Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto will be a healthy scratch Saturday night in Montreal, according to ESPN’s Katie Strang.
Tomorrow won’t be the first time Del Zotto (1G, 3A) has been scratched by new head coach Alain Vigneault. The 23-year-old also sat and watched Oct. 19 in New Jersey. But that came after he’d missed a Rangers victory with the flu and Vigneault didn’t want to mess with a winning lineup.
Del Zotto apparently wasn’t surprised to learn he’d be watching from the press box in Montreal, given his playing time has been on the decline. On Tuesday, he was on the ice for only 16:09 versus the Devils. An offensive defenseman, it’s worth pointing out he has just one assist in 43:09 of power-play time.
Replacing Del Zotto will be 25-year-old Justin Falk.