Connolly ‘getting closer’, takes part in Bruins warm-up

BOSTON – Brett Connolly has been a participant in practice for the last few days, and took another step on Tuesday night by suiting up for a pregame skate for the first time on TD Garden ice prior to a game against the Florida Panthers. Connolly didn’t take part in line rushes while wearing No. 14 on his B’s sweater, so he isn’t going to be playing against the Panthers in a do-or-die regular season game for Florida’s playoff hopes.

But his presence in warm-up means he’s getting closer to a return from a fractured right index finger after getting hurt in his second day practicing with the Black and Gold after getting traded to Boston.

Claude Julien said on Tuesday morning that the skilled right winger will be in the lineup when he’s ready to return. That means another right winger will sit in favor of Connolly (with David Pastrnak and Reilly Smith as the two logical candidates), or move to another place in the lineup (which could be the case with David Krejci) to displace another player.

“[He’s] getting closer. Obviously you see him there in practice. It’s a matter now of getting the ‘okay’ from the doctors, as I mentioned last week, and him feeling good enough and comfortable enough,” said Julien. “I think it’s a combination of those two making those decisions. That’s where we’re at now still.

“When the time comes [for him to be healthy], we’ll definitely put him in. He’s a good player. In my mind there’s no doubt we missed him through this stretch. When the time comes, I’ll make that decision. But we’re certainly not open to talking about it right now.”

With Connolly inching closer to a return before the end of the regular season, here are the line combos and D-pairings based on pregame warm-up: