The Hobbit just might bounce back from overseas to provide the Rangers with a March spark for their power play the way he did last season.
General manager Glen Sather told The Post he intends to talk to Mats Zuccarello about returning from Russia to New York once the 25-year-old winger’s season ends with Mettalurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL.
The 5-foot-7 Zuccarello scored the game-winning goal with four seconds to go for his team in last night’s Game 4 of the first round against Salavat Yulaev to knot the best-of-seven series at 2-2. Game 5 will be played Friday with Game 6 set for Sunday.
“I’m definitely interested in talking to Zuke,” Sather said before the Rangers’ 4-3 loss to the Jets last night. “I’ve always liked him as a player. We’ll see what happens.”
Zuccarello, whose NHL rights are owned by the Blueshirts, is completing the first year of a two-year deal he signed with the KHL team following last season. But the contract contains an NHL out-clause after one season, giving the winger an option agent Don Meehan told The Post his client would be willing to explore.
Of course, the Rangers — who have limited cap space for next season — would have to make Zuccarello a one-way offer through 2013-14 lucrative enough for him to forego a second season in Russia.
Zuccarello, whom the Rangers signed as a free agent over the summer of 2010, recorded 26 points (8-18) in 52 games over parts of two seasons in New York. But he was cited as a spark on the power play by coach John Tortorella when recalled late last season from the AHL Whale over a seven-game span that ended when he sustained a broken left wrist blocking a shot on March 23.
* Sather also said the Rangers would take a look at bringing over Oscar Lindberg and Jesper Fasth, a pair of 21-year-forwards, once their Swedish Elite League seasons end with Skelleftea and HV71, respectively.
The SEL regular season concludes on Tuesday, and the playoffs will end in the third or fourth week of April.
“I really like those two kids,” Sather said of the two forwards already under contract. “It could be interesting.’’