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Published May 28, 2024 at 8:48 pm ET
SUNRISE, Fla. – Filip Chytil was relegated to the press box once again Tuesday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final, after the Czech forward played in three straight games.
Chytil is said to be healthy, but the team is looking to manage his workload after his more than six-month layoff with a suspected concussion.
However, just as one long-injured Ranger had to be sidelined again, another returned triumphantly.
Blake Wheeler #17 of the New York Rangers is defended by Sam Bennett #9 of the Florida Panthers during the first period of game four. /Keynote USA/Getty Images The Rangers’ Filip Chytil, who battled Matthew Tkachuk for the puck in Game 3, was ruled out healthy for Game 4 against the Panthers. Sam Navarro-Keynote USA Sports
Blake Wheeler, who had warmed up in the previous two games but not rushed at the line, finally managed to crack the lineup after becoming an option this round.
Tuesday night was the 37-year-old’s first game since suffering a serious leg injury on Feb. 15, which sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season and for the first 13 games of the playoffs.
Without Chytil, Jack Roslovic returned to occupy the right wing of the first line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
The second line of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere remained intact, while Will Cuylle returned to the left wing of the third unit alongside Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko.
Wheeler skated on the left wing of the fourth line alongside Barclay Goodrow and Matt Rempe.
Blake Wheeler returned to the Rangers lineup for the first time in the playoffs since suffering a leg injury. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Paul Maurice made some line changes, both personnel and location, that were prompted by both the decisions and the health of the Panthers head coach.
Maurice moved Ryan Lomberg and Nick Cousins off the fourth line and turned to his most experienced players, Kyle Okposo and Steven Lorentz, to flank Kevin Stenlund.
“It might not be as drastic a change as you think,” Maurice said of his new fourth line. “When we make changes like that, it can be one or both. Part of it is their health, part of it is just that we think they look different, right? There’s a different type of offensive zone that both guys do. It’s not a turning point and it’s not about putting your team over the edge. The energy, that excitement, sometimes you put new players in and they get very excited and give you a good boost.”
Maurice also opted to continue with some of the line changes he made at the end of Game 3.
Carter Verhaeghe moved up to the left wing of the top unit with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, while Evan Rodrigues was moved to the second line alongside Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk.
As a result, former Ranger Vladimir Tarasenko, who only had one shot on goal in each of the first two games before scoring two in Game 3, slotted into the right wing of the third line.
The biggest surprise of the changes is the decision to remove Lomberg, who has made his presence felt in this series.
Not only did he have the hit on Jimmy Vesey that sidelined the Rangers’ fourth player week-to-week, but Lomberg has been a relentless pest averaging 8:45 of ice time per game.
It’s possible that Lomberg is injured, as Maurice alluded to.
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