The New York Rangers are playing their best hockey of the season and are about to get some major reinforcements back in the starting lineup.
Head coach Gerard Gallant announced Tuesday morning that defenseman Ryan Lindgren would return to the lineup in the Rangers’ primetime clash against the Carolina Hurricanes at MSG. Lindgren has missed the last 10 games due to an upper-body injury he suffered back on February 25th against the Washington Capitals.
New York has gone 7-3 since Lindgren’s injury.
On the season, Lindgren recorded 17 points and one goal through 57 games played. His absence though has left a void in the middle of the defense that, at times, has been difficult to replace for the team. While the team has been able to keep winning without their best defender, New York has also struggled to find the right combinations that work without him.
With Lindgren coming back to the starting lineup, the expectation according to Gallant is that Ben Harpur would be out for Tuesday night’s game against the first-place Hurricanes.
A win for New York would leave them just four points back of Carolina for the top spot with 10 games to play. It certainly helps to have their full roster able to play for the first time together all season following the trade deadline acquisitions of Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane.
