Adam Fox, the Rangers’ top defenseman, missed Thursday’s practice for the second straight day in what the team described as a “maintenance day.”
Will this be a concern for the Rangers, who will face the Hurricanes in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs?
After all, Rangers players had Monday and Tuesday off, so it seemed strange that there would be a “maintenance” day since Fox was not on the ice on Wednesday when the players returned to practice.
Fox has now been off the ice for the second straight day, sparking speculation about the condition of his right knee, which he sustained in a collision with Washington’s Nick Jensen in Game 4 of the final series on Sunday.
Rangers manager Peter Laviolette was predictably equivocal when asked about Fox after Thursday’s practice.
“When our players get back on the ice, they get back on the ice,” Laviolette said. “So, if [Fox] He’s cleared to practice, he’s cleared to practice. ”
Interestingly, Filip Szitil, who had been out with an injury since November but was skating in practice, was used in practice to replace Fox, who has the top power play line.
This seemed to indicate that Fox was not expected to miss any significant time. That’s because if Fox was indeed injured, another defenseman like Erik Gustafsson likely would have gotten the job on the spot.
As of Thursday, the schedule for the Rangers-Hurricanes series had yet to be announced by the NHL, leaving each team in limbo.
So Laviolette said he’s treating the extra time without games as a mini-training camp. The Rangers faced a similar period without playing a game entering the Washington playoff series.
“I thought our players handled it well the first time,” Laviolette said. “There was a break before the first round and we did exactly what we are doing here. With that in mind, we’re trying to make it a mini-training camp.
“We try to make sure we get some rest, but [for] Players who have been knocked down will be given a chance to bounce back. ”
Laviolette said he was “still waiting for the exact details” on when the series would start, speculating that the first game would be played at the Garden on Sunday.
“For now, we’re just going about our business,” he said.
“Rest is a weapon this time of year,” Rangers forward Jimmy Basie said. “Sometimes I’ll be playing two or three rounds and go seven rounds. [games], 7, 7 That may be difficult. I would like to make good use of the remaining time and be ready to go as soon as the second round starts. ”
For example, Rangers captain Jacob Trueba didn’t know the Hurricanes were the betting favorite for this series until a reporter told him.
When asked if that was a motivating force for the Rangers, who won the Presidents Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season point scorer, Trouba said: We believe in ourselves here and we know what lies ahead of us. ” It will be a long series of tough battles. That’s what we’re preparing for.
