Vitali Kravtsov suffered another upper-body injury Tuesday vs. the Avalanche, which sidelined him for Wednesday’s night game against the Islanders.
Tuesday against the Avalanche, which sidelined him in the second night of the club’s back-to-back schedule on Wednesday against the Islanders.As a result, the Blueshirts recalled winger Julien Gauthier from AHL Hartford to replace Kravtsov. Gauthier skated on the right wing of the third line next to Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.
The Rangers waived Dryden Hunt so they could carry just 22 players for the sake of accruing cap space, but they lost their top depth forward to the Avalanche. But amid the injuries to Kravtsov and Filip Chytil, who will be out at least until the end of the week, the Rangers don’t have a choice but to carry 23.The Rangers may have been coming off three consecutive losses Wednesday, but one usual area of concern is actually off to a strong start.
In their game against the Avalanche, the Blueshirts won 56 percent of the draws, going 35-for-62 from the dots. In five of their first seven games, the Rangers have been 50 percent or over in the faceoff circles.Vincent Trocheck, who was brought in to replace Ryan Strome this offseason, has certainly given the Ranger a boost in this category. On Tuesday against the reigning Stanley Cup champions, Trocheck posted a season-high 78.9 faceoff win percentage, winning 15 of 19 draws.