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Rangers Daily: Zuccarello injury concern; Carolina controversy
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- Rangers Daily: Zuccarello injury concern; Carolina controversy
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If you tuned into Game 2 of the first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars hoping to see old friend Mats Zuccarello , you were surely disappointed. The popular former New York Rangers star missed the contest due to an upper-body injury.
More concerning is the nature of that UBI. Though no one from the Wild stated publicly that Zuccarello may have a head injury or even a concussion, The Athletic reported that the 38-year-old was hurt in Game 1 after he was on the receiving end of an elbow to the head from Stars defenseman Tyler Myers in the series opener.
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Michael Russo's source claimed the hit "was dirty."
Zuccarello remained in the game and recorded three assists, the eighth player his age or older to have that many helpers in an NHL postseason game. With him in the lineup, the Wild skated to a 6-1 road win in the opener Saturday. Without him, the Wild played well, but lost 4-2 in Game 2. His status moving forward in the best-of-7 series is unknown.
As for other former Rangers appearing in the 2026 playoffs: defenseman Nils Lundkvist had a pair of primary assist for the Stars in that win over the Wild; Chris Kreider had an assist and Jacob Trouba logged 25:29 TOI for the Anaheim Ducks , who blew a 3-2 third-period lead and lost the opener of their series to the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.; and K'Andre Miller helped set up Jordan Martinook 's 2 OT game-winner for the Carolina Hurricanes in their thrilling 3-2 Game 2 win over the Ottawa Senators .
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Injuries to key players certainly played a role in the Rangers disappointing season . But they can't use injuries as an excuse for their failures.
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Carolina Hockey Now: Rachel Barkley digs into the Hurricanes' wild and controversial double-overtime win against the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
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New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils introduce their new general manager Sunny Mehta on Wednesday. James Nichols breaks down five critical decisions facing Mehta as he replaces Tom Fitzgerald.
TSN: Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said his team, and the entire organization, perhaps were overconfident this season after winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2024-25, and that's why they face-planted and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Dan Kingerski breaks down why the Penguins dropped the first two games of their first-round playoff series on home ice to the Philadelphia Flyers , after a 3-0 loss in Game 2.
Philly Hockey Now: William James breaks down why rookie Porter Martone is " built for the playoffs ."
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Sportsnet: The Edmonton Oilers lost center Adam Henrique in the first period of their Game 1 win over the Anaheim Ducks with what appeared to be a knee injury , and he could miss some time.
NHL.com: Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz most likely won't play in their opening-round playoff series against the Minnesota Wild until Game 4 at the earliest due to a lower-body injury.
Sportsnet: Iain McIntrye reports on why Thatcher Demko is the key to any Vancouver Canucks turnaround next season, and how motivated the oft-injured goalie is to do his part and get the Canucks back on track.
Montreal Hockey Now: Marc Dumont does an excellent job analyzing a key stat that points to why the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their best-of-7 series.
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