Rangers are among the NHL’s most fortunate clubs when it comes to losing players to the COVID protocol list, with only Kaapo Kakko barred from playing for that reason before Saturday’s game in Washington.
But Kakko, who lost the February 1 game against the Penguins after registering a false positive in a test, was back on the list and, consequently, unavailable for the 4-1 victory over the capitals.
“It happened this morning, so we haven’t had a chance to talk yet,” said coach David Quinn after the competition. “Obviously you are concerned whenever someone is put on this list, so we’ll talk here soon and see how he feels.
“As far as I can tell, there haven’t been any symptoms yet, so I’ll know a lot more later.”
Of course, according to league regulations, Quinn will not be allowed to disclose what she learns. It would be up to Kakko, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at a young age, to release the details if he wishes.
Filip Chytil has been on the COVID-19 list since the beginning of the week, but has remained on the injury reserve. Chtyil, who missed 11 consecutive points since suffering an unidentified upper body injury in Pittsburgh on January 24, was skating before he entered the list. It is not known how much, if any, your return date may be affected by this. The Rangers originally projected that the 21-year-old center would lose four to six weeks.
The Blueshirts eliminated all four power moves by the Capitals, including one in which Mika Zibanejad scored an empty goal at 17:48 of the third period with a 6-on-4 situation. Rangers, who allowed only three shots in 8 hours of work with a lack of manpower, he killed 31 of the last 32 advantages per man he faced in the last nine games.
Overall, the club killed 52 of 60 for a rate of 86.7, which placed it in third place in the league after the match.
Ryan Strome scored a goal and an assist. The goal was the 100th of his career in the NHL, while the attendance was his 100th point as a Ranger. This made him the first player to reach the mark of the century in points with the Blueshirts and Islanders.
“I knew that and it was very interesting, actually,” said Strome, who was selected fifth overall by the Islanders in 2011, a spot before senators drafted Zibanejad. “I would never have thought when I was called up almost 10 years ago that I would have 100 points with the Islanders and the Rangers, given the hatred of that rivalry.
“It’s a really cool achievement, not like I thought it was going to happen, but I’m happy to be a Ranger, my time here has been really good and I’ve reached 100 here much faster than with the islanders, so it’s a small note on my resume, which I will be happy with. “
Strome, who had 45-81 = 126 in 258 games over four seasons with the Islanders before being traded to Edmonton by Jordan Eberle, has been 41-60 = 101 in 149 games for the Blueshirts since he was obtained from the Oilers in return by Ryan Spooner.
The Blueshirts won 32 out of 56 on points, including 15 from Zibanejad out of 23. Strome won 6 out of 11.
Rangers put a limited number of tickets on sale for their next three home games on February 26, February 28 and March 2, for between $ 50 and $ 345. Participation in these games is limited to almost 2,000, with all users required to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols, which include proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of departure.