Viktor Arvidsson hit the ice in Boston on Friday morning, an unexpected sight for a Bruins team trying to keep its season alive against the Sabres tonight.

He wasn't part of the full morning skate. He skated on his own. But for a winger listed day-to-day with an upper-body issue, that's the first real flicker of hope all week.

Game 6 drops at TD Garden with Boston down 3-2 in the series. Lose, and the summer starts.

Marco Sturm has been pushing the right buttons just to get his group here. The overtime win in Buffalo on Tuesday saved the season. Barely.

Arvidsson's absence has been felt. He put up 25 goals and 54 points in 69 regular-season games, and was a +20 before the playoffs hit.

Through four playoff games, he managed two goals and went minus-4 before the injury knocked him out. Not dominant. Still useful in a top-six role that's been rebuilt on the fly.

The clip making the rounds Friday morning told its own story.

Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald posted video of Arvidsson alone on the practice rink at Warrior, gliding through corners with no contact, no line rushes, no urgency. Just a player testing his body on his own clock.

Sturm faces a Game 7 lineup call he didn't expect to make

That changes the math for the head coach. Even a dressed-but-limited Arvidsson gives Boston a different look on the second line.

Without him, Sturm has been leaning hard on David Pastrnak, who's carrying this offense with 6 points in 5 playoff games. The supporting cast has been quiet.

Jeremy Swayman has worn a heavy load too. He's 1-3 in the series with a .909 save percentage. Solid, not stealing games. Boston needs him to steal one tonight.

Buffalo hasn't lost a series-clincher chance lightly all spring. Lindy Ruff's group has played confident hockey since taking a 3-1 lead.

So what does Sturm actually do with Arvidsson if he's available on game 7? Game-time decision feels generous. The smarter read is that Boston wants the veteran on the bench in case the third period gets desperate.

Because if the Bruins go down quietly without using every healthy body they have, the questions in the room next week will be sharper than anything Buffalo throws at them.