The New York Rangers seem to be dealing with some more injuries, as wingers Artemi Panarin and Jimmy Vesey were not on the ice for Wednesday’s practice, and are day-to-day with lower-body injuries.
If either player was injured during Tuesday’s 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars, it wasn’t apparent in their ice time, as they both finished the game. Panarin, 32, had his last shift with just over two minutes left in the game, while Vesey, 30, played in the final minute of the game. Panarin finished the game with an assist, two shots and a penalty in 19:55 of ice time, while Vesey had one shot in 14:05 of ice time.
Panarin has been having what might be the best season of his career, with 32 goals and 43 assists for 75 points in 56 games. Assuming he doesn’t miss any time with his injury, that puts him on pace for 109 points, which would be the first time he’s hit the 100-point mark in his career, and would normally have him in the Hart trophy conversation if not for an already tight race this season.
Vesey hasn’t been quite as productive as Panarin, but he’s still having one of his best seasons with 12 goals and 6 assists for 18 points in 54 games. If he also doesn’t miss any time with his injury, it would put him on pace to tie his career-high of 17 goals, along with 26 points that falls in his career scoring rates.
The Rangers haven’t given any indication as to what the lineup will look like should Panarin and Vesey not be available for Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Winger Alex Belzile and defenseman Zac Jones were the team’s only healthy scratches for Tuesday’s game, so unless they make a call-up from the AHL, they may run with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen.
The Rangers currently sit in first in the Metropolitan Division with a 37-16-3 record. They’ll look to extend their eight-game winning streak when they visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST.
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