How ex-Rangers star got teammates ‘hearts pumping’ in Wild playoff return
To know Mats Zuccarello is to love Mats Zuccarello. Certainly New York Rangers fans are well aware of that, even if the popular forward departed Broadway seven years ago and is now inspiring his current team, the Minnesota Wild, and its fan base.
Zuccarello was it again Tuesday night in Game 5 of Minnesota’s opening-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars. Back in the lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury, the 38-year-old scored the first goal in Minnesota’s 4-2 road victory, and the Wild now lead the best-of-7 series 3-2.
Asked about the “Zuccarello effect” after the win, veteran Wild forward Marcus Foligno broke out into a wide grin.
“A little swagger after tonight’s game. We needed him, that’s what he was saying,” Foligno joked with reporters, before turning more serious.
“It was awesome. To have him come back and score the first goal, i think that got our hearts pumping a little more. That was kind of a beautiful moment for our team to have. A guy like that, I mean ‘Zuccy’ has done so much for our team.”
You don’t have to tell the Rangers or the Blueshirt Faithful that. They know all about what Zuccarello brings on the ice and off, as a terrific player and even better teammate. There were nine seasons of “Zuuuc!” chants at Madison Square Garden, including three times he was voted winner of the prestigious Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award.
Now in his seventh season with the Wild, Ziccarello continues to chase his first Stanley Cup championship, having reached the Cup Final only one time, in 2014 with the Rangers. He opened this postseason with a three-assists performance, helping the Wild rout the Stars 6-1 in Game 1. But Zuccarello sustained what appeared to be a head injury in that one, though the Wild never clarified the exact nature of the issue. He finished the game, but missed the next three — two losses and an overtime win in Game 4.
“It always sucks to be out and not in the lineup, especially this time of the year, so it was nice to get back,” Zuccarello shared postgame.
He danced around what his injury was. But it sure sounded like it was a concussion, or head related.
“I felt it kind of two days there, but you keep telling yourself you’re fine because you don’t really want to realize that you have a problem,” he explained. “Then you don’t want to hinder the team, if you’re not 100 percent then you shouldn’t play. Especially the way I felt. I didn’t feel good and I was pretty roughed up for a couple days there, and then slowly got better and better.”
Recent Mats Zuccarello injury reminiscent of scary skull fracture with Rangers in 2015
This, of course, conjures memories of the 2015 playoffs, when Zuccarello sustained a skull fracture in the first round against the Penguins, had trouble speaking for a while, and missed the rest of the postseason, including the seven-game Eastern Conference final loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
On Tuesday, with Zuccarello back in the lineup, the Wild played their most complete game of the series. Now, they go back home knowing one more victory sends them to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2015.
What’s the key ahead of Game 6? Zuccarello had a cheeky answer.
“I think it’s just important to stay calm, you know, don’t overthink it, don’t read whatever you guys (media) say about we haven’t gotten out of the first round in a couple years.”
