WILMINGTON, Mass. -- Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli shared some good news Saturday, announcing that Bruins defensemen Adam McQuaid (sprained neck) and Steve Kampfer (knee) will be available for the start of the Eastern Conference finals series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. This comes after the day's earlier news that the team would be without the services of center Patrice Bergeron for at least Games 1 and 2 of the conference finals because of a mild concussion Bergeron suffered in the Bruins' 5-1 series-clinching win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night.

“On McQuaid, I think he’ll be back for the start of the next series, depending on when that start is,” Chiarelli said. “And I think the same would go for Kampfer, I think he would be available.”

McQuaid suffered his sprained neck in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series with Philadelphia and missed the final two games of the series. The rugged rearguard has three points in nine playoff games.

Kampfer, meanwhile, suffered his knee injury while on assignment in Providence in the last weekend of the regular season, but has been skating recently and should be ready to go for the conference finals. Kampfer was a healthy scratch for the 10 games prior to his assignment to Providence and had 10 points in 38 regular-season games.