Pavel Buchnevich could return to Rangers early from thumb injury

Mats Zuccarello, Vlad Namestnikov and Adam McQuaid all rejoined the Rangers for practice on Tuesday — no particular surprise there. But it was a bit of a surprise to see Pavel Buchnevich skating and participating in full, just three-plus weeks after suffering a broken thumb in a game at Columbus on Nov. 10 that was projected to sideline the winger from four to six weeks.

When it comes to injury projections, it is generally wise to take the over, but in this case, Buchnevich may be able to make it back for Saturday’s match at Florida, four weeks to the day since sustaining the injury. Even if there is still some soreness in Buchnevich’s left thumb, No. 89 was a sight for David Quinn’s sore eyes.

“We need him,” the coach said. “Those last three games he played before getting hurt were at another level. We’ve missed him.”

No doubt the Rangers have also missed Zuccarello, sidelined for 11 of the past 13 games with a groin injury, and Namestnikov, out for the last three after sustaining a concussion as a result of a collision with Thomas Chabot in the final moments of the Nov. 26 Garden match against the Senators. The Blueshirts do not have the depth up front to compensate for the absence of multiple top-nine forwards. Unless either suffers a setback this week, both are likely to play against the Puddy Tats.

McQuaid, who went down with a core injury during a game at Chicago on Oct. 25, had played only seven games plus one period before going down. The Rangers have an abundance of defensemen on the roster, so they have been able to fill in for the veteran righty. It is unlikely that No. 54 would be able to play Saturday or at Tampa Bay on Monday. Even when healthy, it’s no sure shot that McQuaid would play on a regular basis.

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Five weeks ago, Buchnevich was healthy and was not playing on a regular basis. Indeed, he was a back-to-back healthy scratch on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 after getting limited minutes the previous match. But the third-year pro elevated his game upon his return, playing two games with Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes before joining Namestnikov and Mika Zibanejad for two before suffering the injury on a late third-period hit from David Savard.

Indeed, Buchnevich scored in two of the three games preceding the injury after having scored three in his first 11 matches. But Quinn was at least equally impressed by the 23-year-old’s attitude and work ethic, examples of which were on display following practice, when he and the coach spent some time on positioning on the boards.

“He came to me and asked about body-positioning, stick-position and closing quickly on the puck, and that’s a great sign,” Quinn said. “He’s picked up where he left off in work ethic.

“There are going to be mistakes, but you can live with that as long as a player’s intentions are right and he’s showing a good work ethic and good work habits. It’s when you sense cheating or laziness creeping in that it’s a problem.”

The Rangers have lost five of their past six games (1-4-1). Quinn ran a teaching practice that lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes, about a half-hour longer than the normal in-season regimen. The club will take Wednesday off before getting back on the ice Thursday.

“It was a good time to be able to readdress things without worrying about how long we were out there,” Quinn said. “No matter what level, you need to stay on top of the finer points and the details. You’re never too old to master them. That’s the difference between winning and losing.”

So, too, can be health.