Mika Zibanejad skated in the Rangers’ optional practice Thursday but did not accompany the club on its trip across the border for matches at Ottawa on Friday and at Montreal on Saturday.
That means the earliest the alternate captain could return would be Monday at the Garden against the Wild, though that would mean a return without a single full contact practice. He could get in some of that type of work at the morning skate, but a more logical target date is probably Wednesday at home against the Hurricanes following a Tuesday practice.
That projection, of course, holds only if there is no setback for No. 93, who has been sidelined since Oct. 27, when he sustained what has been described as a neck injury after a punishing reverse-hit by Patrice Bergeron late in the first period of a game against the Bruins. The Rangers have gone 6-3-1 in his absence.
“He’s getting closer and closer,” coach David Quinn said. “He will have to have some contact, but maybe it wouldn’t have to be in a full practice. We’ll see.
“First of all, he needs to feel good, we need to feel good about where he is mentally. Getting contact is definitely going to be a piece of it.”
Zibanejad, who opened the season with consecutive four-point performances, has four goals and seven assists in nine games.
Henrik Lundqvist will get the start in goal against the Senators while Alexandar Georgiev will get the nod against the Canadiens. Lundqvist’s next victory will be No. 455 of his career and would propel him past Curtis Joseph for fifth place on the all-time list. Ed Belfour, at 484, is fourth. Lundqvist has not played a regular-season game in Montreal since Jan. 14, 2017.
The Blueshirts were shorthanded three times Wednesday against the Capitals, and once late in the match on a questionable interpretation of a Brendan Lemieux-Tom Wilson imbroglio. They also avoided being in the box until 7:02 into the second period. The Rangers have been shorthanded six times within the first 3:00 of games and eight times within the first 4:24.
After going 0-for-9 on the power play over the previous three games, the Rangers scored twice on three man-advantages against Washington.
“I liked a lot about our power play, not only the two we got but I thought there was pace to it,” Quinn said. “And there was an unpredictability to our power play. When you get predictable, you can get in trouble.”