NHL

Another small step for Rangers’ Staal

Marc Staal has been given approval to begin light physical activity following his examination by concussion specialist Dr. Robert Cantu in Boston on Tuesday, an individual familiar with the case told The Post.

It remains unclear whether the Rangers’ alternate captain, who had been shut down completely for a month following a previous visit to Dr. Cantu during the week of Oct. 16, will be able to play this season.

The Rangers refused to confirm or deny the report. Moreover, The Post was told that the club will not be issuing updates on the status of Staal’s health during the recovery process from the concussion he initially sustained on a check delivered by his brother, Eric, in Carolina on Feb. 22 of last season.

The 24-year-old defenseman missed five matches over the next month with what much later were acknowledged to be post-concussion symptoms, though he did return for the final eight games of the regular season and the five-game, first-round playoff defeat to the Caps. The Rangers did not reveal that Staal had suffered a concussion until training camp.

Staal, it was then learned, had also experienced headaches following workouts at different junctures of the summer, but the Rangers and their medical staff were caught by surprise when the headaches returned after he had participated in the on-ice testing the first two days of camp.

After expressing optimism through camp that Staal would possibly be able to join the team for the opening two games of the season in Stockholm on Oct. 7 and 8, the Rangers have been silent on the matter for weeks.

Before visiting Dr. Cantu last month, Staal had undergone repeated acupuncture treatments and had taken a cortisone injection in the neck in attempts to accelerate his recovery.

While the approval to begin light activity implies that Staal was symptom-free while sedentary, there is obviously no guarantee he will remain so as he exercises.

There is no timetable whatsoever attached to this recovery period.

* The seven-game winning streak the Rangers will take into Montreal on Saturday includes five victories against the bottom eight clubs in the league as ranked through Tuesday (23d Montreal, 26th Anaheim, 27th Carolina, 28th Winnipeg and 29th Islanders), plus one apiece against 19th Ottawa and 14th San Jose … The 10-3-3 Rangers are 9-1-2 against the league’s bottom 13 clubs. They have yet to face a team in the top seven in the overall standings.