David Quinn ‘shocked’ by no-call on late Mika Zibanejad hit
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It could have been a lot worse, but that hardly makes the nature of the play any different.
Serial offender Zac Rinaldo took a malicious cheap shot at Mika Zibanejad late in the second period of the Rangers 4-3 win over the Predators on Saturday night, nailing the Blueshirts top-line center with a late hit up high well after he had gotten rid of the puck.
There was no call on the play, which Rangers coach David Quinn said left him “shocked.” But Quinn also thinks there is discipline coming Rinaldo’s way — again.
“I’m sure it’ll be addressed by the league,” Quinn said.
Rinaldo has been suspended five times in his career, and it seemed like this was going to be bad, with Zibanejad’s history of concussions. But Zibanejad said he didn’t really get hit in the head, and he came out at the start of the third period, eventually collecting a career-high four assists.
“It was a late hit,” Zibanejad said. “I did not see him coming, but luckily it wasn’t as bad as I initially thought. . . I don’t care. I feel fine and we got the win.”
The Rangers are being represented by four players at the World Junior Championships currently going on in Vancouver: K’Andre Miller (USA), Vitali Kravtsov (Russia), Nico Gross (Switzerland) and Nils Lundkvist (Sweden). It’s important enough that GM Jeff Gorton is out there, watching closely what the future of the Rangers might look like.
see also
Stars CEOs passionless-rant was meant to be strictly business
Why all the fuss? Jim Lites, an expensive suit doing…
“I think to play against your peers, in your age group, against the best players at the World Juniors, is great for the organization, great for the players,” Gorton told the team’s website.
Miller and Lundkvist played each other on Saturday night, while Gross and Kravtsov were set to face off on Sunday night. Gorton said Miller is “a real raw player, [and] to come out and play tough minutes for the U.S. is exciting for us.” Lundkvist is getting top-four minutes for Sweden, while Kravtsov is playing center for the first time and Gross is “blue collar player.”
Jesper Fast scored two goals in his return to the lineup after being out since Dec. 14 with a lower-body injury. Quinn put him right back with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, and the trio combined to collect 10 points.
Tony DeAngelo came back after being a healthy scratch for the previous three, replacing Fredrik Claesson.
Winger Cody McLeod also returned after being out since he broke his hand the day before Thanksgiving. He bumped Boo Nieves from the lineup, creating a fourth line with Ryan Strome and Jimmy Vesey.
“Right now, that just feels like the best lineup that we have, from a balance standpoint,” Quinn said.
Quinn said the hope remains for defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to return on Monday night in St. Louis against his former team, having been out since he separated his left shoulder back on Dec. 10.