Henrik Lundqvist's first start since Jan. 31 came Saturday in Boston, where his New York Rangers took another step toward the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Meanwhile, four teams will try to clinch playoff berths in Saturday's games. Out to qualify are the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators.
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Lundqvist missed 24 games after a puck struck his neck nearly two months ago. The resulting vascular injury was dangerous.
So Saturday, all eyes were on the man expected to get the Rangers back into the Stanley Cup finals. Facing the Boston Bruins in a 1 ET matinee, King Henrik will be tested and given a chance to regain his edge.
Lundqvist on Friday faced "six or seven shooters and felt good," coach Alain Vigneault told media members in Boston. "So I wanted to play him one of the two games on the weekend and I decided today."
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Sunday finds the Rangers back at Madison Square Garden against the Washington Capitals. Cam Talbot's admirable play kept the Rangers among NHL points leaders during Lundqvist's absence. Expect Talbot to play against the Caps.
Vigneault's plan: Use Saturday to get Lundqvist back in the flow.
"More to the fact that we're not going to practice today and since he had some shots yesterday, had some shots before practice on Wednesday, we just felt this was the smartest thing," Vigneault said.
Contributing: NHL.com