Just hours after the Rangers placed veteran leader Chris Kreider on injured reserve, they watched another impact skater suffer a new injury scare. According to the team, Filip Chytil missed the entire third period of Tuesday's overtime loss to the Dallas Stars with an apparent upper-body injury.
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters after the game that Chytil is still being evaluated. He didn't offer further details.
The timing of Chytil's injury couldn't have been worse. The 25-year-old center scored two goals on three shots in the Rangers' rout of the Capitals this past weekend, extending his point streak to a season-best four games. He logged 9:01 minutes of ice time against the Stars, taking four faceoffs and one shot attempt.
There's an added layer of concern with Chytil's status considering his long injury history, especially with concussions. He suffered a concussion just 10 games into the 2023-24 season, and wound up missing the remainder of the campaign due to a setback.
Back in November, an upper-body collision against the San Jose Sharks forced an early exit and cost Chytil seven games. In 32 games this season, he's recorded 10 goals and seven assists with a plus-minus of plus-8.
