The sentence was short and the words were clipped when coach John Tortorella announced that a sore groin would keep Marian Gaborik out of the Rangers’ lineup for tonight at the Garden against the Lightning.
“He’s out. He came in and said he couldn’t practice and so he’ll be out,” Tortorella said following the club’s 45-minute session. “He was sore after practice [Monday], and he’s sore today.”
Following tonight’s match, the NHL goes entirely dark tomorrow and on Christmas. The Blueshirts will get back on the ice for practice Sunday afternoon before facing the Islanders at the Garden on Monday.
So sitting Gaborik, who missed 12 games earlier in the season with a separated shoulder but whose history of groin problems has not been a particular issue as a Ranger, makes sense as a precautionary measure if that’s what it is.
But Tortorella, who repeatedly has been critical of Gaborik’s play the last few weeks, didn’t give the impression he was being cautious as much as he seemed irritated.
Gaborik’s unavailability has created an opening for Mats Zuccarello, the diminutive Norwegian who has been on a tear over the last month with the AHL Whale as he continues to adapt to the North America game and the smaller rink.
Zuccarello, who played for Norway in the Olympics and was the MVP of the Swedish Elite League last season before signing with the Rangers as a free agent, has recorded 22 points (11-11) in his last 20 games. This followed an understandably slow start in which he had just two points (both goals) in his first dozen matches.
“I have not formulated any plan, but I want to get [Zuccarello] into offensive situations, obviously,” Tortorella said. “As the game goes, I’ll have to figure out where to put him.”
Zuccarello, perhaps 5-foot-6, is extremely creative, but is just an ordinary skater. Facing a team with the talent and speed of Tampa Bay, and always focused on, and concerned about, play without the puck, Tortorella likely will open with the winger on the fourth line with Erik Christensen and Todd White and give him early power play time before elevating him to a unit with additional responsibility.
Ruslan Fedotenko skated yesterday with center Derek Stepan and left wing Brandon Dubinsky while Sean Avery moved up on the left with center Artem Anisimov and Chris Drury and Alex Frolov worked with matched pair Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust.
Indeed, Tortorella stressed the need for the team to, “get back to our structure,” following Saturday’s inferior performance in Saturday’s 4-1 loss in Philadelphia.
“I don’t think we played well in any facet against Philly as far as our game goes,” Tortorella said. “I don’t think we handled their pressure and I don’t think we pressured them enough.
“It’s a matter of readiness and playing the right way. We have to get back to that.”
And apparently Gaborik isn’t ready at all.
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Michael Del Zotto, who missed practice because of the flu, also will be sidelined. Matt Gilroy, a scratch in four straight and eight of the last 10, will go in on defense. . . . Derek Boogaard, experiencing headaches two weeks after the Dec. 9 fight with Ottawa’s Matt Carkner in which he took a solid right hand blow to the face, will be examined by a neurologist.