The Bruins did not take to the ice at TD Garden at full health on Tuesday night.

Instead, Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm missed his second straight game. That was not how their night was looking some nine hours earlier, however, as the Bruins went through a morning skate with all 23 of their players, including Lindholm, available and seemingly ready to go as a full participant.

“It was a game-time decision,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said when asked about Lindholm’s status. “And he said he couldn’t go [in the game tonight] after the skate this morning, so we’ll see [on Wednesday].” 

When Lindholm was held out of Sunday’s game in Utah, it screamed load management, especially with Lindholm playing over 20 minutes the night before in what was his first game from a lower-body ailment that held him out of action for four games. A condensed schedule will do that to players working their way back from injury this season, they would all acknowledge.

But Tuesday’s absence would seemingly indicate that there’s been a setback suffered somewhere along the way, which is the absolute last thing the Black and Gold need right now with five straight losses to their name.

The strain was felt in a major way on Tuesday, too, as the Panthers torched Mason Lohrei for two goals that Sturm pinned on the 24-year-old.

“Those two goals, yeah, can’t deny it, they were on him,” Sturm said of Lohrei’s struggles in the loss. “We have to try to correct it, try to help him, and make sure he’s not going to do that again. That’s for sure.” 

And it may be about to get even worse for the Bruins, with Jordan Harris (in the lineup for the injured Lindholm) walking through the locker room with a noticeable limp and a team doctor following Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Panthers.

If the Bruins have to reach into the minor-league ranks for reinforcements ahead of Thursday’s home date with the Ducks, Jonathan Aspirot, Frederic Brunet, and Michael Callahan are among the notable left-shooting options. Among that group of three, Aspirot has been the most productive out of the gate for the P-Bruins, with a goal and three points through four games. Callahan is the most experienced, however, with 17 appearances for Boston last season.