by By RICH THOMPSON , The Boston Herald

Krejci was between Vladimir Sobotka and Blake Wheeler as the Bruins prepared for tonight's game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins at the Garden. Krejci missed consecutive home games against the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres.

The B's struggled on offense before their breakout 4-2 win against the Sabres on Saturday. Coach Claude Julien was thrilled to have Krejci back on the ice.

``It's nice to get a player back from those types of situations,'' Julien said. ``He's a pretty good player and we can always use those types of players in our lineup. He didn't look bad to me today, but again I wasn't going to be pushing him to the max when he hasn't been on the ice for awhile. Today was his first day on the ice and he's got a morning skate. Hopefully he'll be ready for tomorrow night.''

Krejci admitted he felt miserable during his convalescence but conceded the swine flu was no worse than any other illness he has contracted.

``If they didn't tell me what I had, I would have thought it was just a normal sickness,'' he said. ``The doctor told me I'm a professional athlete and that in five days I would be fine.'' The toughest part was watching games.

``I don't want to go through it again. It was long and I was bored at home,'' Krejci said. ``I was just looking at the clock and on game day, Thursday and Saturday, I was waiting for 7 p.m.''

Ryder absent

While Krejci was swine flu-free and laced up, right winger Michael Ryder was excused from practice because of an undisclosed illness. The forwards are typically on the same line, but Julien said he had not received a diagnosis and was unsure of Ryder's status. The Bruins banished Ryder because flu of any kind can infect a locker room in a short period.

Ryder has not scored since the Bruins' win against Nashville on Oct. 21, but he is one of the team's best skaters and plays well with Krejci and Wheeler.

``He's a little under the weather, but no H1N1 symptoms,'' Julien said. ``Every time somebody is a little under the weather, we are going to play it safe and get him checked out. But there is nothing to indicate he's got that.''

Moving forward

Left winger Milan Lucic got in some skating time before practice. Julien hopes to have him back before Thanksgiving.

Lucic suffered a broken finger on Oct. 16 in Dallas and has missed the past 10 games. He brings a physical presence to any line, and he uses his bulk to screen in the crease, a major component missing from the Bruins' 27th-ranked power play.

``Milan is getting to the point where he's going to start handling some pucks,'' Julien said.

Julien added that center Marc Savard (broken foot) would be cleared to skate once the protective boot has been removed. Lucic started the season on Savard's line with Marco Sturm but later was paired with Krejci.

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