BOSTON — If there was any question as to whether Bruins’ top line center Marc Savard was fit enough for to return to the line up after a seven-week, concussion-induced layoff, the answer wasn’t long in coming. 

Not for him, nor for the TD Garden crowd of 15,565 that afforded Savard a standing ovation when he took the ice for his first shift against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The fact that he rocketed in the game-winner in overtime was merely the icing on the cake. Not to mention the feel-good story of the Stanley Cup playoffs, so far.

“To be honest, when I got out there, there was a little water in my eyes, at first,” said Savard, who had been sidelined since March 7 after a blind side attack by Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke. “The crowd treated me great. My teammates were great with me all day. And I just wanted to fit in. (Bruins’ coach) Claude (Julien) did a great job of playing me perfect minutes. I felt, as the game went on, I got stronger. We created a lot of chances and found a way to get the winner.”

Even though Savard’s playing time was reined in pretty tightly by Julien, he game through the grinding contest without a hitch.

“They played me hard and that’s part of the playoffs,” Savard said. “You don’t make too many friends out there. And that’s the way (Chris) Pronger plays against everybody. He just took me out hard a couple times. (Mike) Richards is a fierce competitor, but that’s part of the game. We had a couple words for each other, but that’s part of the game. So I’m sure it’s not going to get any easier.”

After scoring the game winner, a jubilant Savard threw his stick into the roaring crowd. He was surprised, however, when the fan who caught it tossed it back to him.

“I thought it was a treat for somebody,” he said, “because they’d been great all night. But that person threw it back. (laughs) I went off to do the three stars and all of a sudden I had my stick and I thought, ”˜Jeez, is it my head? Something’s wrong here.’ But no, I got it back. They probably thought I made a mistake, but that was actually a gift for somebody. So thanks for giving it back.”

EMPTY NETTERS: The Bruins got the doctor’s report back concerning the injured right knee suffered by winger Marco Sturm during the opening shift of Saturday’s game. Unfortunately, the news wasn’t good. It confirmed that Sturm had tornhis medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee and will be lost to the club until sometime next season. The injury occurred deep in the Flyers’ end, when Sturm locked skates with Philadelphia defenseman Matt Carle while finishing his check. He is scheduled to undergo surgery within the next 4-6 weeks, then will have another six months of rehab ahead of him. Sturm missed most of the 2008-09 season after suffering similar injuries to his left knee. His place in the Bruins’ line up for tonight’s Game 2 will likely be taken by winger Shawn Thornton, the former Portland Pirates captain.

— Contact Staff Writer Dan Hickling at dhickling@journaltribune.com.