It was a statistically rough year for New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
The 36-year-old failed to hit the 30-win mark for just the second time of his career, finishing the season with a 26-26-7 record and career low 2.98 goals against average. The Swede isn’t one to blame his struggles on anyone, or anything else for that matter, but his reasoning for missing the IIHF World Championships may explain his relatively poor play. Earlier today, Lundqvist revealed on Twitter that he has been nursing an MCL injury for the past 5-6 months.
Despite the stats, ‘The King’ was at times the lone bright spot for a struggling Rangers team. New York finished 22nd in goals for while poor defensive play also contributed to them finishing 28th in goals against. Management also felt the need to blow up the team at the deadline, which essentially left their netminder with little support down the stretch.
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Lundqvist joins a list of players who played through knee ailments. Just last season, San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton played through the postseason with a torn ACL and MCL. Alex Ovechkin also played through knee and hamstring injuries in the 2017 playoffs.
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With Lundqvist out, the void between the posts remains up for grabs Sweden. His skill and leadership will surely be missed by the country he helped capture an Olympic Gold medal in 2006.
(H/T r/Hockey)
