The New York Rangers have been plagued by the injury bug but, reinforcements are on the way as the team prepares for Saturday’s game.
The New York Rangers are getting closer and closer each day to being completely healthy. As practice concluded Thursday, head coach David Quinn provided injury updates on some key players.
Quinn also said that Buchnevich is not going to play this trip, but Namestnikov and Zuccarello are very close (and likely). #NYR
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) December 6, 2018
Pavel Buchnevich thought he would be able to play when the Rangers return from their five-day hiatus but, Quinn said they do not expect him to play on the Blueshirts’ Florida trip. Buchenvich has been out since Nov. 12 with a broken thumb.
Despite the tough news for Buchnevich, Quinn provided some positive news regarding two of the other Rangers on the shelf in Mats Zuccarello and Vladislav Namestnikov. He said the two are very close to returning, and most likely will during this two-game road trip.
Zuccarello played in just five games in the month of November with a lingering groin injury, while Namestnikov missed the team’s three games while going through the NHL’s concussion protocol.
Brendan Smith spent part of the Rangers practice skating in a red no-contact jersey, a surprise to many considering he has been a mainstay in the Blueshirts lineup of late. Quinn told reporters following practice Smith had been dealing with an upper-body injury but, should be back practicing in full gear tomorrow.
Quinn said that Smith was dealing with an “upper-body” injury, but he should be full in practice tomorrow. Also, those forward lines were fully experimental. #NYR
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) December 6, 2018
Adam McQuaid remains in a no-contact jersey and is probably a couple of weeks away before returning to the Blueshirts’ lineup. He and Smith were a unit in practice for New York Thursday.
The Rangers still do not play a game until Saturday night when the team takes on the Florida Panthers in a two-game road trip throughout the state of Florida. It is a trip that spans two games in three days.
