league can make, especially with his passing and his ability to see guys without even looking at them," Zdeno Chara said. "And on the power play, he can make things happen. He's that kind of a skilled player, that he can just find people. He's also really good on draws." 

Chara was hopeful that the Savard could suit up within "the next few games," saying that "he's been practicing pretty hard and working out pretty hard" and that "he deserves to be out there with us." Julien isn't giving as specific of a prediction, but knows that neither Savard, who has yet to play this season, nor the team would benefit from the center being rushed back. 

"I think it will depend on a lot of things. The bottom line is when he comes in, he's got to be able to keep up and be at par. You certainly don't want to bring a guy in who's going to struggle keeping up, because it's not a positive for the team, and it's not a positive for him. When guys are out for a long time, the minute they get cleared, people want him to be back right away, and so do they, but you've got to make the right decision."

Savard skated on a line with Michael Ryder and Daniel Paille while also getting time on the power play in practice Saturday, though the lines needed adjusting with Caron and Krejci absent. With the team needing to clear at least one player from the books to get under the salary cap upon Savard's return, it's far too early to read into who the center will be playing with when he does return. He and his teammates are just glad that the day is drawing nearer. 

Savard had 96, 78, and 88 points in his first three seasons with the Bruins before totaling 33 in 41 games last season. Following his concussion, suffered on March 7 against the Penguins on the infamous Matt Cooke hit, he missed the remainder of the season before returning in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Flyers.