Riley Nash Returns to Practice; Wingels Absent

BOSTON - The Bruins saw the return of a familiar face Friday afternoon at Warrior Ice Arena, with forward Riley Nash joining the team for his first full practice since taking a puck to the side of the head on March 31.
"I feel good," said Nash. "It's nice to get back out there with the guys and actually feel like you're a part of the team again. Today was a good day."

The 28-year-old center received more than 40 stitches in and around his ear and has since experienced symptoms that have prevented him from returning to the lineup.
"I don't know if it was a concussion or it wasn't," he said. "Obviously, taking a puck to the side of the skull like that isn't going to feel great. I don't know if it was just a little bit of swelling that was causing those symptoms or not."
While Nash has made significant progress, coach Bruce Cassidy said he does not expect him to suit up for Game 2 on Saturday night.
"We'll make that decision tomorrow…he's trending well, but tomorrow looks doubtful," said Cassidy.
"I think we may lean on the side of [being] cautious towards being aggressive," added Nash, who played in 76 of the first 77 regular-season games prior to his injury, setting new career highs in goals (15), assists (26) and points (41).

Wingels Misses Practice

Forward Tommy Wingels did not skate on Friday after leaving Game 1 after a high hit by Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri. Wingels got up slowly and skated off the ice under his own power following the hit, while Kadri received a five-minute major and a game misconduct on the play. The Evanston, Illinois, native's status for Game 2 is still unclear, according to Cassidy.
"Wingels is still being evaluated by doctors today," Cassidy said. "Obviously, not on the ice for that reason. Again, tomorrow will be a better read on him. I'd put him as questionable for now - wouldn't rule him out, but we'll see in the morning."

Donato Debut?

With the current questions surrounding the Game 2 lineup, other players must be ready to go if called upon, including rookie forward Ryan Donato. The former Harvard standout skated on the left wing alongside Noel Acciari and David Backes at Friday's practice, and Cassidy said that it is a possibility that the 22-year-old makes his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut on Saturday.
"I think Ryan played really well when he was here for his 12 games," said Cassidy. "We plan on using Ryan, just want to pick the right time. So, if he went in, we do prefer him on the left wing as opposed to center or right, so that factors in. Danton Heinen can move over. [Brian Gionta] is a right winger, so we've got options there."

Friday's Practice Lineup

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - David Krejci - Rick Nash
Ryan Donato - Noel Acciari - David Backes
Tim Schaller - Sean Kuraly - Danton Heinen
Riley Nash - Brian Ginota
Zdeno Chara - Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug - Kevan Miller
Matt Grzelcyk - Adam McQuaid
Nick Holden
Tuukka Rask
Anton Khudobin