Johnson to play if Lundqvist can't

PITTSBURGH -- Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is 3-1-1 against the Penguins this season, but if his sore and "very stiff" neck doesn't respond to treatment, rookie Chad Johnson will make his first start of the season Sunday afternoon against the Penguins, coach John Tortorella said Saturday.

Lundqvist, who has appeared in 16 straight games and is 5-1 in the past six to help the Rangers move into seventh place in the East (four points clear of the playoff line), was driven into the net by the Canadiens' Benoit Pouliot in the third period Friday and did not practice.

Although he felt better before the Rangers flew here, Lundqvist, who did not suffer a concussion, will be reassessed before the game. "I have a tough time moving my head, but the treatment has really helped . . . I have the whole afternoon to take it easy," Lundqvist told reporters after practice.

Johnson, 1-2-1 in five appearances last season, was called up from the AHL after Martin Biron's collarbone was broken by Derek Stepan's shot in practice Feb. 28. Johnson, a 24-year-old Calgary native, has yet to appear in a game this season.

"Working with Benny [goaltending coach Benoit Allaire] on technique and facing guys like Marian Gaborik in practice is something you can't get in the AHL," Johnson told Newsday during the two-game California road trip last week. "I'm preparing for any emergency. I'll be ready . . . I have some experience from last season, too. I hope nothing happens to Hank, of course, but you never know."

Whatever choice Tortorella makes in the middle of the playoff push is risky. Johnson, who was 16-19-3 with a 2.72 goals- against average and a .901 save percentage in 40 games with Connecticut this season, hasn't played a game in 24 days.

A fifth-round pick of the Penguins in 2006, Johnson made his NHL debut with the Rangers on Dec. 30, 2009. His first NHL win came in Colorado Jan. 31, 2010.

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