New York Rangers injury update: Chris Kreider, Filip Chytil return to lineup against Canadiens
Trying to end their longest losing streak in four seasons, the New York Rangers will receive a double boost to their beleaguered lineup Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Forwards Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil each will play after being sidelined with separate upper-body injuries. Kreider missed three games with back spasms; Chytil was out seven games with an unspecified issue.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said that some things needed to be sorted out with the lineup to make room for Kreider and Chytil. And there’s no idea as to what the line combinations — thrown into a blender during a woeful 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday — will look like.
It would make great sense to reunite the third line with Chytil in the middle, flanked by Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko. That’s been New York’s most consistent two-way line all season. In 13 games together that trio’s outscored opponents 11-0 at 5v5 and leads the Rangers with an xGF of 65.29 percent, per Natural Stat Trick.
Most likely, it’d make sense to put Kreider back on the left side of center Mika Zibanejad, although nothing has worked for Zibanejad, who’s had a miserable season at both ends of the rink. The question here is whether veteran Reilly Smith remains as their usual right wing or whether rookie Brett Berard, who’s got a goal and assist in three games, remains in the lineup.
Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from Black Friday loss to Flyers
Rangers still deciding who comes out of lineup against Flyers with Chris Kreider, Filip Chytil returning
Jonny Brodzinski is the most likely player to come out of the lineup, even though he scored two games ago against the Carolina Hurricanes. Berard could join him in the press box. Perhaps Adam Edstrom will be scratched to keep Berard in the lineup. Edstrom also scored against the Hurricanes on Wednesday and has played all 22 games this season.
Unless Laviolette is looking to shake things up more on the struggling power play, Kreider should be back on the top unit, parking himself in front of Montreal’s net. That would bump Alexis Lafreniere back down to the second unit.
The Rangers didn’t score a power-play goal in Kreider’s absence; they were 0-for-5. However, it should be noted they haven’t scored on the power play since Nov. 12 against the Winnipeg Jets, a span of eight games. The Rangers dropped to 14th in the NHL on the power play (20.4 percent).
Kreider is tied for second on the Rangers with nine goals and is second with three power-play goals, and first with two short-handed goals. In 19 games, he does not yet have an assist.
Like Kreider, Chytil also has nine points (four goals, five assists), albeit in 15 games. He is a plus-11, tied for third on the team.
Chytil was injured when he collided with teammate K’Andre Miller against the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 14. At first, it was feared the 25-year-old sustained another concussion, but he was cleared of that, though still missed seven games. The Rangers were 2-5-0 in his absence.
Laviolette did announce that Jonathan Quick will start in goal against the Canadiens. The 38-year-old is 4-1-0 with a 1.85 goals-against average, .943 save percentage and two shutouts this season.
Hung out to dry in his last start by his Rangers teammates, Quick allowed six goals in a 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers last week at Rogers Place.
More About:New York Rangers News
Read This Next
