Chris Kreider will miss Flyers game, possibly more

By Steve ZipayMarch 25, 2014

At 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, here's what we know for certain: Kreider will miss the critical matchup between the Rangers and Flyers tomorrow at the Garden.

According to a tweet from TSN’s Bob McKenzie that was later deleted, Kreider suffered a hand injury, possibly a broken bone that would sideline him for some time, against the Coyotes in Monday’s 4-3 overtime win at Madison Square Garden.

Amid the speculation that Kreider, who has 17 goals has a hand or finger injury, a team spokesman would only say that the 22-year-old, first-line left wing would miss the game, and declined to provide further information. That's generally not a good sign. If he had the flu, they would say so. My sense is that the severity of the injury is not yet known.

Losing the 6-foot-3 Kreider, who also has 20 assists in 66 games, for any length of time would be a big blow to the Rangers.

He played just 10:12 Monday night and only took three shifts in the third period. He recorded four hits, no shots on goal, one shot blocked and one missed shot, and a deflection off his stick in front provided the third Coyotes goal late in the second period on Monday.

MSG cameras have a shot of Kreider taking off his glove and flexing his hand walking into the locker room after that second period.

It is possible that the Rangers will recall J.T. Miller, who was in the process of joining the team Monday to be ready in case either Stepan or Martin St. Louis, dragging from the flu, could not dress. Miller has 33 points in 35 games for Hartford.

Unclear if Miller would jump onto the first line; he is also a center. Carl Hagelin, who has played with Stepan and Nash, might get the call and Miller would draw into the third line with Richards and Pouliot. Presumably Zuccarello-Brassard-St. Louis remain intact, but we will see at the morning skate at MSG. Or, Alain Vigneault could opt for both Dan Carcillo and Derek Dorsett against the Flyers.

Kreider, a 6-foot-3 left wing, was a first-round draft pick of the Rangers in 2009, and his size and speed has provided a consistent forecheck for the first line.

Kreider’s skill set will be missed as two of the hottest teams in the East angle for seeding in the first round. Both have won five of six games, and the Rangers (40-29-4) hold the No. 2 perch in the Metropolitan Division with 84 points. The Flyers (38-26-7) are in third place, with 83, but have two games in hand. Under the new playoff format, teams finishing second and third in each division face each other in the first round.

So Wednesday’s game could be a preview of mid-April, and Tuesday, the yapping started. "If we play them in the playoffs,” Flyer forward Wayne Simmonds told reporters, “they’re going to definitely know what the Philadelphia Flyers are bringing to the table.”

The Rangers, not the types to engage in a war of words, except perhaps for ex-Flyer Carcillo, were given an off day.

What the Rangers have in their favor is some history at the Garden. The Flyers haven’t won there in seven visits, with the last triumph coming on Feb. 20, 2011, 4-2. One scorer was Carcillo, now wearing No. 13 for the Blueshirts. The Flyers have taken both games in Philadelphia this season, including a 4-2 win on March 1. The Rangers won 4-1 on Jan. 12 at the Garden, with Carcillo scoring the opening goal and later dropping the gloves with Luke Schenn.

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Logically, the still-truculent Flyers under Craig Berube would prefer to avoid the penalty box, although Philadelphia ranks fifth in the NHL on the penalty-kill, a fraction ahead of the Rangers. The Flyers also have a slight edge on the power play, at a 19.9 percent success rate, compared to the Rangers, which is at 18.7, but not clicking lately. And goaltender Steve Mason is 4-0-1 in his career against the Rangers, with a 2.39 GAA.

Henrik Lundqvist, despite allowing three goals to Phoenix on Monday, has been on a roll: 7-2-0 with a 1.78 GAA, a .938 save percentage and two shutouts in his last nine starts. With a win, Lundqvist will pass feisty Billy Smith on the all-time victory list with 306.