Kaapo Kakko, Kevin Rooney return to the lineup for Rangers

Exactly 11 weeks after he was a last-minute scratch following warmups before a game against the Arizona Coyotes, Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko returned to the lineup Saturday against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden. Forward Kevin Rooney, who missed a little more than five weeks, also returned.

Kakko, the 21-year-old Finn who was the No. 2 pick overall in the 2019 draft, is believed to have suffered an injury to his left wrist, based on a picture that circulated on social media showing him taking in a game while wearing a splint on the wrist. He last played Jan. 21 in a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The next night, at the Garden, he took part in warmups but did not play.

Rooney left a game after the first period on March 2 after taking a big hit.

The two players entered the lineup just as forwards Filip Chytil and Tyler Motte exited because of injury. Motte suffered a “significant upper-body injury,’’ according to the Rangers, after taking a big hit from Pittsburgh’s Anthony Angello on Thursday. Chytil missed practice Friday with an upper-body injury. Motte will be out for a while, Gallant said. Chytil is considered day-to-day.

Kakko had one shot attempt in 13:01. Rooney had two shots on goal and two hits in 15:27. He went 3-for-9 on faceoffs.  

Kakko had five goals and nine assists in 37 games before the injury; Rooney had six goals and five assists in 51 games.

Blue notes

After Thursday’s game, Gerard Gallant said he would be using a rotation of Patrik Nemeth, Braden Schneider and Justin Braun for the third defense pair. On Saturday, he dressed Braun and Schneider . . . The healthy scratches were forwards Greg McKegg and Julien Gauthier and defensemen Libor Hajek and Nemeth.

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.