The good news for the Rangers is that captain Chris Drury will be returning tonight. The bad news is they have to face the Penguins.
Drury, who has missed two months with a broken left finger, last played in the Rangers’ home opener back on Oct. 15. He netted just 9:11 minutes of ice time before his injury.
Drury broke his index finger previously in training camp, missing the first two games of the season before breaking it again in a different place.
“It feels great to be back with the guys. It’s an exciting time. As frustrating as it’s been, we have been winning and I’m looking forward to being a part of it,” he said.
As excited as coach John Tortorella is to have Drury back, it is uncertain on what line or with whom he will skate.
During yesterday’s practice, Drury skated with Sean Avery, Erik Christensen and Todd White. One of those three will be the odd man out tonight.
“I don’t think this is hard having Dru come back in the lineup,” Tortorella said. “It’s not going to hamper us in any way. It’s a huge addition to us, but I have to worry about where people are fitting in right now.”
Tortorella said Drury would see significant action, mostly taking faceoffs and on the penalty kill. That means fans may see a lot of Drury tonight, especially since the Rangers always seem to be down a man against the Penguins, a team that had won 12 straight games before last night’s 3-2 loss to the Flyers.
The Penguins did lose on Nov. 15, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Rangers. In that game, the Blueshirts went 6-for-6 on penalty kills.
“Whatever the coach says, wherever he wants me to be is where I’ll be,” Drury said.
One of the Penguins’ 12 consecutive wins was a 3-1 win over the Rangers at the Garden. The Rangers are seven points behind the Penguins for the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference lead, and this will be a big test coming off a 7-0 rout against Washington at home on Sunday.
“We have to be smart. They haven’t won all these games in a row by fluke,” Tortorella said. “They are a good hockey team. We’re looking to get a win — we’d like to get a bookend here and close [Pittsburgh’s winning streak] out that way.”
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Left winger Derek Boogaard (right shoulder sprain) did not make the tip to Pittsburgh with the team. . . . Sidney Crosby had two assists last night to extend his point streak to 19 games.