Rick Nash To Return To Rangers' Lineup Against Bruins Tuesday Night

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Finally! The Blueshirts are about to get a much-needed boost.

Rick Nash will return to action for the Rangers on Tuesday night against the rival Bruins at Madison Square Garden.

The 29-year-old winger was cleared medically on Sunday, according to the team. Head coach Alain Vigneault spoke with his superstar player on Monday night, the Rangers announced, and Nash's decision to play didn't come until Tuesday morning.

"I'm excited, kind of a controlled emotion," Nash told reporters on Tuesday. "It's been a long six weeks, so I'm excited to get in there."

Nash will play on the power play on Tuesday night, and Vigneault will "keep him in the 15-minute range," according to the Rangers' Twitter account.

"The first everything is going to take a while, whether it's a hit, a shot, a pass, making different plays," Nash said, according to the team's official website. "It was a long time off, so it's going to take some time."

The 6-foot-4, 218-pounder suffered a concussion against the Sharks on October 8 and hasn't played since. He has no goals and three assists in three games for New York this season.

"He hasn't played in quite some time, so for him it's almost like going through training camp again," Vigneault said, according to the Rangers' website. "He's looked extremely good in practice, and he wants to play, so that's what we're going to do."

Nash led New York with 21 goals in 44 games last season, and he's expected to ignite an offense that has sputtered at times in 2013.

"It seems like it's been a while since I got a home game in me, so it'll be fun, it'll be exciting," the former first-overall pick said, according to the Rangers' website. "It's tough watching when your team is playing well and the fans are excited and there's a buzz in the town. So it's going to be nice to be back in there tonight."

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