Adam Fox participated in the New York Rangers’ morning skate at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday ahead of their matchup against the Minnesota Wild. Although the star defenseman won’t be in the lineup, he continues to make progress toward his return.
“Nothing has changed with him. It’s great that he’s on the ice and progressing, but he’s still on IR,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette told reporters.
Fox, who also joined the morning skate on Tuesday before a 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at the start of the team’s three-game road trip, has been out since suffering an upper-body injury against the New York Islanders on Feb. 25. He appeared to land hard on his shoulder while defending in front of his net, though the team has not disclosed specific details about the injury.
The 27-year-old will miss his eighth consecutive game on Thursday. In his absence, the Rangers have gone 2-3-2 and are currently on a four-game winless streak (0-2-2). Despite missing seven games, Fox still leads the team with 40 assists and ranks second in points with 48.
During his time away from the ice, Fox and his wife, Tate, celebrated the birth of their first child, a daughter named Greer Rose.
In his absence, Zac Jones has stepped into Fox’s role as the point man on the Rangers’ top power-play unit. While Jones has contributed two even-strength assists in the past seven games, the team’s power play has struggled, converting just 2 of 23 opportunities during that stretch.
Rangers send Arthur Kaliyev back to New York for further evaluation on upper-body injury
Arthur Kaliyev was sent home from the road trip for further evaluation of an upper-body injury he sustained against the Jets. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette provided no updates on the severity of the injury, Kaliyev’s condition, or his expected recovery timeline.
The 23-year-old was hit hard into the boards by Jets defenseman Luke Schenn during the third period on Tuesday. Clearly in discomfort, Kaliyev left the ice and did not return for another shift.
It’s an unfortunate setback for Kaliyev, who had just returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for eight straight games. His last appearance before Tuesday’s game was on Feb. 23. He has recorded four points (three goals, one assist) in 14 games this season and managed one shot on goal in 7:49 of ice time against Winnipeg.
With Kaliyev sidelined, rookie Brett Berard will take his place in the lineup against the Wild. The 22-year-old has tallied eight points (four goals, four assists) in 23 games and last played in Sunday’s 7-3 home loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He will skate on the right wing of the third line alongside center Sam Carrick and left-winger Chris Kreider.
The Rangers will also make adjustments to their top-six forward group. Alexis Lafrenière, who usually plays with Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin, will move to a line with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad. Will Cuylle will switch spots with Lafrenière, joining Panarin and Trocheck.
Lafrenière is currently in a scoring slump, going 13 games without a goal. He has 14 goals this season—half of his total from the previous year.
