Rangers’ Jimmy Vesey leaves Game 2 vs. Panthers with upper-body injury

The New York Rangers social media team announced forward Jimmy Vesey suffered a lower-body injury and would not return to Game 2 of their Eastern Conference final matchup against the Florida Panthers.

The injury occurred midway through the second period when Panthers’ forward Ryan Lomberg delivered a hit on Vesey in the Rangers’ zone, sending the New York forward to the ice. He would go to the team dressing room and did not return.

The 30-year-old Vesey is in his second season with the Rangers, scoring 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 80 games in 2023-24. Through 12 playoff games, Vesey has one goal and two assists for three points.

Through eight NHL seasons, Vesey has 96 goals and 90 assists for 186 points in 583 career games with the Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres.

Prior to joining the NHL, Vesey spent four seasons with the Harvard Crimson, scoring a career-high 32 goals and 26 assists for 58 points in his junior season, and totalling 80 goals and 64 assists for 144 points in 128 games.

Game 1 of the series was in the Panthers’ favour, with Florida suffocating any and all offensive chances on the Rangers’ behalf. Going into Friday night, the Panthers were 5-1 on the road through the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I think we can play better. I don’t think that was the best version of ourselves,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said about the group effort. “I think there’s more for us to give, and more for us to do out there.

“I thought we could have executed better. Some of that you’ve got to give [credit] to them, but some of it we have to take responsibility for our execution and moving pucks, getting pucks to areas we need to get to,” Laviolette continued.