The Boston Bruins have been without Hampus Lindholm for each of their last 25 games, but the key defenseman took the next step towards his eventual return on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old skated on his own before the Bruins' morning skate ahead of a home tilt against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. But despite getting back on the ice, the Swede still has no timetable for a return from his lower-body injury, interim head coach Joe Sacco confirmed.

“There's still no timeline right now,” Sacco said after the skate, per NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. “I don't have a timeline yet.”

The bench boss continued: “We miss Hampus. He plays in all situations for us. He plays against top lines, eats up a lot of minutes, a big guy that defends well. When the time comes, it'll be a nice addition to our group.”

Lindholm was injured against the St. Louis Blues back on November 26, and will miss a 26th consecutive game on Tuesday night. Originally suffering the ailment after blocking a shot, Sacco said the medical staff will have to clear Lindholm before he can return.

The former 6th overall selection in the 2012 NHL Draft was averaging a shade under 21 minutes of time on ice through 17 games before the unfortunate injury, chipping in three goals and seven points in that span.

The Bruins will look forward to getting the stalwart blue liner back into the lineup sometime in the future, but the squad is struggling mightily in the present.

Bruins have lost 4 straight for 1st time this season

New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal during the third period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Bruins shed their early season woes once Sacco replaced Jim Montgomery behind the bench, and December was an especially fruitful month for the franchise. Boston went 9-4-1 in the calendar month, keeping pace with the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs at the top of the Atlantic Division.

But things have gone off the rails in January; Sacco's squad has lost four games in a row, and scored just 10 total goals in that span. The B's dropped three consecutive road games to start the New Year, losing to the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers and Maple Leafs, in that order.

The Bruins were beaten by the lowly New York Islanders on Sunday night, making it four straight losses for just the first time this season.

“I look at [this game] half-full,” Sacco said after the defeat, per NHL.com's Stefen Rosner. “Considering the circumstances tonight, being down a couple of goals there and then fighting our way back there showed a good sign of resiliency for the team tonight. We would have liked to capture the extra point in overtime, but unfortunately we didn’t.”

Boston remains in third place in the Atlantic, but they're just three points up on the Tampa Bay Lightning — who have five games in hand — and four up on the Montreal Canadiens.

The Bruins will look to right the ship against McDavid and the Oilers at TD Garden, which will be a challenge against an Edmonton team that has won six of eight games.