Bruins center Savard cleared to return

BOSTON, April 27 (UPI) -- Boston Bruins' center Marc Savard will return for the Eastern Conference semifinals after receiving medical clearance to play, the team said Tuesday.

Savard was sidelined with a severe concussion after the Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke delivered a shoulder to his head in a March 7 blindside hit. After laying motionless on the ice, Savard was carried off on a stretcher and hasn't played since.

Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli told reporters Savard passed all the tests required for his return during a Monday afternoon visit with doctors.

The news came as Boston prepared for a semifinal series after dispatching the Buffalo Sabres in the conference quarterfinals. The Bruins could face the Penguins in the next round, depending on the outcome of Wednesday's seventh game of the quarterfinal series between Washington and Montreal.

Cooke's hit on Savard triggered NHL rule changes that outlawed blindsiding opponents with hits to the head.