One defenseman, Michael Sauer, went down in the third period of last night’s 4-2 Rangers defeat to the Maple Leafs. Another, Michael Del Zotto, nearly did.
Sauer was blasted by Dion Phaneuf at the right-wing half-wall in the offensive zone with 4:42 to play on a shoulder-to-shoulder hit on which the Toronto defenseman also caught a piece of the Blueshirt’s jaw on the follow-through.
The Rangers did not have a report on the condition of Sauer, who did not return to the game, but it’s likely that he sustained a concussion on the check that coach John Tortorella described as, “A clean hit. . .a clean hit.”
Del Zotto, meanwhile, went careening into the rear boards after losing his edge in a race with Dave Steckel to touch up an icing with 3:45 to play.
The defenseman’s left shoulder and back seemed to absorb the brunt of it, though Del Zotto said he hit the boards with, “Pretty much everything.”
“I tried to duck my head,” said Del Zotto, who returned to the match and who used that incident as an example of why he believes the NHL should adopt at least a hybrid no-touch icing rule.
“We’re going to try and battle for that,” said Del Zotto, alluding to the NHLPA, which has input into rules changes by way of the Competition Committee. “I know as defensemen in the league we want that rule changed, but for now it’s something we have to deal with.”
Anton Stralman, who has played in only the Nov. 23 match in Florida since joining the Rangers as a free agent on Nov. 5, is the likely candidate to replace Sauer if indeed the defenseman is sidelined beginning with Thursday night’s game at the Garden against the Lightning.
Artem Anisimov apparently escaped injury when he took a crushing hit to the shoulder from Luke Schenn while driving down the slot with 4:00 to go, returning for a pair of late shifts.
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Under realignment plan adopted by Board of Governors that will go into effect next season, the Rangers will be in a seven-team conference with Devils, Islanders, Flyers, Penguins, Capitals and Hurricanes.
The Rangers would thus compete with six clubs for one of four playoff spots instead of competing with 14 teams for one of eight spots as they do now.
Under this format, the Rangers would play six games against conference opponents (three home, three away) with a home-and-home against the NHL’s other 23 teams.
The Rangers were credited with 41 hits, seven apiece by Del Zotto and Ryan Callahan . . . Rangers were 1-for-5 on the power play, in scoring at least one PPG for the fifth time in the last six matches, but were 0-for-4 with a one-man advantage and failed twice in the third period . . . Marian Gaborik’s 5-on-3 represented his 13th goal of the season.