The morning after snapping their losing skid, the Rangers got some more good news as Jimmy Vesey returned for a full practice and will be back in the lineup Sunday in Winnipeg.
The 24-year-old winger had been out since taking an elbow to the mouth last Saturday in Nashville, but he was cleared from the concussion protocol Friday and had no limitations Saturday.
“It’s my first concussion, and it’s something the league takes serious now,” Vesey said. “As much as it stinks not to be in the lineup and to watch your teammates out there working hard, head injuries are no joke. I wanted to make sure I was 100 percent. I’m ready to go.”
In 52 games this year, Vesey has 10 goals and seven assists, though he had only one goal in his past 11 games before getting knocked out. He skated on the third line in Saturday’s practice alongside David Desharnais and Jesper Fast.
The Rangers declared a youth movement Thursday, but they didn’t necessarily mean to be this drastic.
After backup goalie Ondrej Pavelec (knee) was injured in Friday’s win over the Flames, the Rangers recalled goalie Alexandar Georgiev, on his 22nd birthday, from AHL Hartford before leaving for a four-game road trip.
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Pavelec went for an MRI exam Saturday morning, but coach Alain Vigneault said he hadn’t asked yet about the results. The fact Georgiev was a regular call-up and not an emergency recall, though, indicates Pavelec could miss time.
Georgiev comes with a hot hand, having an 8-0-1 mark with a 1.76 goals-against average over his past nine games.
“[Hartford coach Keith McCambridge] says he’s a battler, he competes on every shot,” Vigneault said. “I remember him a little bit from training camp, and I think you could tell he had some qualities there.”
Despite having lost 10 of their past 14 games, the Rangers woke up Saturday just three points behind the Islanders for the final playoff spot. They hoped to use Friday’s win as a springboard.
“It feels like you’re so far away sometimes, but you’re not,” goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. “You just gotta stick with it.”
As expected, captain Ryan McDonagh will not make the trip with the team as he deals with a lingering upper-body injury that forced him to miss Friday’s game.