The good news for the Bruins is that there’s still hope that they can resume practice on Wednesday and play in front of a smattering of their fans for the first time in a year on Thursday.

The bad news? The Bruins very well may be reduced to a skeleton crew to play a New York Islanders team they haven’t beaten in four tries this year.

For the fourth straight day, the same five Bruins remained on the NHL’s COVID protocol list — Sean Kuraly, David Pastrnak, David Krejci, Jake DeBrusk and Craig Smith. The fact that it hasn’t grown is an indication that the problem has been contained, but the fact that it hasn’t shrunk means it is still entirely possible that they could face the Islanders on Thursday without their entire second line, one of the league’s best goal-scorers and a valuable role player, not to mention the long list of players already unavailable because of injury.

“Subsequent testing over the next couple of days may determine who’s available to us,” said GM Don Sweeney, speaking for the first time since the season went dark last Friday. “We do believe we’ll have a couple of players that will be unavailable and then the rest of the tests result will determine who is available to us to participate on Thursday night if we’re going to (play).”

Sounds like there’s quite a bit of hope involved.

“We’re going to continue to follow the medical advice and cross our fingers to a large degree that everyone remains negative,” said Sweeney.

The Bruins’ season took a turn while in Buffalo last week. In the morning before their game last Thursday, first the Sabres announced that someone from the team’s staff had entered the league’s COVID protocol list, and that person was followed by the Kuraly. As that night’s game hung in the balance, the players were retested through the course of the day and eventually it was determined by the league that the game could be played.

On Friday, the four remaining players entered the list. The game scheduled against the Sabres on Saturday was postponed, as was Tuesday’s scheduled home game against the Islanders. After more testing in Buffalo on Friday, the rest of the players and traveling staff were allowed to fly home while the players on the list traveled home by car.

“We had individual car services that were set up to make sure the players and the drivers were separated,” said Sweeney.

The Bruins have a list of seven players on injured reserve — Tuukka Rask, Brandon Carlo, Kevan Miller, Jeremy Lauzon, Ondrej Kase, John Moore and Zach Senyshyn. Trent Frederic also left last Thursday’s game in the first period after blocking a shot. The injured players who were not with the team in Buffalo (Rask was the only one on IR who was with the team) were able to access the facility, get treatment and skate. Sweeney did not give a full list of players who skated, but did say that Carlo, believed to have suffered a concussion on a head shot from Washington’s Tom Wilson on March 5, was one of them.

Just who will be ready to play on Thursday is anyone’s guess but, if there’s a game, then some form of the Boston Bruins will be on the ice.

“You have to field your team,” said Sweeney. “You’re playing a game and you have to put together a roster as best you can and the players that are available will have to go out and do the job. If we had to recall other players or some players who had been on IR who had been working all along, then that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to put forth the absolute best roster we can to compete and play in the game that we’re scheduled to play.”

While acknowledging the coronavirus has thrown the whole world into upheaval, Sweeney conceded this season — with its constant testing, ever-present uncertainties and health concerns — has been draining.

“We just all hope we’re going to remain as healthy as possible and get through this as a group and the sport and we come out better. But it’s mentally tiring for the players and the staff involved,” said Sweeney.

The NHL trade deadline is April 12 and, thanks in large part to the injuries that have dogged the team since Day One, Sweeney has not been able to fully evaluate his team. Chances are, he won’t get that opportunity by the deadline. It sounds like if Sweeney is to be aggressive at the deadline, his inconsistent team is going to have to show him something.

“Ultimately, the health of our group and how well we’re playing will sometimes determine (it), as well as the availability of the players we might like to add,” said Sweeney. “I can’t tell you that we’re going to make a move in any direction. Moving forward, we’d like to. But a little bit of the health of our hockey club may dictate that. We’re going to have a more compressed schedule as we go through the next 28 games. You think the playoffs are a war of attrition, but the balance of the schedule presents some of those challenges.”

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