New York Rangers, Alexandar Georgiev
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Due to a quirk in the NHL schedule, the New York Rangers are shuffling players between Hartford and New York, most notably Alexandar Georgiev.

Frank Curto

The New York Rangers have assigned Alexandar Georgiev, Matt Beleskey and Vinni Lettieri to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. The team also recalled Dustin Tokarski from Hartford.

The Rangers are taking advantage of an unusual schedule where the team does not have a game until Saturday night in Florida.

Tokarski was recalled so that the team will have two goaltenders during practice sessions while Georgiev is with Hartford.

The Hartford Wolf Pack are scheduled to play on Wednesday against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the New York Islanders farm team, and it’s presumed Georgiev will play in goal to see some game action. He has played three games for Hartford this season, going 2-1 with a 3.01 goals-against average and .902 save percentage.

Georgiev, 22, has appeared in eight games this season for the Rangers, posting a 4-4-0 record, with one shutout, a 3.37 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. Playing backup to Henrik Lundqvist makes it tough to sneak into the lineup, especially with how well Hank is playing this year.

Beleskey and Lettieri’s demotions could mean the possible return of Matz Zuccarello and Vladislav Namestnikov as both have missed the last three games. Zuccarello has been out with a lingering groin strain and Namestnkiov has been in the concussion protocol program.

For Zuccarello, he has missed five games in a row and nine out the teams past 11 games with the groin injury. The roster move could mean the two players could return to full team practice.

The Rangers are coming off a disappointing 4-3 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night after they blew a 3-0 third-period lead.

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A graduate of St. John's University class of '91. I have been a fan of the New York Rangers since the days of Peter Puck. Founder of Ranger Proud, the Facebook page that covers all news, notes, pre /post-game stats, and player quotes. I can be reached at [email protected]