NHL

Rangers leaving door open for possible Barclay Goodrow return in second round

Rangers coach Gerard Gallant is leaving the door open on a possible Barclay Goodrow return in the upcoming second-round series with the Hurricanes, which begins on Wednesday in Raleigh, N.C. 

It would be wise not to get your hopes up, however, considering there is talk Goodrow fractured his foot or ankle in Game 1 against the Penguins. The recovery timeline would surely be a bit longer than the next two weeks if that is the case. 

“It’s the same,” Gallant said. “He hasn’t skated yet. But we’re not counting him out for this series. He’s not going to start the first couple games, but we’ll see how it goes. He hasn’t been on the ice yet.” 

The Rangers miss Goodrow on their forecheck and on the penalty kill, where the utility forward was able to take a good number of shifts to alleviate some of the workload from top forwards Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Goodrow is also a player Gallant took a liking to plugging throughout the lineup mid-game to try to spark some offense. 

Barclay Goodrow
Barclay Goodrow Getty Images

Goodrow, who recorded a career-high 33 points in the regular season with 13 goals and 20 assists, was hurt blocking a shot in Game 1. 

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The quick return of Tyler Motte makes it easier to believe the same is possible for Goodrow. Motte suffered what the team described as a “significant” upper-body injury after taking a high hit from Pittsburgh’s Anthony Angello on April 7, nine games after he was acquired by the Rangers in a trade-deadline exchange with the Canucks. 

Motte was also off the ice for quite some time. He didn’t begin skating with the team until a couple days before he made his series debut in Game 6 on Friday. 

Gallant had Motte log some time on the top line with Zibanejad and Kreider in the Rangers’ 4-3 overtime series-clinching win over the Penguins on Sunday. Motte is usually on the fourth line next to Kevin Rooney and Ryan Reaves, but Gallant wanted to use Motte for matchups with the Penguins’ top line. 

Tyler Motte skates with the puck against the Penguins.
Tyler Motte skates with the puck against the Penguins. Jason Szenes

“He’s a different player,” Gallant said of Motte. “We like Frankie. Frankie played really well up there, he’s got some goals for us. But he’s a different player. He adds a little bit more defense to that line, obviously. He’s got great speed and he’s an important guy. He’s very similar to a Goodrow. Goodrow’s been out the last series and he’s very similar to Goodrow. 

“You like what he brings. He’s quicker than Goodrow, but those are important guys that you put in your lineup and they help you win.” 


The Rangers agreed to terms with three players Monday, signing forwards Adam Edstrom and Ryder Korczak to three-year entry-level contracts and goaltender Olof Lindbom to a two-year entry-level deal.