Lundqvist, Gilroy in vs Pens; Kreider skates, Callahan rehabs
Henrik Lundqvist stands in the net during Rangers training camp at the Madison Square Garden training facility in Greenburgh. (Jan. 13, 2013) Credit: Anthony Lanzilote
And so, the Rangers narrative continues....
Henrik Lundqvist took some shots in the optional morning skate, then gave way to Marty Biron, who will be the backup for the seventh straight game.
Chris Kreider (bone chip in ankle) went through the skate with the goalies and four others, then stayed behind defenseman Steve Eminger with assistant coach Jim Schoenfeld for more rigorous conditioning work.
So, Stu Bickel and Matt Gilroy will be dressing tonight. Bickel wore a blue forwards jersey and Gilroy d-red, so we'll assume that indicates the position. But the versatile Gilroy, who has played forward in the past, might be used as a low-line forward at times,
Kreider will not be in the lineup, and it's unclear whether he's ready for Saturday against Tampa.
“Yesterday was light (skating), today was a little harder," he said. "We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. It’s a day to day thing. It’s hard to judge on one skate. It’s important to see how it feels tomorrow. It felt OK (today). It wasn’t a full skate. it was a conditioning skate with stops and starts."
Also had a brief chat with Ryan Callahan who started treatment on his left shoulder, which was dislocated in a fight with Max Talbot at 4:25 of the third on Tuesday, and will be sidelined about two weeks. “It definitely could have been a lot worse than it was. After the MRI, we got the news that there’s no structural damage or anything like that. It’s just a matter of a little bit of rehab, treatment and getting back at it.”
“It just got caught in the wrong position and it happened,” Callahan said. “It’s just unlucky," He's had no shoulder issues in the past. “It’s tough any time you miss time, especially in a shortened season like this I wish I was out there. At the same time, injuries happen during the year and these things are going to happen and it’s just a matter of getting back as you as you can. The first days are trying to get it (the inflammation) to settle down. After that, I’ll start to be able to strengthen it. Hopefully, they’re saying 10 to 14 days and I’ll be back at it.
Callahan was not wearing a sling when he spoke with reporters, but noted: “If I move it too much or do certain things with it I feel it but, just sitting here, I’m fine. Fighting is part of the game and if it presents itself again, then you have to do it. (Talbot) knew. I think he could tell right away. It was good of him to stop at the end and let up on me a bit.”
