The New York Rangers will be without their best and most important player at a critical time in the season, after goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was hit in the throat with a puck during a Jan. 30 game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“Henrik Lundqvist suffered a vascular injury on Saturday,” the Rangers said Friday in a statement. “We have been conferring with leading medical experts to ensure the best possible care. Henrik will remain sidelined at least three weeks, until he is re-evaluated and we have completed the process of conferring with the medical experts.”
Lundqvist is among the best goalies in the NHL and owns a 25-11-3 record with a .922 save percentage. The Rangers won’t make a deep playoff run if this issue is problematic for Lundqvist beyond the expected timeline, but they should be able to remain in a playoff spot in his absence. The Blueshirts are eight points ahead of the Florida Panthers in the playoff race and also have one game in hand.
Cam Talbot has played well in a backup role for New York since the start of last season. He’s currently 5-4-1 with a .924 save percentage and defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Wednesday.
Thumbnail photo via Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
