Pair of Rangers forwards good to go against Flyers
It was a great sight to see New York Rangers forwards Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider as full participants in Thursday’s morning skate. The top line duo each had quite an injury scare in Tuesday night’s contest against the New York Islanders.
First, Kreider went down after taking a Zibanejad slap shot to the chest and was in visible pain not the bench. Second, Zibanejad was on the receiving end of a hit at center ice that he was unable to brace for. Whether the play was incidental or not is up for debate. Nonetheless, it was a scary incident that kept Zibanejad out for the remainder of the game.
Thankfully for Zibanejad, he is feeling good and ready to go.
“Lucky with the situation that happened that it wasn’t anything worse,” explained Zibanejad. “It’s been good so far.”
As for giving Zibanejad some time off as a precaution, head coach Peter Laviolette is still focused on the important games and points remaining.
“Not at this point,” Laviolette said of resting his top center. “Right now, we’re dialed in and trying to collect the two points.”
Related: Rangers vs Flyers preview
Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider good for Flyers
The two points up for grabs against the Philadelphia Flyers would bring New York just a game shy of clinching the Metropolitan Division and the Presidents’ Trophy. The magic number for the Rangers is three points, and they have three games remaining.
“We still have a lot to play for,” mentioned Zibanejad. “We have games that we want to win, so we’ll keep doing the same thing, and we’ll take it from there.”
Having Zibanejad back in action is great news for the Rangers, as losing skaters this close to the playoffs would be detrimental. Especially someone like Zibanejad, who brings immense value in all aspects of the game.
As Laviolette mentioned, the focus for New York is on gearing up to play the Flyers, who have seen their playoff chances drop significantly over the past month. They will be yet another desperate team who is looking to make their way into the playoffs. Zibanejad has a history of success against Philadelphia, and will be looking to add to it on Thursday night.
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