- Oct 8, 2010
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Forget asbestos. The injury-riddled Rangers avoided a different kind of scare involving their most important player near the end of practice Wednesday.
Franchise goalie Henrik Lundqvist sprawled to his skates, slammed down his stick and blocker and immediately bolted from the ice after being struck on the right side of his neck by a Brian Boyle slap shot.
Lundqvist was clutching his neck and later admitted he was having trouble breathing and experiencing dizziness. He regained his breath quickly in the trainer's room, however, allowing the rest of the Rangers to exhale entering Thursday night's road match against the Flyers.
"It's a little stiff, but I'm fine. You don't get shocked when you get hit as a goalie. It's part of the job," Lundqvist said after icing his neck for nearly 20 minutes following practice. "It happens. You face a lot of shots in practice. Sometimes they hit you in a bad spot."
Boyle worriedly followed his teammate off the ice - coach John Tortorella jokingly referred to him later as Dr. Boyle - but the center quickly returned to practice after Lundqvist informed him he was OK.
"Obviously, that one didn't go quite where I wanted it to," Boyle said. "You never want to see that happen. ... But he's fine, thank goodness. I'll be all right, too."
The Rangers believe they also will be OK - even despite injuries to Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and Chris Drury - as long as they keep up the intensity on defense and sacrifice their bodies in front of Lundqvist. They have blocked at least 30 shots in each of their last two games, back-to-back wins over Toronto and Chicago.
"I think we're heading in the right direction as far as how we have to play," Tortorella said before the Blueshirts' first game in Philadelphia since they were eliminated from playoff contention last season with a shootout loss in the season finale. "I think how we're trying to play more consistently now fits in exactly with how we have to play against Philly."
Tortorella wouldn't say whether Lundqvist or his backup, former Flyer Martin Biron, will start Thursday night, with another game slated for Friday against the Devils in Newark.
"I didn't see (Lundqvist get hit in the neck)," Tortorella said. "But once I saw him banging his stick all over the place, I knew he was fine."
Franchise goalie Henrik Lundqvist sprawled to his skates, slammed down his stick and blocker and immediately bolted from the ice after being struck on the right side of his neck by a Brian Boyle slap shot.
Lundqvist was clutching his neck and later admitted he was having trouble breathing and experiencing dizziness. He regained his breath quickly in the trainer's room, however, allowing the rest of the Rangers to exhale entering Thursday night's road match against the Flyers.
"It's a little stiff, but I'm fine. You don't get shocked when you get hit as a goalie. It's part of the job," Lundqvist said after icing his neck for nearly 20 minutes following practice. "It happens. You face a lot of shots in practice. Sometimes they hit you in a bad spot."
Boyle worriedly followed his teammate off the ice - coach John Tortorella jokingly referred to him later as Dr. Boyle - but the center quickly returned to practice after Lundqvist informed him he was OK.
"Obviously, that one didn't go quite where I wanted it to," Boyle said. "You never want to see that happen. ... But he's fine, thank goodness. I'll be all right, too."
The Rangers believe they also will be OK - even despite injuries to Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and Chris Drury - as long as they keep up the intensity on defense and sacrifice their bodies in front of Lundqvist. They have blocked at least 30 shots in each of their last two games, back-to-back wins over Toronto and Chicago.
"I think we're heading in the right direction as far as how we have to play," Tortorella said before the Blueshirts' first game in Philadelphia since they were eliminated from playoff contention last season with a shootout loss in the season finale. "I think how we're trying to play more consistently now fits in exactly with how we have to play against Philly."
Tortorella wouldn't say whether Lundqvist or his backup, former Flyer Martin Biron, will start Thursday night, with another game slated for Friday against the Devils in Newark.
"I didn't see (Lundqvist get hit in the neck)," Tortorella said. "But once I saw him banging his stick all over the place, I knew he was fine."
