Rangers Daily: Zuccarello injury concern; Carolina controversy
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images If you tuned into Game 2 of the first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars hoping to see old friend Mats Zuccarello, you were surely disappointed. The popular former New York Rangers star missed the contest due to an upper-body injury. More concerning is the nature of that UBI.
Though no one from the Wild stated publicly that Zuccarello may have a head injury or even a concussion, The Athletic reported that the 38-year-old was hurt in Game 1 after he was on the receiving end of an elbow to the head from Stars defenseman Tyler Myers in the series opener. Michael Russo’s source claimed the hit “was dirty. ” Zuccarello remained in the game and recorded three assists, the eighth player his age or older to have that many helpers in an NHL postseason game.
With him in the lineup, the Wild skated to a 6-1 road win in the opener Saturday. Without him, the Wild played well, but lost 4-2 in Game 2. His status moving forward in the best-of-7 series is unknown.
As for other former Rangers appearing in the 2026 playoffs: defenseman Nils Lundkvist had a pair of primary assist for the Stars in that win over the Wild; Chris Kreider had an assist and Jacob Trouba logged 25:29 TOI for the Anaheim Ducks, who blew a 3-2 third-period lead and lost the opener of their series to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. ; and K’Andre Miller helped set up Jordan Martinook’s 2 OT game-winner for the Carolina Hurricanes in their thrilling 3-2 Game 2 win over the Ottawa Senators. New York Rangers news and analysis Here are the pros and cons for Rangers to consider when it comes to free-agent forward Alex Tuch.
who’s coming off a monster Game 1 of the playoffs for the Buffalo Sabres. Injuries to key players certainly played a role in the Rangers disappointing season . But they can’t use injuries as an excuse for their failures.