Chytil started for the first time since November! Perfect matchup to get back into the lineup, Laviolette said

The last time he played against Carolina, Filip Chytil suffered an injury that sidelined him for more than half a year. On Friday night, for the first time since November 2, the Czech forward got on the ice for a competitive game against Carolina and was present for his team’s 3:2 overtime win. As a result, the Rangers took a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The November fight against Carolina prepared Filip Chytil for rough moments and a long period of uncertainty. He took a really long time to recover from the concussion, he even traveled from New York back to the Czech Republic, and when it looked like he would return to training at the end of January, problems appeared again.

Chytil basically did not return to the ice during the regular season, he only started training on April 12. And it took another month before he finally heard he could play. He received the permit on Thursday and immediately jumped into a sharp match in the evening.

In the third game of the series against Carolina, the opponent that kept him out of the game for over half a year, he started in the third formation alongside Alex Wennberg and Kaap Kakka. He played over twelve minutes, had one shot on goal and did not hesitate to play in the body. He gave away two bodysuits, he grabbed another one himself.

However, he felt good after the game. Especially due to the fact that the Rangers managed to win for the third time and are within reach of advancing to the conference finals.

“He is not the same Filip who is always and always ready, who played last time (in November), but still I am finally back and I know that I can help the team. I would cut myself for every teammate,” said Chytil after the match, who admitted that he was not the player who entered the 2023/24 season with great ambitions for the year of his life. But one cannot be surprised at his words, after such a long absence and such a serious injury, he cannot even be the same.

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette has long considered when, how and whether to put Chytila ​​back in the lineup. He only let him train for quite a while to make sure he could handle the playoff game without too much worry and at the same time be in good shape. That moment came on Thursday, when Laviolette decided to bench Matt Rempe and give space to the twenty-four-year-old hockey player from Kroměříž. The Rangers’ 2-0 lead in the games gave him the courage to make his move.

And he is extremely happy with his decision. He did not let him down.

“This match was the perfect opportunity for him to rejoin the lineup. I think he improved a lot as the game progressed. You wouldn’t even know he was out for so long, five or six months,” the Rangers coach assessed. “I think he played some really quality minutes.”

Lavioletta also convinced Chytil to use his diligence in training, in which he worked hard since mid-April. “He worked really hard on himself. He’s been out for some time, but I think the medical staff and the trainers have done an incredible job over the last month to get him ready for a possible return,” said Lavioletta. “He tried to convince us every day until he got to the point where we all agreed that the time had come,” he added.

Caught before the concussion, he managed to play 10 games in the regular season with a record of 0+6. Now he is full of energy again and intends to help the Rangers win the Stanley Cup. He can add another game to his account already on Sunday night, when the Rangers will again appear on the ice of Carolina.

Share on Facebook
Share on Google+
Share on Twitter