Brian Snyder/Reuters

Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton hardly seems fazed by the J-shaped gash over his right eye, or the 40-plus stitches it took to close it.

He was the last player off the ice during Boston’s skate ahead of the Bruins’ game Monday night against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, and for the most part, he had a smile on his face.

“I feel great,” Thornton said, his injury glistening with sweat and ointment. “Obviously, it looks doubtful for tonight. I took the visor off this morning. I was happy to get rid of that.”

Thornton has not played since he was cut by Fernando Pisani’s skate blade during the second period of Boston’s 3-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night. If the cut had been about an inch lower, his eye could have been damaged.

Hoping to have the stitches removed by Tuesday or Wednesday, Thornton said he was aiming to play Wednesday night when the Islanders visit TD Garden.

“I don’t like sitting out, but the season is a long grind,” he said. “I was really hoping to be able to play all 82, but rest isn’t a bad thing, either. I am taking some time to go out there and work on some things with the coaches and get back hopefully ready for Wednesday.”

When Thornton does return, he will be wearing a helmet that covers more of his forehead to protect the cut. What he will not be wearing is a bandage or a visor. He is, after all, a tough guy in a sport in which scars are counted like trophies.

“For me, I fight a lot and I think it’s more dangerous to land on my head when I am wrestling somebody a lot bigger than me,” he said. “If you have a visor on, you’ve got to take your own helmet off. The odds are with me landing on my head more so than getting cut. This is unfortunate and scary, but on the other side of it with my job, I’d rather have the helmet on.”

N.H.L. players can be penalized for instigating a fight while wearing a visor, and Thornton has no plans to back down.

“I’ll have to talk to the doctor about it, but I’m planning when I come back to be 100 percent,” he said.