Ryan Lindgren plays ‘pretty good game’ for Rangers in return from injury

If there was ever a game for New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren to come back to, a 7-2 blowout victory against the Montreal Canadiens was certainly it. The Rangers dominated their Original Six counterpart from start to finish, making for an easy adjustment period in Lindgren’s return Tuesday night at Bell Centre.
Lindgren was sidelined for the first five games of the season with an upper-body injury after a preseason fight against Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield. The 26-year-old made his return on Tuesday wearing a full face shield, skating with rookie Victor Mancini on the third defense pairing.
“It was awesome to have him back in there, he’s a real good defender and plays heavy minutes and hard minutes for us,” Peter Laviolette explained after the win. “I thought him and (Mancini) did pretty well together as well. Jumping back in the first time is never an easy thing. He’s got that full cage on, it makes it even a little more difficult to see the game. I thought he played a pretty good game for coming back in.”
Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from convincing 7-2 road win against Canadiens
Lindgren return for Rangers solid, not perfect

Of course, it wasn’t all perfect for Lindgren in his season debut. He was on the ice for both of Montreal’s goals, each time being just a step behind Nick Suzuki, who registered each tally for the Canadiens.
Nonetheless, Lindgren managed to have an even plus/minus rating, and logged 17:20 TOI in his first regular season game, 2:17 coming on the penalty kill. The Rangers had a 12-6 advantage in scoring chances with him on the ice and the xGF was a solid 61.32 percent, per Natural Stat Trick.
Most importantly, the Rangers get back a very solid defenseman who always seems to give them an edge in play.
“Obviously real excited to be back playing with the guys again,” Lindgren said after his first game back. “It’s been a long couple of weeks, but just real happy to be back playing. I thought it was a real good game by us, good team win, good way to finish off the road trip.”
The next step for the rugged defender will be determined by Laviolette, who now must decide if Lindgren will stay on the third pair with Mancini, or return to the first pair with longtime partner Adam Fox. K’Andre Miller stepped into Lindgren’s spot alongside Fox the first six games and the pair has played exceptionally well.
This is a huge step for Miller’s development, and we could be seeing the start of New York’s top defensive pair for years to come.
That being said, Lindgren played alongside Fox for years now, and the two have undeniable chemistry on the ice together. As two players with very different play styles, they complement each other well.
Lindgren’s next test will be a good one, when the Rangers return home to Madison Square Garden to take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Thursday night. No matter where Lindgren plays, he will certainly be put to the test, along with the rest of the Rangers, against the team which knocked them out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Rangers still have eight defensemen on the roster against the Panthers. Zac Jones, who’s been scratched two straight games, and Chad Ruhwedel, the veteran extra defenseman, were the healthy scratches Tuesday. That kept Mancini in the lineup, likely auditioning to stay full-time now that Lindgren is back.
Mancini extended his point streak to three games with an assist against the Canadiens, and logged 16:39 TOI.
The 22-year-old has been on ice for 56 scoring chances against this season and his scoring chances for is a team-low 40.43 percent. But he’s been on ice for six goals for and three against 5v5 this season.
Mancini is the only Rangers defenseman that does not require waivers to be assigned to Hartford of the American Hockey League.
More About:New York Rangers News