Ward is sidelined

He's out with leg injury; Boychuk, Lashoff are up

WILMINGTON - After Saturday's 4-1 win over Detroit, which allowed the Bruins to close out November with an 11-1-1 record, coach Claude Julien noted that he was somewhat sad to see the month come to a close.

December is already looking a little tougher.

Aaron Ward, who played only 3:43 against his old club, will not be available for Thursday's game against Tampa Bay or Saturday's match against Florida. He didn't practice yesterday and was hobbling around the Ristuccia Arena dressing room with a boot on his left leg.

Julien would go no further than to say it was a leg injury, and Ward said he was not allowed to discuss his ailment. It's most likely that Ward sprained his ankle during a first-period collision with Detroit forward Derek Meech. Yesterday, Ward removed the boot for part of his stay in the dressing room and showed a significant limp.

Ward's injury is the latest hit to a blue line that was already weakened by the loss of Andrew Ference. Yesterday, because of Ward's absence and rest days given to Dennis Wideman and Shane Hnidy, the Bruins practiced with only three healthy defensemen.

After practice, the Bruins recalled Johnny Boychuk and Matt Lashoff from Providence. Boychuk, acquired from Colorado June 24 for center Matt Hendricks, leads Providence in scoring, recording 4 goals and 19 assists in 22 games. The righty-shooting Boychuk, 24, appeared in four games for the Avalanche last season. He must clear waivers if he is assigned back to Providence.

Lashoff, who has played with Boychuk on the No. 1 power-play unit in Providence, has 4 goals and 12 assists in 18 AHL games. This is his second recall to Boston, though he has yet to appear in a game.

To make room for the salaries of Boychuk ($500,000) and Lashoff ($850,000), the Bruins placed Ference ($1.4 million) on long-term injured reserve.

Ward (0-3 -3) had appeared in all 24 games this season, averaging 19:46 of ice time. He leads the Bruins with 43 blocked shots and is second to Milan Lucic with 68 hits. After struggling early in the year, Ward and Zdeno Chara had settled into their roles as the club's top shutdown defensemen.

"They've played well," said Julien. "And [Matt] Hunwick has stepped in nicely for Andrew Ference with Wideman. We've said numerous times that we're comfortable with the depth our organization has. It's time to use it."

Sturm returns

For the first time since Nov. 17, Marco Sturm hit the ice yesterday, his first practice after missing six games because of a concussion. Sturm sustained the concussion against Chicago Nov. 12 but appeared in three more games before shutting things down because of neck pain and pressure in his head.

"I feel good," said Sturm, who practiced on the fourth line with Stephane Yelle and Shawn Thornton. "I'm feeling better every day now. It's a good sign. Just happy to be back with the boys. Hopefully I'm going to be ready soon."

While Sturm is hoping to play against the Lightning, he only returned to off-ice workouts this past weekend, which means he might need more time to get into game shape. The Bruins will monitor how Sturm reacts to yesterday's on-ice session to see whether he experiences any setbacks.

"I think it's just giving him a chance here to get back into practices," Julien said. "He's feeling very good. Today was a good little test for him."

Nice comeback

One player's progression that Sturm aims to follow is that of Chuck Kobasew, currently riding a six-game point streak. After missing 12 games (ankle), Kobasew returned to the lineup against Buffalo Nov. 8, notching a goal and an assist while playing on the fourth line.

Kobasew eventually advanced to the third line, and for the last two games, he has been serving as Patrice Bergeron's right-hand man on the No. 2 threesome while also seeing down-low time on the first power-play unit.

"I don't base my performance on points," Kobasew said. "It's anything I can do to help the team win, and that's doing the little things right. Points don't mean anything to me."

Kobasew has scored a goal in each of the last two games. Against the Islanders Friday, Kobasew netted a power-play strike when he jammed home the rebound of a P.J. Axelsson shot. On Saturday, after Bergeron won a puck battle in the corner, Kobasew, serving as the third man high, took his center's feed and cranked a shot past Detroit goalie Ty Conklin.

"He's been good since the beginning of the year," Julien said. "Those few exhibition games, he just had to get his game back on track. I thought that last exhibition game and the first game he played against Colorado, he was extremely good.

"Since he's come back, he started off on the fourth and gave that line some scoring. He's worked his way back up to where he feels he belongs."

Hearing date set

Glen Murray's grievance hearing has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 17. At issue is whether the Bruins' buyout of Murray was improper because of his injured right ankle. Murray is seeking his full $4.15 million salary this season instead of the $2.767 million he is due per terms of his July 26 buyout . . . Tim Thomas, who was slowed by a cold last week, said he's feeling fine . . . NESN will debut "The Instigators," its new hockey show, Thursday at 6 p.m. The weekly show will feature play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards, color analyst Andy Brickley, and studio analyst Mike Milbury discussing local and national hockey topics.

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com