HURRY, HANK!
Kings blitz Rangers as Lundqvist returns to practice:
DEREK Stepan skated onto the Garden ice Tuesday morning and yelled: “Henreek!” Then Derick Brassard hugged Henrik Lundqvist after he stopped his first shot on goal from Rick Nash.
Third-string rookie goalie Mackenzie Skapski was relocated to a narrow locker across the room next to Kevin Hayes. And there, in his typical stall in the back right corner, sat the King.
Lundqvist is back, and after his first skate with teammates since Feb. 2, the healthy 33-year-old announced his goal is to return to game action by this weekend’s back-to-back — Saturday afternoon in Boston or Sunday afternoon at the Garden against the Washington Capitals.
“That’s my goal, yeah,” Lundqvist said. “I think I need at least one or two more skates just to work on my timing, but I feel close. If you ask me, I wanted to play last week right away when they cleared me, but you have to be realistic about it, too. When I come back I want to make sure I’m, if not 100%, at least really close to it.”
Cam Talbot started Tuesday night’s 4-2 home loss to the Los Angeles Kings. He also is expected to start Thursday night in Ottawa opposite Senators rookie phenom Andrew (The Hamburglar) Hammond.
Alain Vigneault called it a “stretch” that Lundqvist might play in Ottawa, but he added that goalie coach Benoit Allaire “doesn’t think it will be a very long time . . . for Hank to find his rhythm and his level of play.”
An invigorated and anxious Lundqvist said he feels “pretty close to ready,” and by Thursday night, he’ll have Wednesday’s noon practice in Greenburgh and a Thursday morning on-ice workout in Ottawa under his belt.
Skapski is expected to travel to Ottawa, perhaps to back up Talbot one last time.
“We had the discussion last week and we kind of planned a little bit how to do this week,” Lundqvist said. “I think we’ll talk in the next couple days, as well, to see what day is the best day to come back. I’m expecting to play this week, but when, I’m not sure.”
Lundqvist had been sidelined since Feb. 2 with a partially torn blood vessel in the back of his neck, but he was cleared by doctors last Tuesday to practice, and he’s been itching to play ever since. He was supposed to return for his first practice last Friday but skipped it for the birth of his second daughter.
“I think (for) every player, when you’re injured and you do your own thing for that long, it feels wrong, because you play a team sport.” Lundqvist said. “You want to be a part of the group, and that’s a big part of why it’s so much fun now to be back.”
The Rangers have a stunning 17-4-3 record in Lundqvist’s absence. Tuesday night’s loss to the Kings left them at 46-19-7 with 99 points, second in the NHL to the Montreal Canadiens. Seeing Lundqvist on ice put an extra jump in their step.
“It’s awesome,” veteran center Dominic Moore said. “It’s great to see him back on the ice, working hard as usual, with a smile on his face, no doubt.”