Practice Buzz: Mats Zuccarello out for Game 7, holding out hope for Stanley Cup Final

COREY SIPKIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS New York Rangers right wing Mats Zuccarello

COREY SIPKIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
New York Rangers right wing Mats Zuccarello

Mats Zuccarello skated before practice in a non-contact jersey. As I wrote this morning, he needed to be cleared for contact today if there was any chance of playing in Game 7 tomorrow.

Now the question becomes, will he be ready for the Stanley Cup Final should the Rangers advance next Wednesday?

For that, I asked Dr. Mark Herceg, a neuropsychologist who is Westchester County’s Commissioner of Mental Health and an avid Rangers fan about Zuccarello’s injury. Dr. Herceg explained, “Zuccarello took a hit to the left side of his head, above the ear that may have impacted his balance and caused vertigo and headaches.” When asked about recovery, Dr Herceg stated “it’s normal for symptoms to last between 4 to 6 weeks.”

Mats’ injury took place on April 25th and he has missed the team’s last 13 games. Should the Rangers win Friday night, game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final would be 5 weeks and 4 days  from that date. Game 2 would take place on Saturday night and be 6 weeks exactly.

Still, we need to be cautious as each head injury is a unique case. The positives continue each time Zuccarello takes the ice and if Dr. Herceg’s assessment is close, we may just see Mats Zuccarello again this season.

Of course, that also depends on the Rangers winning Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. That’s another hope in and of itself.

Anthony Scultore has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL since 2014. His work also appears at... More about Anthony Scultore

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