TAMPA, Fla. — Matt Lempe still has two games left on his suspension for taking an elbow to the head of the Devils’ Jonas Siegenthaler on Monday night, but like Lempe, a fourth-line skyscraper Adam Edstrom returned to the Rangers after being recalled on the 26th. Friday from AHL Hartford.
Edstrom had two goals in 11 games with the Rangers, but was sent out at the trade deadline when the team acquired forwards Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic.
The 6-foot-7, 234-pound winger from Sweden could return immediately for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
The Rangers lost 6-3 to the Lightning on Thursday night, but there were no healthy scratches at forward.
In that match, Artemi Panarin slashed a right hand from Victor Hedman.
And since Johnny Brodzinski hasn’t had much of an impact over the last two games as Lempe’s replacement, there are several possible paths for Edstrom to get on the ice.
Jonathan Quick is expected to start for Pittsburgh, and Igor Shesterkin will likely return in goal against the Islanders on Sunday afternoon at the Garden.
Quick when the Rangers shut out the Penguins 1-0 at PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 11, stopping 32 shots in what is considered one of the best goaltending games in the NHL this season. was in the cage.
Quick is 14-5-2 this season and is two wins away from tying Ryan Miller for the most wins (391) by an American-born goaltender.
Chris Kreider played in his 800th career game with Pittsburgh, which ranks 10th in franchise history.
His next power-play goal will tie Brian Leitch’s 106 goals for third on the Rangers’ all-time list behind Camille Henry (116) and Rod Gilbert (108).
The Rangers agreed to a deal Friday with a goaltender who agrees with Lempe and Edstrom.
Hugo Olas, a 6-foot-7 Swede, was a seventh-round draft pick in 2020 and spent the past three seasons at Merrimack College.
