Maybe if this were the postseason — actually, definitely if this were the postseason — Mats Zuccarello would be in the Rangers lineup for Saturday night’s game against the Panthers in Sunrise, Fla. But at this juncture, still before Christmas and after two false starts, the winger likely will play it safe with the right-groin injury that has kept him out of five straight games and 11 of the past 13.
Each one of those games he played, Nov. 15 against the Islanders and Nov. 23 against the Flyers, Zuccarello suffered a setback. Though Zuccarello is “the epitome of day-to-day,” according to coach David Quinn, he is not likely to play on Saturday.
“At the end of the day, I don’t want to go one game and then sit out. I was stupid to go too early twice,” Zuccarello said after he was a full participant in practice in Tarrytown on Friday before the Rangers flew south. “That was all my fault. Now I just want to make sure I’m 100 percent when I go.”
Zuccarello is going on the trip, and could be ready to play Monday night at terrific Tampa Bay.
This is the annual fathers’ trip for the Rangers, with 19 dads set to tag along for the four-day sojourn, starting with their rowdy presence at Friday’s practice.
“It’ll be fun,” Quinn said. “Anytime you can bring your father along for a trip like this and to experience what you experience on a daily basis, I’m sure it’s a lot of fun for the players. It’ll be a lot of fun for me to watch a parent enjoy their son’s success.”
Defenseman Brady Skjei is likely to return from his one-game benching as a healthy scratch, which would bump Brendan Smith from the lineup. Smith practiced fully on Friday after going Thursday in a non-contact jersey while dealing with an “upper-body” injury. This was likely going to be the move that Quinn made regardless.
“Brady has had a good week of practice,” said Quinn, who likely will pair Skjei with Tony DeAngelo.“Listen, like I said when he didn’t play the other night, that wasn’t a punishment. It was more of a chance to clear his head. He and I have had great discussions. He’s got a great mindset. We all know what he’s capable of doing and we all know he’s going to have the season we all know he’s capable of having.”
Vlad Namestnikov is set to return from three-game absence because of a concussion suffered at the end of the 4-2 win over the Senators on Nov. 26. He practiced on the left side of a line with Brett Howden and Jesper Fast.