HIP WRECKED!
Hank’s strain is 2-3 week issue
What was originally believed to be a minor injury for Henrik Lundqvist is actually more serious. And now the Rangers will be without their best player and starting netminder for perhaps the most important stretch of the regular season.
Lundqvist will miss two to three weeks with a muscle strain in his hip, the team announced Saturday morning. He suffered the injury while making a save in the first period of Tuesday’s 5-2 win over the Panthers.
Lundqvist played through the pain and finished with 43 saves, but he experienced additional soreness the following morning. He then sat out Thursday’s loss at the Hurricanes in favor of Antti Raanta, who will take over the starting duties while Lundqvist mends.
“My body was going one way, leg the other way and I had an impact on my hip,” said Lundqvist, who was adamant he didn't worsen the injury by continuing to play Tuesday night. “So we’ll take some time here to get some treatment and heal.”
Lundqvist was hesitant to target a specific return date or timetable. He wants to wait to see how his hip responds to the rehab schedule implemented by the Rangers’ training staff.
“Right now, I’m just focusing on the first week, 10 days. We have a good plan here (for) what I need to do. And then from there, you take it step by step and see how it feels,” Lundqvist said. “We just have to see how I react to the treatments and the exercise I’m going to do here moving forward. So that’s where my focus is, and then we’ll just see where we’re at in the schedule and timingwise there.”
Lundqvist, however, did
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mention the Blueshirts’ March 25 contest at the Kings as a possible game to reclaim his spot in net. That would be exactly two weeks removed from Saturday’s announcement and two-plus weeks from the injury.
“We’ll see if that’s a good time,” Lundqvist said of the trip to L.A. “But we’ll just have to wait and see.”
The priority, obviously, is making sure Lundqvist is healthy for the playoffs.
Alain Vigneault said Saturday he’s confident Lundqvist will be ready in time, largely because of the nature of the injury. The Rangers play their final regular-season game April 9 at home against the Penguins. Postseason play starts April 12.
“This is a muscle strain. And muscle strains are usually two to three weeks,” Vigneault said. “That’s what we expect in this case.”
The Rangers recalled 25-year-old Magnus Hellberg from AHL Hartford on an emergency basis Saturday. He’s never started an NHL game.
That could change in the coming days, as the Rangers play four back-to-backs in a two-week span, starting Sunday at the Red Wings. The Blueshirts return home to host the Lightning Monday night.
Vigneault, though, isn’t looking too far ahead. Raanta has been itching for more ice time, and Vigneault will provide the 27-year-old Finn with that as long as he remains physically capable of performing.
“I don’t try to be Hank. I just try to be myself,” Raanta said. “I know that every time when I play, it’s always a big thing for me to show what I can do. That’s what I’m trying to do right now. Just come every game. It’s a new challenge. And just try to be my best and do the things I’ve been doing all season.”
RETURNING RANGERS: Vigneault expects both Rick Nash (upper body) and Michael Grabner (hip) to play Sunday in Detroit. Nash sat out Thursday’s loss, while Grabner has missed the past five games.