Derek Stepan’s inclusion in the lineup for Saturday night’s regular season finale against the Capitals at the Garden officially allowed the Rangers, and their fans, to breathe a sigh of relief.
It looked like Stepan, who is fourth on the team with 51 points, could have picked up a serious injury heading into the playoffs when he was kneed by Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik late in the Rangers’ 5-2 loss in Pittsburgh Thursday night.
But after sitting out the final few minutes of Thursday’s loss, as well as Friday’s practice, he was back on the ice Saturday night with linemates Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov against the Capitals, finishing with 20:06 in ice time.
Rangers coach John Tortorella made his feelings known about the Orpik hit in his postgame press conference Thursday in Pittsburgh, but had less to say about the $20,000 fine he received from the league office Friday afternoon.
When asked for his thoughts on the fine, he responded, “Nothing.”
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In other injury news, the Rangers also saw their franchise goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, return to the ice. Lundqvist sat out of Thursday’s loss after taking a shot from Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux off of his right forearm in the second period of Tuesday’s conference-clinching 5-3 win over the Flyers.
Lundqvist had said after Friday’s practice that he wanted to play, both to help shake off any rust before the playoffs begin and to help the team claim the Presidents’ Trophy. But the Rangers’ hopes of claiming that award on their own quickly evaporated when Lundqvist allowed Washington’s first two shots to go by him and finished with 13 saves on 17 Capitals shots.
“I’m almost there,” he said. “I’m not going to blame anything on my performance.
“It’s a good feeling that the regular season is over now. The last few weeks I’ve been thinking more and more about what’s ahead. … It’s a good feeling to finally get prepared for this and I’m excited.”
The Rangers’ loss, combined with the Canucks’ 3-0 win over the Oilers, allowed Vancouver to skate off with this year’s Presidents’ Trophy. The Rangers finished the season tied with the St. Louis Blues for the league’s second-highest point total with 109.
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Lundqvist also was named the Rangers’ most valuable player in voting done by the local media. Lundqvist, who won the award for a franchise-record sixth season in a row, finished the season with career highs in wins (39), save percentage (.930) and goals against average (1.97).
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After Chris Kreider and his Boston College teammates won the national tie with last night’s 4-1 victory over Ferris State, the Rangers now can offer him a contract.
Kreider will be eligible to play for the Rangers in the playoffs if he chooses to sign.
tbontemps@nypost.com
Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers, Brooks Orpik, Capitals, John Tortorella, Ryan Callahan, St. Louis Blues, Claude Giroux, Artem Anisimov, Pittsburgh
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