Rangers' Barclay Goodrow shows his toughness after injury to mouth
Rangers center Barclay Goodrow looks on against the Predators in the first period of an NHL game at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 19. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Barclay Goodrow said he is on a strictly liquid diet for a month after taking a puck to the face a week ago in a game in Ottawa, but he was back in the lineup for the second straight game Tuesday when the Rangers hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden.
“I’m just trying to figure out how to get protein and everything I need in different forms other than a solid,’’ he said before the Rangers’ 7-3 loss.
Goodrow was hit in the face by a puck that teammate K’Andre Miller kept in at the offensive blue line near the end of the second period in the game against Ottawa last Tuesday. He missed practice Thursday and Friday and missed Saturday’s game in Washington before returning Sunday for the game against the L.A. Kings, wearing a full face shield.
It was generally assumed Goodrow lost a tooth in Ottawa, but he said he did not. “I didn’t lose any teeth,’’ he said.
So what was it that he spat on the ice? “I don’t know,’’ he said. “That was part of my mouth that should have been inside my mouth.’’
Goodrow’s mouth was still swollen Tuesday, and he had stitches, though he said he didn’t know how many. He did say his smartphone does still recognize his face.
Panarin gets 700th point
Artemi Panarin recorded the 700th point of his NHL career with his assist on Mika Zibanejad’s power play goal at 16:30 of the second period. Jacob Trouba recorded the 300th point of his career when he had the second assist on Blake Wheeler’s second goal of the game . . . With defenseman K’Andre Miller unavailable for personal reasons, the Rangers called up D Matthew Robertson from AHL Hartford. With Miller out, Zac Jones entered the lineup, and Robertson was scratched. He was returned to Hartford after the game. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette refused to say when he first learned that Miller would not be able to play, nor would he say whether he thought Miller might miss more than one game. “Right now, it’s just personal reasons for ‘Key,’’ Laviolette said. “We'll just keep it at that.’’
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.
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