The New York Rangers have recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack on Thursday.
His recall is the result of Henrik Lundqvist taking Marc Staal’s stick in the eye during the first period of Wednesday’s postseason opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Staal’s stick went through Lundqvist’s cage and left him in pain on the ice. He stayed in the game briefly, but didn’t join the team coming back to the ice to start the second period.
Head coach Alain Vigneault said Thursday that Hellberg’s recall is a precaution in case the news on Lundqvist isn’t good. He is seeing a specialist Thursday, but Vigneault says that they don’t believe it’s too serious.
Hellberg played one NHL game this season, his second career NHL game. He has a .918 save percentage through 53 games in the AHL.
Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
