Ference

BOSTON — Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference, out since March 2 with a groin injury, could be available if the Bruins need him tonight against Pittsburgh at TD Garden, according to head coach Claude Julien.

Ference had been skating on his own this week and he joined his teammates for their morning skate today. He might be pressed into action because defensemen Dennis Wideman and Johnny Boychuk, as well as forward Blake Wheeler, all missed the skate because of a flu bug.

“Obviously, if the team needs you to go, yeah,” said Ference.

Originally, Bruins personnel said they expected Ference to be out just five to seven days. Instead, he missed the entire two-week road trip. Even if Ference plays against the Penguins, he won’t be 100 percent healthy until he has offseason surgery.

“It’s just an ongoing thing. I mean I need surgery at the end of the season,” Ference explained. “It’s just one of those things that you patch up and take care of and try to make it last as long as you can. It’s just kind of out of control, if you get swelling and bleeding and stuff like that, you’ve kind of got to wait until it goes away before you can do anything because it really locks up my skating stride. There’s nothing you can do about it really, you just get it better and keep going at her and cross your fingers and hope it stays good.”

Ference’s season ended early last spring, when he left the Carolina playoff series with a groin injury that also required offseason surgery.