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New York Rangers Goalie Henrik Lundqvist Out 2-3 Weeks

By Kenneth Teape

Feb 26, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (30) makes a glove save against the Columbus Blue Jacket during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Columbus won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (30) makes a glove save against the Columbus Blue Jacket during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Columbus won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist will miss the next two or three weeks with a lower body injury.

The New York Rangers are going to be a little shorthanded in net for the next couple of weeks. The team announced today that goaltender Henrik Lundqvist will be sidelined for the next two-to-three weeks because of a lower-body injury.

Lundqvist and Antti Raanta, the Rangers’ backup goalie, have split starts the last four games, which the injury could have played a part in. This is a pretty big blow to the Rangers, who are looking to make a push up the Eastern Conference standings.

New York currently has 88 points on the season in 68 games, but are in fourth place in their own division. They trail the league leading Washington Capitals, who have 95 points, and the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins, both with 92. All of those teams have two games in hand over the Rangers as well, making their climb that much more difficult.

With Lundqvist sidelined, the Rangers will have to rely on Raanta for the time being. Luckily for the Rangers, Raanta is one of the best backup goalies in the NHL. On the season, Raanta is 13-6-0 with a .922 save percentage and a 2.32 goals against average.

With Lundqvist sidelined, the Rangers have recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. With the Wolf Pack, Magnus has registered a record of 11-11-2 with a .902 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average.

While not having Lundqvist for anywhere between four and seven games will hurt, it may actually be a blessing in disguise for New York.

With a playoff spot a virtual lock at this point, the Rangers will be able to get Lundqvist some rest for the next two-to-three weeks. If Lundqvist is out the duration of that timetable and is sidelined three full weeks, the Rangers will have about seven games remaining in the season.

That will give him enough time to round back into shape and prepare for a playoff push. Getting an extended rest for a 35-year old goalie is not easy to do during the regular season, but Lundqvist will be getting it now.

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It has been a whirlwind season for Lundqvist. He has heard boos at Madison Square Garden and people question whether or not he should be starting. He has responded well to the criticism and played solid hockey. He also became the first goalie in the history of the NHL to record at least 30 wins in 11 of their first 12 seasons with his victory on Tuesday over the Florida Panthers.

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