3 go on COVID list, open door for Reunanen’s debut

So it was three men out and another up and in for the Rangers in Monday’s 5-4 Garden overtime defeat to the Flyers.

Adam Fox, Pavel Buchnevich and Phil Di Giuseppe were all placed on the COVID-19 protocol list while Tarmo Reunanen was summoned from the AHL Wolf Pack and inserted into the lineup for what became the 23-year-old Finnish defenseman’s NHL debut.

Di Giuseppe had first been placed on the list Sunday, so it can be safely inferred that he has contracted the virus. The same is not necessarily true for Fox and Buchnevich, who might be on the list following an inconclusive test, a false positive, or for contact tracing.

This represented the first game Fox had missed in his career after playing in 96 straight since breaking into the NHL last season.

The Rangers, who were off Sunday, canceled their scheduled morning skate after consultation with the

NHL, David Quinn said. Obviously, the league believed it was safe to play the game, which is an indication that Fox and Buchnevich are not infectious.

Brett Howden and Julien Gauthier, both of whom were scratched from Saturday’s 4-0 victory in Boston, were reinserted into the lineup to fill the vacated spots up front left by Buchnevich and Di Giuseppe.

Reunanen took the blueline spot opened by Fox’s absence and was paired primarily with Brendan Smith. The Finn collected an assist by setting up Artemi Panarin’s second period one-timer from the left circle with a neat crossice pass off the rush before finishing with 8:57 of ice time that included 1:22 on three shifts in the third period.

“Reunanen has done a good job in Hartford, and he’s one of those guys we thought highly of in training camp,” Quinn said of the defenseman who was the 98thoverall draft selection in 2016 and had recorded five points (2-3) in eight games for the Wolf Pack in his first North American pro experience. “He plays fast, moves the puck well and obviously is excited for his first NHL opportunity. We’re excited to have him here.”

➤ Keith Kinkaid’s glass slippers went missing, as the goaltender had a rather sloppy outing in allowing five goals on 30 shots after extending his shutout streak to 117:16. There were a couple of questionable goals before he acted as a co-conspirator on an attempted headman to Panarin in overtime that inadvertently triggered the winner.

➤ Vitali Kravtsov has arrived in New York and has begun the quarantine/protocol process that will likely last for 10-14 days before he can begin skating with the club. So it will take a bit of time for the 21-year-old winger to be in position to make his NHL debut.