David Quinn says rookie Brett Howden will miss three to four weeks with sprained MCL
New York Rangers center Brett Howden lookson against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
NEWARK — Brett Howden went home to Winnipeg during the All-Star break. Good thing, because he won’t be going there with the Rangers when they visit in a couple of weeks.
Howden, 20, who played in 48 of the Rangers’ 49 games after making the team out of training camp, will be out for the next three to four weeks with a sprained MCL, coach David Quinn said Thursday before the Rangers beat the Devils, 4-3.
"It’s unfortunate because, like I said, I thought that break did him good," Quinn said. "The few minutes he played against Philly [Tuesday], it looked like he had a lot of energy and had a couple great scoring chances and looked like the player that he was the first two months of the season."
Howden has four goals and 15 points this season. His last goal came Nov. 12, and he has had only five assists in 31 games since then. Quinn played him at left wing for the first time in his NHL career on Tuesday. He left with the knee injury midway through the first period and did not return.
Blue notes
Pavel Buchnevich returned after being scratched Tuesday and started on the fourth line. He moved up to the second line after Jimmy Vesey’s turnover led to the New Jersey goal that tied the score at 3 in the third period. Buchnevich had an assist . . . Defenseman Tony DeAngelo was scratched for the 18th time this season. He has played 32 games, with four goals and 12 points . . . With Mats Zuccarello’s status uncertain, Quinn said the team considered calling up a forward from Hartford, but it did not because the AHL is in its All-Star break and the Hartford players have been off for “three or four days.’’ . . . The Devils wore throwback white-red-and-green jerseys and the Rangers were in their home blue jerseys.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
