COLUMBUS, Ohio — Like all concussion sufferers, John-Michael Liles has good days and bad.
The worst took place at TD Garden Nov. 27. During a race for the puck, the Bruins defenseman got tangled up with Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop, lost his footing, and slammed into the end boards, sustaining a concussion that has left him unable to play since then.
“It’s an unfortunate break how it happened,’’ Liles said. “It’s not a hit or anything like that. Lose an edge, go into the boards, go in at the wrong angle at the wrong speed. There it is.’’
Recently, the days have been better. Liles has skated on his own. On Tuesday morning, he was well enough not just to fly to Columbus, but also to practice alongside his teammates for the first time since the injury.
Liles has sat out 15 straight games, including Tuesday’s meeting with the Blue Jackets. How many more he misses remains to be seen.
The process is to test himself every day and gauge how he responds to exertions. Liles started with easy bike rides. When he felt poorly, he eased off.
“If you have a couple good days, it’s more trial and error,’’ Liles said. “You try and see what might work. If you can start out riding the bike or get on the ice by yourself after a couple good days, and that doesn’t go so well, then you take a step back and shut it down for a few days.
“That’s kind of been the last four weeks: one step forward, half-step back. You wake up every day, see how you feel, do what you can, and see how you feel after that. It’s frustrating. That’s the nature of concussions.’’
The Bruins have been able to manage their blue line without the 36-year-old third-pairing defenseman. Kevan Miller, who was playing in his third game back from hand surgery when Liles was hurt, has dressed for every match since then save for one when he was sick. Colin Miller hasn’t been a healthy scratch since Dec. 14 against Pittsburgh.
Ready to go
Frank Vatrano didn’t really need the three-day Christmas break. After recovering from foot surgery, the left wing played his first two games of the season against Florida and Carolina Thursday and Friday.
While some of his teammates required the pause, Vatrano needs to play games to continue his recovery and find the form that made him a candidate for top-six action before his preseason injury.
“I think it was a steppingstone,’’ Vatrano said. “I think I got better and better every period. The first game, it took me a little bit to get my legs underneath me. But I got better as the game went on.
“I think the same thing with the second game. I felt more comfortable after the start. For me, it’s just starting out feeling well. That’s what I have to start doing.’’
It has helped Vatrano to play alongside former Providence linemate Austin Czarnik in his NHL return. The two played well together last year before Vatrano’s promotion. Czarnik was the disher, while Vatrano served as the triggerman.
Vatrano recorded two shots in 14:33 of play in Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to Columbus. Vatrano played 3:06 on the power play.
It’s unknown how long the partnership will continue. If Vatrano can get his hands and legs to the level they were at last year, he could be a candidate for second-line duty alongside David Krejci and David Backes.
“Everything can get a little better,’’ Vatrano said of his post-break segment. “Legs, timing, everything. Just my overall game. Everything can get better. That’s what I’m trying to work on every game.’’
Looking for respect
The Bruins did not plan any lineup changes against Columbus, despite the Blue Jackets having the best record in the league and having won 12 straight. “Our No. 1 objective for the Columbus Blue Jacket organization was just to gain some respect in the league; we had none,’’ said Columbus coach John Tortorella. “I think we have slowly gone about our business. Do I think we’ve gotten some respect around the league? Yeah. But you don’t become who you are and what you are in 32 games. Are teams going to be looking for us? Yeah. Teams are going to be better whether they’re looking for us or not.’’ . . . The second line of Ryan Spooner, Krejci, and Backes totaled 16 of the team’s 40 shots. They carried the offensive load on a night when the No. 1 line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak managed only five shots on Sergei Bobrovsky. “When we play our game, we’re skating, putting the puck deep, and holding onto the puck,’’ Krejci said. “We can take some chances, because all three of us can handle the puck and protect the puck well.’’. . . The Bruins repeatedly fumbled pucks in the first period. But they were only tagged with two giveaways . . . The Jackets blocked six of Colin Miller’s seven attempts. Miller had been better at making quicker decisions and getting pucks through traffic before Tuesday . . . Adam McQuaid and Josh Anderson were willing combatants at 17:22 of the first following a whistle. Both players dropped their gloves, but linesmen David Brisebois and Mark Shewchyk broke up the confrontation before any punches flew . . . Joe Morrow, Tim Schaller, and Noel Acciari were the healthy scratches for the third straight game.
Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto.
