New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will miss the next two-to-three weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Saturday.
Lundqvist reportedly suffered the issue Tuesday against the Florida Panthers in a 5-2 win, a game where he stopped 43 of 45 shots on goal. Backup Antti Raanta started the team’s next game, a 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. According to Newsday, Lundqvist watched morning skate for that game and “was stretching and walking without pain afterward.”
Hartford Wolf Pack netminder Magnus Hellberg was called up to New York on Saturday.
The timeframe should put Lundqvist back shortly before playoff time for the Rangers. New York currently has 88 points, four behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets for one of the top-three spots in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers have played two more games than Pittsburgh and Columbus and not having Lundqvist could hurt their charge to try to catch the two teams.
Then again, the Rangers may want to stay away from the powerhouse Metropolitan Division in the playoffs and go against the weaker Atlantic Division. The top Wild Card spot in the east, the position the Rangers hold at the moment, currently is slated to play the first place finisher in the Atlantic.
Also, Lundqvist is 35 years old, and resting in the season’s final month may be more important than making a run down the stretch.
Lundqvist has experienced a bit of a bounce-back after a rough stretch earlier this season. He has posted a 12-5-1 record, along with a 2.26 GAA, a .930 SV%, and 1 SO in his last 19 appearances. Lundqvist has a 2.65 goal-against average and .913 save percentage in 51 games this year.
Raanta, who should get the bulk of the starts with Lundqvist out, holds a 2.32 goal-against average and .922 save percentage in 23 games played.
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