A little bit closer

WILMINGTON, Mass. — The Bruins practiced today at Ristuccia Arena less than 24 hours after scoring their first goal in nearly nine periods and earning their first point in the standings since last Saturday.

All seven defensemen and two goaltenders took the ice. The forward lines were the same, except for Byron Bitz joining the group as a fourth fourth-liner with Shawn Thornton, Trent Whitfield and Mikko Lehtonen. Bitz has missed three games with a groin injury

Head coach Claude Julien said that “maybe” Bitz could play Saturday against Buffalo. Also, Milan Lucic provided me with an update on his status, so check out my blog at ESPNBoston.com.