For the first time in two months, the Rangers will have their full complement of forwards when center Mika Zibanejad makes his return from a broken leg in Tuesday night’s Garden match against the Stars.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Zibanejad, out since Nov. 20, having missed 24 games. “Watched a lot of games, counting down the days to this. One more sleep away.”
Coach Alain Vigneault had Zibanejad on a line with Rick Nash and Pavel Buchnevich for Monday’s practice — three players who have all missed large swaths of time because of injuries over the first three months of the season.
Vigneault said it was still an experiment where they all would fit, and Nash and Buchnevich would bounce from right to left wing depending on the opposing defense.
Yet the team hopes Zibanejad can regain the form he was in just before he was hurt. The 23-year-old Swede scored in each of his final two games and compiled six points in the six games before he was hurt in overtime at the Garden against the Panthers.
“Prior to his injury, he was playing real well. He was back on top of his game,” Vigneault said. “That player that I saw at the end, I’m hoping I’m going to see sooner than later.But again, I understand that it’s going to take him a little bit of time, and I’m hoping that amount of time is going to be short.”
Alternate captain Marc Staal skated before the team Monday morning, his fourth straight day on the ice. It is very encouraging news as he tries to return from post-concussion symptoms that have kept him out since Jan. 3.
“Coming along and going through the protocol,” Vigneault said. “So far it’s been good.”
It was the same scenario for forward Matt Puempel, who has been out since Dec. 31 with his second concussion this season. Vigneault said if nothing changes, Puempel should be able to practice Wednesday.
Forward Marek Hrivik cleared waivers and was assigned to AHL Hartford. After having been called up Dec. 5 with the rash of injuries up front, Hrivik played 16 games in a row before being a healthy scratch twice this past weekend, when the Rangers lost both games of a back-to-back to the Maple Leafs and Canadiens.
With backup goalie Antti Raanta set to be out “seven to 10 days,” according to Vigneault, Magnus Hellberg was called up from Hartford to back up Henrik Lundqvist. Hellberg is a 6-foot-6, 25-year-old Swede with two games (no starts) of NHL experience.
