Nash, a center who had 41 points (15 goals, 26 assists) in 76 games this season, missed Boston's final five games after a shot by teammate Torey Krug against the Florida Panthers on March 31 hit him in the right side of the head. Nash needed more than 40 stitches to close a cut near his ear. The 28-year-old worked out off the ice but did not skate during practice Wednesday. He is expected to skate Thursday and could play in Game 2 on Saturday.
"It hurts. He's a guy ... that filled in a lot of different spots, but the spot ... where he would've been is third-line center," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "You lose a guy on the penalty kill, does a good job for us, a face-off guy. I thought he was a good anchor on that line with David] Backes and [Danton] Heinen for the most part.
"He's an under-the-radar guy that does a lot of the little things well that we'll miss."
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After taking a maintenance day Tuesday, forward Noel Acciari practiced Wednesday and will continue to fill in for Nash between Backes and Heinen. Acciari spent most of the season playing right wing with Tim Schaller and Sean Kuraly but has adjusted to playing center.
"The first couple of games back at center I was just kind of readjusting," Acciari said. "But I thought I found my stride at center, and at the right time, I guess, because I'm still going to play center and it should be good, the playoffs."
Backes said he doesn't expect the mindset of the line to be any different..
"I think Noel's maybe a little more physical, Riley's maybe a little more accustomed to playing center in the League and a little more savvy, experienced," Backes said. "But in the end, the playoffs are the playoffs and you make do however you need to. We're going to have a line that's north-south. We need to be counted on responsibly defensively and make sure we're managing the puck and having those shifts that change momentum of games."
Forwards Rick Nash (concussion) and Kuraly (upper body) practiced for the second straight day and are expected to be ready for Game 1. Nash has missed 12 games; Kuraly has missed seven.
