When people wonder what might derail the New York Rangers after a surprisingly strong start to the season, many believe that the team will just see a drop in “puck luck.”
Maybe injuries will be the issue, instead?
That thought has to be in the heads of a few Rangers fans on Tuesday, as the injuries continue to pile up for their forward group in particular.
In the same game, Rick Nash (lower-body injury) and Matt Puempel (took a high-stick, so upper-body injury, though the Rangers didn’t specify) both left with issues and will not return against the New York Islanders.
The Rangers were already without the likes of Mika Zibanejad and Michael Grabner, so this is a tough stretch of time for the Blueshirts.
This team is lauded for its forward depth, so we’ll see if they can continue to roll with all of these punches.
Update: The Islanders ended up beating the Rangers 4-2, so a bad day overall for Alain Vigneault & Co. The Isles, meanwhile, are winners of four of their last five games.