WASHINGTON — Of all the times for Rangers defenseman Marc Staal to miss his first game after playing in 247 straight since sitting out a pair of matches with the flu late in his rookie 2007-08 season, this wouldn’t be the optimum night, not against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.
Chances are, however, Staal will miss the third game of his career because of the left knee he twisted on the first shift of Tuesday’s match in Carolina that forced him out the final 18:40 of the Rangers’ 4-3 shootout victory.
Staal, who did not participate in yesterday’s practice at the Capitals’ training facility in Arlington, Va., will check with trainer Jim Ramsay to see whether he will be permitted to test the knee in the morning skate.
As much as coach John Tortorella would like to have Staal available with partner Dan Girardi for the matchup against Ovechkin, the Rangers surely will take the cautious approach with the 24-year-old, who is seventh in the NHL in ice time at 25:37 per game.
“It’s a little bit sore,” said Staal, who testified that the huge, shoulder-to-shoulder hit from older brother Eric with 50 seconds to go in the second period that knocked him hard to the ice had nothing to do with the knee injury.
“It was on the very first shift, I was trying to protect the puck and I bent it,” he said. “It was a little sore as the game went on. It wasn’t strong. Rammer taped it up but I didn’t feel safe or strong enough to put myself at risk.
“I don’t want to go out there [tonight] and make it worse and be out for an extended period. I’ll see [this morning]. It’s their decision.”
If Staal cannot go, Michael Del Zotto or Matt Gilroy would play the left side with Girardi while Steve Eminger, scratched from nine of the past 10, would play on the third pair. Tortorella probably would then use the increasingly strong Ryan McDonagh-Michael Sauer tandem against Ovechkin.
As Staal was describing the knee injury, he also was exonerating his older brother from blame on the punishing blow near the boards that raised eyebrows not only around the league, but apparently even within his own family.
“I haven’t talked to my mom about it yet,” he said. “She’s given me a few text messages but I haven’t spoken to her on the phone. Not until I let her calm down. That’s probably [going to be] the worst conversation [within my family].”
Marc said he had spoken to Eric “for a minute” after the game in which the Carolina captain smashed him while he was entangled on the boards with Joni Pitkanen, and thus defenseless.
“I don’t have a problem with it. I left myself vulnerable. I was surprised, but I don’t think he tried to hurt me,” Marc said. “He obviously didn’t have to drill me, but it wasn’t a dirty play.
“He told me if it was anybody else, he’d make the same play. Look, we play just about every shift against each other and we play each other hard.”
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Ruslan Fedotenko (shoulder/appendectomy), is likely to play after missing 14 straight. If so, Brian Boyle will return to the middle after playing right wing in Carolina and Kris Newbury would come out. . . . Marian Gaborik was having headaches on Wednesday but told Tortorella he was feeling better yesterday.