Henrik Lundqvist suffers equipment problems in win
Rangers right wing Mats Zuccarello skates with the puck against the Sharks at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 11. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Early in the first period, Henrik Lundqvist broke his right skate and was not able to move around until the Rangers gained possession and play was stopped on a penalty.
Later, Lundqvist had a problem with his mask. He took it off in an attempt to get the officials to stop play, but they didn’t realize his predicament. An Ottawa player took a shot that went in on a deflection, but when the referees realized Lundqvist didn’t have a mask on, the goal did not count.
“They should have blown the whistle quickly. They must not have seen it, obviously,’’ Rangers coach David Quinn said. “I certainly know the referees don’t want a goalie sitting there without a mask on.’’
Namestnikov shaken up
Vladislav Namestnikov took a heavy hit in front of the Rangers' bench and was struggling to be helped over the boards as Mika Zibanejad stole the puck and scored an empty-netter. Asked how Namestnikov was afterward, Quinn said: “When I left the locker room, he was talking. So that’s progress.’’
Gettinger for Zuccarello
Mats Zuccarello (groin) missed his second straight game and his eighth in 10. For the second straight game, Tim Gettinger, 20, took his place. Gettinger was called up Friday after the Rangers’ 4-0 loss to the Flyers in Philadelphia, made his NHL debut the next day against Washington and was sent down to Hartford after the game. But he was called back up when the Rangers realized Zuccarello could not play Monday.
Quinn insists that Zuccarello is nothing more than day-to-day with the nagging groin injury that has bothered him for nearly three weeks. “Yeah, it just didn’t respond the way we anticipated, so after talking with the trainers, we feel it’s better to just hold him out,’’ Quinn said. “When you’re dealing with this type of injury, it’s unpredictable — probably the most unpredictable [type] of injury you can have. The good news is, we don’t think it’s serious, but we’re just taking it day by day.’’
Hockey Fights Cancer Night
Monday was Hockey Fights Cancer Night at the Garden, and that meant something to Quinn. “I lost my father in 2010 to cancer,’’ he said. “I’m obviously a huge supporter in this cause.’’
The Rangers wore lavender jerseys in warm-ups that will be available for purchase beginning Tuesday, with proceeds benefiting the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
DeAngelo returns
Tony DeAngelo returned to the lineup after sitting out against Washington. Fredrik Claesson sat out after playing in eight straight games.
DeAngelo, a South Jersey native who grew up a Flyers fan, said he was thrilled to be in the starting lineup Friday in Philadelphia, when he had about 30 friends and family attending. Asked if any of his friends would have yelled the standard obscenity that Flyers fans yell when opposing starters are introduced, DeAngelo said they would not have. “The rest of the crowd did, I guess,’’ he said. “I didn’t hear it. I know that’s what they do, though. I used to go to the games as a kid.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
