Leading the post practice stretch in San Jose yesterday along with Shawn Thornton, who will return to action Sat. night after serving the 15th and final game of his suspension for his attack on Brooks Orpik back on Dec. 7, forward Loui Eriksson looks like a man ready to jump back into action for a Boston Bruins squad in search of just one Golden State victory this year.

Good idea? You tell me.

It’s no secret that the B’s invested a lot into the idea of Eriksson being a force on their second line this season, Eriksson being the key piece coming to Boston in exchange for former second overall pick and 21-year-old sniper Tyler Seguin. It’s also no secret that Eriksson wants to be a major factor (in a good way) in his debut season with the B’s for his own benefit. And again, it’s no secret that Eriksson’s been dealt a garbage hand in 2013-14, with two concussions to his name.

That is absolutely terrifying.

In Boston, we’ve been down this road before. Patrice Bergeron suffered two major concussions in a 14-month span. Marc Savard’s career was ended by two suffered over a 10-month stretch, and even Nathan Horton found himself on the shelf for half a year by way of two sustained in a seven-month stretch from June ‘11 to Jan. ‘12.

Eriksson suffered two between Oct. 23 and Dec. 7 of this year. Not even two months.

Again, terrifying.

Of course, Eriksson looked like a player without many lingering side effects from his first concussion when he returned back in Nov., recording three goals and 11 points in 15 games post-Scott hit. But that was the first concussion around. But absolutely nobody knows how Eriksson will look when he takes the ice tonight. It's not an ideal situation, really. You're going to wince, hold your breath, and pray any time somebody comes within six feet of Eriksson, and you're going to have to put him in situations where he's able to be protected, however you think you can.

Spoiler: This is how it's going to be from here on out.

You can't hold Eriksson out forever, but this return has to seem a little bit rushed, especially for a team and medical staff that's experienced the horrors of post concussion symptoms as much as the Black-and-Gold, no?

Expected to skate on the Bruins' third line with Carl Soderberg and Ryan Spooner, the return of Eriksson will certainly give the third line an offensive kick (as well as a defensive zone booster), and will allow a Boston attack that's been outscored 9-to-4 to roll three lines more than capable of chiming in with a goal.

It will also be interesting to see how Eriksson's eased back into the Bruins' power play mix (if at all) given how much of a contributor the 5-foot-10 Spooner has been in his spot on the wing of the B's second power play unit.

And as previously mentioned, Thornton, suspended for the past 15 games, will return to the Boston lineup tonight on his usual spot on the club's fourth line with Gregory Campbell and Danny Paille.

In net, the Bruins will hope for a bounceback (again) for goaltender Tuukka Rask, who gets the start once again despite surrendering three goals on 18 shots on Thursday night, and five on 20 back on Tuesday night. Even with his struggles, going with the 26-year-old Rask seemed like a no brainer for Boston given his 38-save performance in a victory over San Jose back in October.

He'll be opposed by fellow Finland Olympian Antti Niemi. The 30-year-old Niemi has won 15 of 19 home starts this season, and enters play with five wins and a .926 save percentage in just six career games against the Bruins.

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