Injuries and resiliency are commonly tied at the hip, and the 2017-18 Boston Bruins are living proof of that.

This month alone was a trying time for the Black and Gold as they were without their top center (Patrice Bergeron), top pair defensemen (Zdeno Chara and Charlie McAvoy), two top six wingers (Rick Nash and Jake DeBrusk) and their versatile power forward (David Backes).

They’ve faced injuries and multi-goal deficits, yet the Bruins have figuratively spit in the face of adversity. Just look at the impressive records with those aforementioned players out of the lineup entering Thursday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Without Chara: 2-1-3
Without Bergeron: 9-2-2
Without McAvoy: 7-2-3
Without Nash: 2-0-3
Without DeBrusk: 5-2-3
Without Backes (including his 3-game suspension): 4-1-3

“I’m so proud of the team, and what the guys have been able to do with so many guys being out of the lineup, very proud of them,” Chara said during his press conference to announce his one-year contract extension Wednesday at TD Garden. “It’s great to see how they battled every game, coming back from being down two, three, four goals and still getting points. So, just a great indication that this team has a never-give-up attitude and willing to fight till the last whistle.”

Chara (upper-body) was one of several injured players who took part in the morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena Thursday. Nash (also upper-body) was the only one missing of the bunch, while Charlie McAvoy was the only player donning a red no-contact jersey in his first skate since spraining his MCL on March 3 against the Canadiens.

Bruce Cassidy and company will be getting another reinforcement Thursday — with first place in the Eastern Conference on the line — as Backes returning after missing five games with a nasty knee laceration. Matt Grzelcyk, who left Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Jets after being on the receiving end of a nasty hit from behind by Josh Morrissey, is a game-time decision.

“We always say that we’re playing with whoever in the lineup and the guys that have done an amazing job with that,” Bergeron, who returned from a foot injury Sunday in the 2-1 win over the Wild, said pregame.

“Any time there’s a chance that somebody comes back it definitely helps — and we’re happy to have it — and obviously we need to do a good job with whoever is in there. It’s the same thing going forward and especially going forward before the playoffs. You definitely want guys coming back and getting healthy.”

The playoffs begin in a mere two weeks. The Bruins will likely face the Maple Leafs or the second wild card team out of the East if they can surpass the Bolts during the final seven games of the regular season. They have a tough road ahead that includes a pair with the Lightning, three with the Florida Panthers, a road tilt in Philly and another contest with the lowly Senators.

But tough roads are common with this Bruins bunch. They’ve been doing it since the start of the season with prominent players out. The mix of a talented youth movement led by McAvoy, DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and Ryan Donato and a strong leadership group including Backes, Chara, Bergeron and David Krejci, has helped the Bruins overcome their injury-plagued stretches.

“We’ve kind of said that earlier in the year where guys were out for stretches,” Backes said about a two-month stint where the Bruins were without the former Blues captain, Bergeron Brad Marchand and Krejci to name a few. “The guys did a great job of binding together, filling holes and playing the game that needed to be played.”

In other words, it’s ‘next man up.’

“Everybody takes it amongst themselves,” McAvoy said. “You know you can’t replace a specific player; everybody has their own game and a really special part of their game. So you can’t replace a guy and so everybody really has to play even better and bring their level up in order to try and fill the void.”

Filling the void is something that the Bruins do often. It’s helped them bring regular season success. But a healthy lineup is ideal come mid-April.

One reinforcement could help the Bruins reach first place in the East Thursday night. They’ll need more reinforcements for any realistic run at the Stanley Cup.

The Bruins will still be facing some sort of adversity in the playoffs. That part, they’re prepared for.