Rangers’ ‘warrior’ Ryan Lindgren continuing to battle injuries

RALEIGH, N.C. — Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren is battling the identical lower-body damage that sidelined him for 3 video games within the first spherical of the playoffs, and it’s not going away. 

It’s one thing head coach Gerard Gallant and the remainder of the Rangers coaching employees can have to monitor for the rest of their postseason. 

“That’s what it is,” Gallant stated. “That’ll be right until the end of the playoffs.” 

While enjoying by way of the nagging damage, Lindgren additionally took a puck to the face within the Rangers’ 2-0 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 2 Friday evening at PNC Arena and had to retreat to the locker room. He got here proper again to the sport shortly afterward and seemingly didn’t miss a single shift. 

Lindgren completed with three pictures on aim, 4 blocked pictures, and one hit. 

Hockey gamers have the repute of being insanely powerful, however Lindgren brings an entire new which means to the phrase. Since he entered the NHL in 2018-19, Lindgren has by no means been not bruised, stitched up or bleeding not directly after video games. That’s simply the sort of participant he’s. 

“He’s a warrior, that’s all he is,” Ryan Reaves stated of Lindgren. “He’s obviously a little uncomfortable, but you can’t take him off the ice, especially in a playoff series. He’s a big player for us. Obviously, huge on the kill and just in key defensive times. He’s really big for us, so hats off to him, he’s grinding.” 

In the sequence opener of the Rangers’ second-round matchup with the Hurricanes on Wednesday, Lindgren went to the locker room with roughly eight minutes left within the first interval earlier than coming again out for the beginning of the second and ending out the remainder of their eventual 2-1 additional time loss. 

The Rangers fell behind 3-1 of their first-round sequence towards the Penguins with out Lindgren within the lineup. When he returned, the Rangers rallied from behind in three straight video games to advance. Even although he’s not an offense-producing defenseman, Lindgren performs a serious position within the Rangers’ bodily presence and on their again finish basically, subsequent to his longtime D-partner Adam Fox. 

“Just leadership, his character,” Gallant stated of what Lindgren has proven in these playoffs. “He wants to play. He’s got to battle and that’s what it is, it’s playoff time and it’s hard to keep those guys out. We don’t want him out. He’s a big reason why we made it to the second round, obviously.” 

As a results of the uncertainty over Lindgren, Gallant and the remainder of the teaching employees have had to think about going with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. The Rangers have already achieved it as soon as in these playoffs, in Lindgren’s first recreation again in Game 5, to make sure that they don’t get caught with simply 5 defensemen. 

“We always think about that every day,” Gallant stated. “It’s not the perfect set up, but we think about it right up until the game time.”