Thornton (knee) will return to action Tuesday night against the visiting Rangers, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Thornton barely logged 30 minutes of ice time between the season's first two games before aggravating his surgically repaired knee. Even at 39 years old, Jumbo Joe should be able to maintain a top-six lineup position as long as he's healthy enough to do what he does best -- setting up his teammates for an abundance of scoring opportunities. Thornton ranks 12th all-time in helpers with 1,031 of those in just 1,495 career contests between the Bruins and Sharks.