Zibanejad OK after false test

After Mika Zibanejad was placed into COVID-19 protocol and held out of Rangers practice Saturday morning, the team later announced it was a false positive.

Zibanejad cleared COVID-19 protocol and will be available for Sunday’s matchup with the Sabres at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers seemed rather confident Zibanejad would be good to go while they waited for further results, with Chris Kreider saying he was “pretty sure he’s going to be able to play.” When asked if this was just a reminder of how the coronavirus pandemic is still looming, Kreider said it was important for the Rangers to stay smart.

“We’ve seen what’s happened with Ottawa,” Kreider said, referring to the Senators’ recent COVID-19 outbreak that canceled three of their games, including Saturday’s against the Rangers. “So just continuing to be smart. The team is going good, seems like we’re getting better every day, every game.

“There’s no reason to put ourselves in a position to have to make changes, make adjustments, when we don’t have to. A lot of times those are things we can’t control, stuff like that happens over the course of the season.”

Greg McKegg, who has been recalled five separate times so far this season, took Zibanejad’s spot on the top line in between Chris Kreider and Barclay Goodrow during practice. The rest of the lines looked the same as they did in Toronto on Thursday.

This was the second time Zibanejad entered COVID-19 protocol since he spent a majority of last season’s training camp battling the virus.

➤ Kreider has logged 18:17 of shorthanded time so far this season, which he acknowledged is the most he’s played on the penalty kill in his NHL career.

“It’s a fun challenge,” he said. “It’s something that I haven’t done since college. And it’s a copycat league, so a lot of teams kill the same way. But a decade ago, we definitely didn’t kill the way that we kill now. There’s a lot to learn, a lot to soak up, and I’m just trying to pick Mika’s brain, Barclay’s, [Kevin Rooney’s].

“There a lot to learn and a lot to improve on. It’s been fun.”