New York Rangers’ Patrick Kane out with lower-body injury vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The New York Rangers will be without winger Patrick Kane on Wednesday night due to a lower-body injury as they face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

According to head coach Gerard Gallant, it isn’t a serious issue and mostly about maintenance. He specified that if this was next week when the games were more urgent, he would be playing, but since the Rangers are safely in a playoff spot and mostly out of reach to move up higher than third place in the Metropolitan Division, they’re going to be cautious with the winger.

Considering that the Rangers are treating this as maintenance, this has likely been a nagging injury for Kane and not something he suffered recently, although it could have gotten worse recently. He played through all of Sunday’s game against the Washington Capitals, even registering an assist on the final goal of the Rangers’ 5-2 win.

The season as a whole has been underwhelming for Kane, or at least based on the high standard he’s set throughout his career, as he has just 21 goals, 34 assists, and 54 points in 70 games, including five goals, five assists, and 10 points in 16 games since joining the Rangers. At his current pace, he’ll set new career lows for a full season, although he’s also still a point shy of his lowest total in general, which was 55 points in 2012-13 (which was only 48 games due to a lockout shortening the season).

With Kane out, Jimmy Vesey will move back into the top six where he played to start the season before their deadline additions joined the team, while the Rangers will go with 11 forwards and 7 defenseman for their lineup setup, with Ryan Lindgren drawing in to replace Kane’s slot. Vesey has 10 goals, 14 assists, and 24 points in 76 games, while Lindgren has a goal, 18 assists, and 19 points in 58 games.

Kane joined the Rangers at this year’s deadline, as the long-time Chicago Blackhawk was on an expiring contract and dealt to a Cup contender to join their playoff run. The Ranger look poised to do so, as they are part of an elite group of contenders in the East, even if they sit third in their division with a 45-21-11 record.