New York Rangers's Vaclav Prospal set to have knee injury, adds to team's line-up problems
New York Rangers player Vaclav Prospal will be undergoing knee surgery on Tuesday it was announced over the weekend. This means he'll be out for an extended period of time, and he'll join
fellow injured Rangers players Chris Drury and Gaborik. This means the Rangers will lack Drury, Gaborik and Prospal on Monday night as they take on the Colorado Avalanche. Drury and Gaborik were felled by injuries in Friday night’s game against the Toronto
Maple Leafs, while it was announced on the weekend Prospal would have surgery on Tuesday.
The game against the Maple Leafs was Drury’s first of the season as he had been out with a broken left index finger since the pre-season. Drury broke the same finger in Friday night’s
game when he collided with Ranger teammate Michal Rozsival.
After the Rangers 4-3 overtime loss to the Leafs, head coach John Tortorella commented that Drury, the Rangers captain would be out “…probably six weeks” and that the injury was “…same
finger, different break.”
Gaborik sustained a separated shoulder in the second period when the Leafs’ Colby Armstrong delivered a hard hit to the Rangers winger. Armstrong was assessed a two minute boarding penalty
on the hit. A dejected looking Tortorella said, “Gabby (will be out) probably two or three weeks.”
Prospal will undergo surgery on Tuesday on his damaged right knee. The alternate captain has been sidelined since early in training camp. Prospal sought the advice of three different
doctors before opting for surgery. He will be out, according to Tortorella, “indefinitely.”
Prospal underwent arthroscopic surgery on the same knee in December 2009. There were some fears that Prospal would require microfracture surgery, which could have kept him out for the
entire 2011 season.
Gaborik and Prospal were ranked first and second in scoring for the Rangers last season.
Erik Christensen missed the Leafs game with a groin injury he sustained in a loss to the New York Islanders on 11 October. Christensen is expected to be healthy enough to play in tonight’s
game.
The Rangers will carry a record of 1-1-1 into their game against the Avalanche tonight.
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