Pavel Buchnevich will be a scratch for the foreseeable future — this time through no fault of his own.
Just when the Rangers winger was playing some of his best hockey, Buchnevich broke his thumb Saturday against the Blue Jackets and will miss four to six weeks, the team announced Monday.
Buchnevich had tallied two goals and two assists in his past three games, responding positively to a two-game benching from head coach David Quinn. Now the Rangers will have to carry on without him, starting Monday night against the Canucks at the Garden.
“It’s tough, it’s hard, not just for himself,” center and linemate Mika Zibanejad said. “He started to play more, he started to play better and with more confidence. You hate to see that happen to any guy. That’s a part of it unfortunately. We’re just hoping for a speedy recovery. Obviously I’m going to miss him, but other guys get to step up now and get more ice time and hopefully do the best [they can].”
With his strong play, Buchnevich had found himself back on the top line for two games before his injury, taking Mats Zuccarello’s spot at right wing beside Zibanejad and Vlad Namestnikov.
In Saturday’s 5-4 shootout win over the Blue Jackets, Buchnevich recorded a goal and an assist in 15:41 but did not play at all in the overtime. Zibanejad said he saw the 23-year-old Russian leave the bench but did not realize how severe his injury was.
“He was playing great,” Namestnikov said. “It’s a big loss for us, but things like that happen in hockey and we just have to move forward and play without him. But he’s a huge part of this team, and it’s going to suck not having him in the lineup.”
During Monday’s morning skate, Ryan Spooner was bumped up to Buchnevich’s spot on the first line, though coach David Quinn said they were still discussing how to fill the void.
It could just be a one-game fix. Zuccarello remained out Monday with a groin injury, but Quinn expected him to return Thursday against the Islanders.
“I feel like I have some good chemistry with Vlad now,” Zibanejad said. “I’m happy the way he’s playing and happy the way we’re playing as a line. Now we just gotta get Spoons on the same page and we’ll be good.”
Still, Buchnevich’s presence will be missed on a Rangers team that could use his offensive spark. A season after racking up 14 goals and 29 assists in 74 games, he was beginning to buy in to Quinn’s message of consistent effort and two-way play and the results followed.
The Rangers also will have to fill his spot on the first power-play unit.
“Obviously the past few games he’s been productive offensively and doing all the things he needs to do to be the player he’s capable of being,” Quinn said. “It’s unfortunate to have him out for this extended period of time. It’s life in our sport and we’ve just got to move on. Hopefully he gets better quickly.”
With just 12 healthy forwards on the roster entering Monday night, Quinn said the club would wait to see how the next few games played out before deciding whether to call up anybody from AHL Hartford.
But for a team that had picked 11 points in its last six games before Monday, Buchnevich’s injury delivered another test.
“It’s definitely not small shoes to fill there for whoever’s coming in,” defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. “We have guys who have been ready to play when they’ve come into the lineup. That’s what’s made us competitive and successful.”