BOSTON — The Bruins returned to work on Monday with an afternoon practice at TD Garden.
Not everyone was on the ice for the workout, though. All-Stars Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas and Tyler Seguin were excused after traveling back from Ottawa. Forward Nathan Horton was also not on the ice, but for less joyous reasons.
Horton is still experiencing symptoms from the concussion he suffered on Sunday, Jan. 22 in Boston's 6-5 shootout win in Philadelphia. He missed the final game before the break last Tuesday in Washington, and remains out indefinitely.
Horton has yet to work out on or off the ice since being injured on a hit from Flyers forward Tom Sestito, and he will remain inactive until the symptoms are gone.
"Until he is symptom-free, he can't do anything," Bruins coach Claude Julien said after practice. "So he hasn't done anything yet, and it will probably be at least two days and possible three before he starts being symptom-free."
The Bruins had hoped the five-day break for All-Star weekend would have given Horton enough time to recover from what was diagnosed as a mild concussion, but recovery times for head injuries like this are all but impossible to predict.
"You never know," Julien said. "They're all so different. So we just kind of keep our fingers crossed and hope he gets better quickly, but it's something that not even our medical staff can predict."
This is the second concussion for Horton in less than a year. He suffered a severe concussion on a late hit by Vancouver defenseman Aaron Rome in Game 3 of last year's Stanley Cup Final. Horton did not play again in the Final and was limited in training camp, but did not miss a game this season until sitting out Tuesday with this latest concussion.
Despite the slow progress this past week, the Bruins remain optimistic about Horton's recovery.
"He is getting better," Julien said. "At least not for three days will we be doing something with him. He's still at the point where he hasn't ridden the bike yet. He is getting better, believe it or not. When you have a concussion it's about headaches and everything else, and everything is going in the right direction right now."
With Horton out, Rich Peverley skated with David Krejci and Milan Lucic at Monday's practice. Peverley skated there in last Tuesday's game in Washington and is expected to remain with that unit when the Bruins return to action Tuesday against Ottawa.
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