Vinny Prospal will return from his knee injury tonight when the Rangers host the Devils at the Garden, and the alternate captain is thrilled to be back on the ice.
“I’m like a kid,” a giddy Prospal said yesterday after he practiced with the team for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. “I’ve been talking about it at home for three or four days now. I’m really excited to go play again.”
Prospal, who has been out since Dec. 26, has recovered quickly from the operation and said he is ready for game action.
“It feels really good now, so I don’t really want to be out any longer,” he said. “I didn’t really know what to expect, how long it would take or anything like that. [Yesterday] I didn’t feel any slower and I felt good skating with the guys.”
The forward’s return is good news for the Rangers, who went 4-3 in his absence. Prospal is second on the team in points (32) with eight goals and 24 assists in 38 games.
“He’ll help our power play,” head coach John Tortorella said. “We’ve missed him on the power play, his enthusiasm. He’s played well for us.”
The Rangers’ power play failed to score in four tries during Saturday’s 3-1 victory over the Bruins. The Blueshirts are 3-for-34 on the power play in their past eight games, a stretch that began the day Prospal was injured.
Prospal’s return does not mean Erik Christensen, who assumed Prospal’s minutes, will be glued to the bench.
“I’m not sure what the lines will be [tonight],” Tortorella said. “Erik is not coming out. He’s played too well. He has checked. He has played away from the puck.”
The Rangers (22-17-6) will need to play well in all phases of the game to beat the Eastern Conference-leading Devils (31-11-1).
“The reason they’re at the top is not ’cause they’re that much better than everybody,” goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. “They’re just that consistent.”
The Rangers have become more consistent recently, and they are building confidence as a result.
“I think we’ve made really good strides as far as competing along the boards, defending,” Tortorella said. “And we’re gonna have to do that against a very good team in the Devils.”