Mika Zibanejad OK after injury scare late in Rangers' win

For the second straight game, it looked as though the Rangers might have suffered a significant injury when, late in the third period Saturday, center Mika Zibanejad went down awkwardly. Zibanejad skated off slowly and appeared to be in some discomfort on the bench at the end of the Rangers’ 6-3 win over the Devils in Newark.

But coach David Quinn said after the game that Zibanejad is fine. His skate got caught in a rut in the ice, the coach said, which caused him to fall.

On Thursday, goaltender Igor Shesterkin left with 5:52 remaining in the 6-1 victory over the Devils after suffering a groin injury. He is listed as day-to-day.

Zibanejad, who has struggled all season (two goals, six assists in 22 games) and was benched by Quinn for the first half of the second period Thursday, played 19:00, second-most among forwards.

Igor out on Sunday

Quinn said he hadn’t decided who will start in goal Sunday in Pittsburgh, but it won’t be Shesterkin. Shesterkin is going on the trip, but Quinn said either Alexandar Georgiev, who started Saturday and made 24 saves to earn the win, or Farmingville native Keith Kinkaid will start Sunday.

Kinkaid, 31, came off the taxi squad and was the backup goalie Saturday. He has been on the taxi squad most of the season but did go to the minor leagues to play the first two games of the AHL season for Hartford. He won both of those games, stopping 50 of 52 shots.

Blue notes

Defenseman Jacob Trouba, who missed his eighth game with a broken thumb, will make the trip to Pittsburgh and is "very, very close to playing,’’ Quinn said: "I’ll be stunned if we don’t see him on the trip.’’ . . . Phil DiGiuseppe was scratched.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

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.