Ryan Lindgren shows what he can do in NHL debut
The debut is behind him, and now Ryan Lindgren can move on in his task of trying to be a full-time NHL player.
The 20-year-old defenseman had an admirable performance in the Rangers’ 6-2 win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday night at the Garden. Paired alongside Kevin Shattenkirk, the lefty-shot Lindgren got 15:22 of ice time, including 1:05 on the penalty kill.
“Thought he played well,” coach David Quinn said. “Obviously it’s a exciting night for him, first NHL game, Madison Square Garden. I thought he did a good job.”
Lindgren came to the Rangers during the roster purge of 2018, part of the deal that sent Rick Nash to the Bruins. He is known to play an in-your-face style that belies his 6-foot, 200-pound frame. Though the Rangers were looking to add some competitive edge to their game after such a bad performance in Columbus on Sunday, that was only part of the reason Lindgren was the first defenseman called up.
see also
Rangers need young players to be more than just prospects
Another one of the prospects derived from the Purge of…
“We’ve always felt he’s had the best first half,” Quinn said. “Obviously the compete level is part of it, but he was one of their best defensemen down there. He’s earned this opportunity.”
The Minnesota native called the game “a blast,” with a handful of family members and friends in the stands to watch. But more importantly for him, he showed the type of player he and the Rangers believe he can to be.
“The way I play, I’m a guy that’s going to bring it every night, be hard-nosed, be competitive. A defensive guy that can be shutdown and reliable,” Lindgren said. “I think I did that in Hartford and obviously the Rangers liked how I was doing.”
As for how long he’s going to stay, Quinn said, “We’ll see. He’ll get more chances to play and we’ll see how he does.”
Center Kevin Hayes missed his seventh straight game with a nagging upper-body injury, but he is expected to practice Wednesday and is a possibility to return to the lineup for Thursday’s Garden match against the Blackhawks.
Neal Pionk missed his second game in the past three and is expected to be out through the bye week and All-Star break with a lower-body injury that the defenseman has played through “for a while,” according to Quinn.
Following Saturday’s game in Boston, the Rangers don’t play against until Jan. 29 at home against the Flyers.
Defenseman Adam McQuaid was considered a game-time decision with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot in Brooklyn on Saturday and missing Sunday’s game. Nevertheless, he was able to play, but was rewarded with another brutal blocked shot, this one catching him near the right arm/ribs with 6:05 left in the first period.
McQuaid was down on the ice in pain for a while, but went to the bench and didn’t miss a shift, playing a sturdy 23:29 while paired with Brady Skjei.
Defenseman Freddy Claesson is expected to miss two to three weeks with a right-shoulder injury. Claesson was hurt when he was followed into the boards by the Islanders Matt Martin on Saturday in Brooklyn.