Filip Chytil was in the Czech Republic recovering from a suspected concussion but was unable to stay awake until 1am local time before the Rangers game. Instead, he watched the highlights the next morning.
Still, he envisioned being with the team again.
“Even in those moments when I was going home and resting and having fun with my family, I was still thinking about hockey,” he said after the Rangers practiced Tuesday for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Florida. , Shitil said. “It’s a beautiful thing for me that I’m here at this time.”
While City did not explicitly say he would play on Wednesday, he strongly hinted at his participation at one point, saying: “I’d be happy to play in tomorrow’s game as well.”
The Czech continued to skate on the third-row wing alongside Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko in training, and afterwards he didn’t hesitate to say how grateful he was to be here after a tough recovery.
“Actually, the funny thing is, I was thinking about this even before I joined the team at the beginning of April,” Chytil said. “There’s no hockey for six-and-a-half months during the season, which is really tough. When I joined the team, I started to enjoy it even more.”
“I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself, but I should have done something or I should have done something. I’m just grateful to be here and I’m so happy to be a part of everything we have here. It’s changed my perspective on the sport a little bit. I’m so proud of myself to be here now.”
When Chytil returned for Game 3 of the second round at Carolina, the story appeared to be over.
But the illness and pain that followed meant things weren’t so simple.
“Of course it was difficult,” he said. “You see the players playing great and then of course we lost two more games. I wasn’t happy with it. I wanted to be involved in it.”
If he actually plays on Wednesday, it will be his first time back on Garden ice since Nov. 2.
“During the game, you could see there was a great crowd and great fans,” Sitil said. “I can’t wait to get out on the ice and enjoy the atmosphere. The most important thing is to give them a win tomorrow and start 1-0.”
Ryan Lingren (maintenance) missed practice for the third consecutive time.
