After that performance, Henrik Lundqvist deserved a rest. And he’s getting it.
The Rangers’ 36-year-old goalie was outstanding in making 37 saves during the team’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Knights on Sunday afternoon at the Garden, and so he got a maintenance day off from practice Monday and will back up Alexandar Georgiev when the Ducks come to Broadway on Tuesday night.
Lundqvist has started 25 of the team’s first 32 games, and has shown little sign of slowing down — posting a 2.87 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. Georgiev just got back from almost two weeks with AHL Hartford, where he played five games with a team that is struggling to defend. He took five losses, and gave up a total of 17 goals on 144 shots (.882 save percentage).
“Sometimes the numbers don’t tell the big picture,” Georgiev said. “I feel like that’s how the games were, a lot of scoring chances. I feel like those games helped me. Feeling good and in playing shape.”
Georgiev hasn’t played a game for the Rangers since his Dec. 1 start in Montreal, but coach David Quinn agreed with the assessment of his play with the Wolf Pack.
“He got back into his grove,” Quinn said. “He played well.”
It looks as if defenseman Brendan Smith is going to return to the lineup after he was scratched Sunday, his third benching in the past four games. Smith practiced in place of Fredrik Claesson on the left side of a pair with Adam McQuaid.
Quinn was considering moving Boo Nieves back to his natural center position after he played wing Sunday, his season debut for the Rangers after being called up Saturday. The reason Quinn put Nieves on wing is because he wanted to get Lias Andersson back to his natural center position after sitting the 20-year-old for Friday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Coyotes.
“I really wanted Lias in the middle because that’s Lias’ position,” Quinn said, the line being rounded out by Ryan Strome on the right. “In fairness to Boo, playing wing is something he hasn’t done in a while. We’ll see what we do [Tuesday night] with that line, who will play the middle.”
Kevin Hayes, who went hard into the boards late in Friday’s game, also got a maintenance day Monday.
Quinn called the Rangers’ breakouts the team’s “biggest problem” in Sunday’s game, so they worked on it Monday. He even participated, playing his former position on defense.
Asked if it was fun, the 52-year-old Quinn balked.
“Any time I have to take a hard stride, fun is not what I would call it,” he said.