Rangers' Ryan Carpenter forced to leave with skate cut
Gerard Gallant of the Rangers looks on during the first period against the New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Sep.29, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Fourth-line center Ryan Carpenter was forced to leave the Rangers’ 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in the second period Friday night after suffering a skate cut to his ear and/or neck. The team didn’t have any report on Carpenter after the game other than to call it an upper-body injury.
“He’s doing OK, I guess,’’ coach Gerard Gallant said. “I haven’t heard anything. He’s just, you know, upper body, day-to-day.’’
Carpenter, 31, played for the Vegas Golden Knights when Gallant was the coach there, and he signed with the Rangers as a free agent during the summer to serve as the fourth-line center and a penalty-killer. He presumably will be out of action for an extended period. The Rangers could put him on injured reserve and call up Gustav Rydahl from AHL Hartford to fill that role.
Blais still out
Gallant had said injured forward Sammy Blais was a possibility to make his season debut Friday, but he did not.
“He’s real close,’’ Gallant said. “He skated again today and he’s feeling good. So I’m being cautious.’’
Gallant said the fact that the Rangers had won their first two games without Blais in the lineup did not factor in the decision not to play him Friday.
“No, no. I don’t want him to come on in and play one game and hurt himself again,’’ he said. “We’ve got three more days off and he’ll be ready to go.’’
The Rangers will face the Ducks on Monday at the Garden.
Blue lines
Facing the Jets, his old team, Rangers captain Jacob Trouba played his 600th NHL game. Trouba, who forced a trade to the Rangers in the summer of 2019, was booed by the fans when he touched the puck . . . D Libor Hajek made his season debut in place of Zac Jones. He had two shots on goal and one blocked shot in 13:45. G Jaroslav Halak made his Rangers debut and made 30 saves on 33 shots.
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.
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