King Henrik on the mend for Rangers
Lundqvist might face Penguins in Game 2 despite stick to the eye
PITTSBURGH The very moment the searing pain rippled through his entire body, Henrik Lundqvist’s entire world went black.
In the excruciating seconds that ensued after teammate Marc Staal’s stick accidentally poked through an opening of Lundqvist’s mask and pricked him in the right eye late in the first period of Game 1 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers on Wednesday night, Lundqvist was overwhelmed with an onslaught of extreme discomfort and disheartening thoughts.
Would this darkness be permanent? Would he be blind? If all this piercing physical agony wasn’t bad enough, why was he beginning to experience tingling throughout his body?
The ensuing half a minute felt like a lifetime to him. He was consumed by fear. He had good reason to.
Then suddenly, there were ribbons of light. Things started to get brighter, both in terms of his vision and his outlook.
“It was such a weird feeling because it was extremely painful, but at the same time you go numb a little bit so you don’t know what’s going on,” Lundqvist recalled Friday. “Before you open your eyes you don’t really know what the reaction will be and that was the scary part for the first 20, 30 seconds, not knowing.
“I just wasn’t sure (what happened). It was just such a hard hit that I was shocked at the same time that it happened. It was not a great feeling, that’s for sure, but then you open your eyes and slowly things start to feel a little bit more normal. It was a struggle there for a little bit, for sure.”
You could see the emotion on the face of the Rangers star goalie Friday afternoon as he addressed the media. Moreover, it was difficult not to stare at the disfigured purple and black welt that framed his right eye. It looked as if King Henrik had gone 10 rounds with a Steelers linebacker — and lost.
Fortunately, the swelling associated with the ugly shiner had subsided to the point that Lundqvist was able to participate in a full practice on Friday afternoon at the Consol Energy Center. Should the wound not balloon overnight, there is a realistic chance that Lundqvist will be back between the pipes for Saturday afternoon’s Game 2, a game the Rangers need to win in order to tie the series 1-1 heading back to New York for Monday’s Game 3.
With Rangers coach Alain Vigneault revealing that fearless shot-blocking defenceman Dan Girardi will not play because of an undisclosed injury, the Rangers need to have Lundqvist return becomes that much more vital. With his team trailing this best-of-seven series 1-0 after dropping Game 1 by a 5-2 margin, the Rangers goalie received clearance from a specialist here in Pittsburgh on Thursday and will be a game-time decision.
“The practice was good, the vision was good. It’s more the swelling around the eye that affects it, but I’m very pleased with the way it felt,” Lundqvist said.
The Lundqvist incident has sparked debate about his style of mask, which has vision openings referred to as “Cat’s Eyes” that reportedly have been banned in Canada. Lundqvist has no plans to alter his face protection at this time, however, considering the play to be nothing more than a freak accident.
“I haven’t seen many incidents like this over the years,” Lundqvist said.
“Accidents happen. Injuries happen. I feel still as a goalie you’re pretty well protected so I don’t see it as an issue ... I still feel like the equipment is good and there is nothing to really change.
“I had a little different mask playing in Sweden, but for the last 12 or 13 years I’ve been using that cage and it makes a big difference. It opens it up for your vision and your eyes. It’s a good thing that you have that cat look as they call it. I don’t want to change that.”
If Lundqvist can’t go, backup Antti Raanta will get the call. Raanta allowed Pittsburgh’s final four goals in Game 1.
“If (Lundqvist) can play (Saturday) he’ll have a positive impact, there’s no doubt in my mind,” Vigneault said.
For a handful of seconds Wednesday night, Henrik Lundqvist didn’t know if he’d ever see again, let alone play again. So having the potential opportunity to return and help his teammates, well, blessings come in different forms.
And for Lundqvist, playing in Game 2 Saturday would be a huge one.