The one solid fact is the Rangers will be without top-six winger Chris Kreider for Wednesday night's important Garden match against the Flyers. And considering the team has given no further information before coach Alain Vigneault addresses the media Wednesday morning, well, let the wild speculation begin.
The 22-year-old Kreider was seen flexing his left hand going to the locker room after the second period of Monday's 4-3 overtime win against the Coyotes at the Garden. Earlier in that period, he fired a slap shot with such momentum that he spun around and fell down, the puck eventually being deflected wide. He then got up and back-checked, tipping a centering feed from Kyle Chipchura past his own goalie, Henrik Lundqvist, which gave Phoenix a 3-2 lead.
With just seven seconds left in the second, he also blocked a shot from Michael Stone.
At one point Tuesday night, TSN's Bob MacKenzie tweeted that Kreider could be out for up to a month, but the tweet was quickly deleted.
The Rangers didn't practice Tuesday, and there were no call-ups as of early Wednesday morning. The two extra forwards on the roster are Dan Carcillo – who used to play for the Flyers – and rookie Ryan Haggerty, yet to make his NHL debut since signing out of college. There is also a chance the team could call up J.T. Miller from AHL Hartford, which was the contingency plan Monday as Derek Stepan and Martin St. Louis battled the flu bug, but played anyway and kept Miller in Hartford.
What is undeniable is the loss of Kreider, even for a short period of time, is a big one. He is in a four-way tie for second on the team in goals (17) and is sixth in points (37) after playing 66 games in this, his second season. Playing on a line with Stepan and Rick Nash, Kreider's speed opens up the ice, and he brings a physicality that is lacking throughout the rest of the roster.
Of course, Kreider was the darling of the Rangers' playoff run two seasons ago, when he made his NHL debut right out of Boston College and scored five postseason goals en route to the Rangers making it all the way to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Missing Wednesday's game is a big blow in itself, with the Flyers just one point behind the Rangers for second in the Metropolitan Division, though Philly holds two games in hand. The Blueshirts will have just 10 games remaining after this one, and they will be in Calgary on Friday for the start of a four-game road trip through Western Canada.
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