Mika Zibanejad seems to have avoided major Rangers injury

The good news was that the Rangers don’t believe Mika Zibanejad suffered another concussion. But Zibanejad, the Rangers’ top center who has a history of head injuries, still did have to leave Sunday’s ugly 7-4 loss to the Bruins at the Garden due to an “upper-body” injury suffered on a shoulder-to-chest hit from Patrice Bergeron late in the first period.

Coach David Quinn said Zibanejad is “day-to-day,” and Zibanejad even played a shift after the hit, but he did not come out to the bench for the start of the second period. Bergeron actually had the puck when the play happened, not just bracing for Zibanejad coming at him, but executing a “reverse hit” to protect the puck.

Quinn didn’t have any comment on the nature of the hit, which sent Zibanejad sprawling to the ice. But he did know that it adversely affected his team, losing its top center who was matching up against the Bruins behemoth of a top line — which ended up combing for five goals and 13 points between Bergeron’s hat trick, Brad Marchand’s two goals and three assists and David Pastrnak’s five assists.

“Losing Mika, whether it took the wind out of our sails or not, I thought the first period was a blah period both ways,” Quinn said. “We’re up 1-0, but we never found our way after that, that’s for sure.”

Henrik Lundqvist was not happy with the officiating, as a goal was upheld after he was barreled into by Pastrnak early in the second period, and then he was called for roughing when he came out of his net to play the puck and leaned into an oncoming Pastrnak.

“They say, ‘We’re going to take care of you guys, we’re going to look after you guys.’ I don’t really know if I buy that,” Lundqvist said. “I was surprised that they called that a goal, but it is what it is.”

Winger Jesper Fast was a late scratch due to personal reasons. Fast had been pegged to be on that top line with Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, but that spot went to 18-year-old rookie Kaapo Kakko for the first period.

It moved Greg McKegg up to the third line and drew Micheal Haley into the lineup after two straight scratches. Haley scored his first goal as a Ranger, having previously played nine games with the team back in 2012-13.

This was the 2,000th Rangers game at the current Garden, the first coming on Feb. 18, 1968.

Tony DeAngelo took over the point on the first power-play unit, assisting on Kreider’s power-play goal during garbage time of the third period. DeAngelo also picked up an assist on

Pavel Buchnevich’s goal at 8:15 of the third.