Surging Filip Chytil day-to-day after late hit in Chicago
Every time Filip Chytil seems to start getting his game going, an injury seems to knock him off his horse and set him back.
During the second period of the New York Rangers 7-1 dismantling of the Chicago Blackhawks, Sam Lafferty hit Chytil up high with a late hit sending him backwards into the boards.
The Rangers center, who’s been red-hot with four goals and six points in his last six games was forced out of the contest.
After the game, head coach Gerard Gallant called Chytil day-to-day with an upper-body injury. An update is expected before tomorrow’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Filip Chytil injured on late hit
The game was certainly chippy from the drop of the puck. It only got worse with each passing goal the Rangers added to the scoreboard.
In the their last matchup on December 3 at Madison Square Garden, the Hawks embarrassed the Rangers en route to a 5-2 win. Captain Jacob Trouba, looking to spark his team delivered two big open-ice hits and fought twice. Chicago certainly kept that in mind and tried to hit every man in a white jersey they could.
Unfortunately, Filip Chytil was unprepared for a late high hit after making a pass into the slot from the side of the net. Sam Lafferty decided to take advantage of the unsuspecting center, who was looking at the play in front of the net.
After hitting the ice hard, Chytil laid there with his hands to his head eerily reminiscent to how he looked after an inadvertent elbow from Columbus’ Cole Sillinger caught him up high back in October.
Chytil, 23, in the final year of a two-year contract that comes with a $2.3 million cap hit. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
On the season, the former 2017 first round pick (21st overall) has 8 goals and 17 points in 25 games. His .68 points per game pace projects him out to a 50 point campaign if he doesn’t miss time from this latest injury.
Chytil needs just 7 more points to establish a new career high in points. He posted 23 points in 2019-20 with a career high of 14 goals.
If Chytil misses extended time, Barclay Goodrow can drop to the third line center spot and allow Vitali Kravtsov to move up and play right wing with Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin.
UPDATE: Sam Lafferty will not be disciplined for late hit that injured Filip Chytil per NY Post’s Larry Brooks.
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