It’s been a while since the happy-go-lucky Nathan Horton has been seen around Boston. He's still as friendly as ever, but the man whose smile could be seen from the Garden on days the B’s were practicing in Wilmington has swapped in his permanent grin for a more business-like demeanor, but his performance on the ice has not been business as usual.

It’s been a peculiar start to Horton’s second season in Boston, as the playoff hero has just five points in his 11 games and some poor decisions have led to penalties that have really cost the B’s. Not that anyone cares, but he’s also stayed away from the media, so much so that when he finally met with the press Wednesday for the first time in nearly two weeks, his scrum consisted of every media member in attendance.

“I’m still trying to get my game back,” Horton said to a crowded group. “I obviously don’t feel 100 percent out there. I’m not myself, you know? I’m just trying to get that back.”

Horton isn’t the only player on the last-place Bruins that’s off to a slow start, but the circumstances of his struggles make his situation the most intriguing. His 2010-11 season was ended in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals in June on a hit from Aaron Rome, and he had previously been playing with a separated shoulder. In the offseason, he said that the bigger concern for him physically was the shoulder, but while shoulder talk is way in the past, he’s found himself still thinking about the concussion as he’s started his season with subpar results. 

The 26-year-old was brought along slowly in the preseason by the Bruin, a team that’s very careful with concussions, and he said Tuesday that he hasn’t experienced any symptoms to even hint at the fact that he could be hindered by anything physically. While all of that would suggest the concussion is the furthest thing from his mind, it isn’t. 

“I’m only human. I do think of it,” Horton said. “I think anybody else, anybody would that was in my situation. It’s not easy, obviously, but I’m still trying. I want to be better, and I think that’s what matters.”

Because there is nothing wrong with him medically, Claude Julien isn’t expressing concern over the mental impact the hit seemingly has had on Horton. He’s seen players have a rough time adjusting after returning from such injuries, as the likes of Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard have had severe concussions and have been slow to regain their prior form and productivity.

“He's had a slow start to the season,” Julien said Wednesday of Horton. “I think anybody who comes back from that who's missed that amount of time is going to be slow coming back. It's almost a natural process. You saw Bergeron take almost half a year, three quarters of a year … and Savvy when he came back. There's a lot of guys that, when they're coming back from that sort of an injury, are slow to get back. Whether it's hesitation, whatever it is, it's something that we've noticed along the way."

So with Horton thinking about the concussion and letting it affect his play, the biggest question is when it will stop, and allow Horton to return to form. He had never had a concussion prior to the hit from Rome, so he has no experience when it comes to returning and forgetting about it. 

Then there’s the fact that even when Horton is completely healthy and in the right frame of mind, he can be streaky as all get-out. He can rack up five points over a couple games, and he can go 10 contests without showing up on the score sheet. He obviously had the reputation as being a player who took shifts off (he admitted to not being motivated as a Panther), but those tendencies didn’t come with him to Boston. As such, he doesn’t think motivation has been a reason for his struggles. In fact, he sees himself as so motivated that, with the results not there, it’s gotten in his head. 

“I actually feel like I’m trying. I’m backchecking. I think it’s all about when I get the puck, or when I don’t have the puck, I’m just thinking too much,” he said. “When you think too much, it doesn’t go the way you want it too. When you’re not thinking too much, it just falls into place, and good things happen. Definitely, that’s what I want to get back to here.”

Tuesday’s win over the Senators saw a lot of players get involved offensively, and that’s what they need more of going forward. The B’s boast some good offensive talent, but not so much that they can get by without their big guns performing. Stuck in such an ugly spot in the standings (right below those other teams in the East), they need guys to start turning a corner. Given his situation, it seems that corner will be harder to turn for Horton, but the Bruins have to hope he turns it quickly.

“I know I’ve got to be better, and I can be better,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time. I want to be better, so I think it’s got to come sooner or later.”

The sooner, the better – for both Horton and the Bruins.