SAN JOSE, Calif. — Here was the message from Rangers coach Alain Vigneault regarding Rick Nash, his power forward who just returned from a 20-game absence due to a deep bone bruise in his left leg:
“Right now, I think ‘patient’ is a word we need to have,” Vigneault said before his team wrapped up its three-game California swing with a horrid 4-1 loss to the Sharks at SAP Center on Saturday afternoon, Nash’s fifth game back. “His injury was supposed to be day-to-day, ended up week-to-week. During those six weeks, he couldn’t put any weight on that leg.