Bruins winger Rick Nash confirmed what was feared to be the case when he first disappeared from TD Garden ice before a Mar. 19 contest: he suffered a concussion.
Set to miss his 11th straight game for the Bruins tonight against the Senators, leaving him with just Sunday's regular-season finale against the Panthers as a potential pre-postseason return, the 33-year-old Nash confirmed that the concussion came on a blow to the head from Lightning forward Cedric Paquette in a Mar. 17 win.
But it's a hit that Nash partly puts on himself.
"I exposed myself a bit," Nash, who dealt with concussion issues during his time with the Rangers, including a six-week absence back in 2013, admitted. "I feel like I put myself in a bad area and just took a shoulder, forearm to the head."
Dealing with 'typical concussion symptoms,' and noting that time has been the biggest thing that's helped him progress (Nash began skating on his own earlier this week), the veteran winger seemingly remains on the fence about a regular season return.
"It'd be nice to [return Sunday against Florida]," Nash said after another skate Saturday. "But it's kind of a catch-22. It'd be nice to get those five days and get my conditioning up a bit, get my skill back a little more. You've got to weigh the pros and the cons."
A definite fit to David Krejci's right, Nash has recorded three goals and six points in 11 games with the Bruins since coming over from the Rangers prior to the trade deadline.
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