Rangers’ Ryan Lindgren suffers upper-body injury vs. Golden Knights, will not return

The New York Rangers announced on social media that defenseman Ryan Lindgren suffered an upper-body injury on Friday against the Vegas Golden Knights and will not return.

The incident occurred midway through the first period when Golden Knights’ forward Keegan Kolesar finished an awkward check on Lindgren in the Rangers’ zone, with Lindgren going down to the ice and struggling to get up. He would try to get back to the Rangers’ bench, but was forced to go to the locker room.

Through 46 games this season, the 25-year-old Lindgren has two goals and five assists for seven points, averaging 19:41 of ice time. In six NHL seasons, all with the Rangers, the native of Burnsville, Minn., has nine goals and 61 assists for 70 points in 303 career games.

Drafted in the second round by the Boston Bruins in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, he was traded to the Rangers, along with a first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey and a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Rick Nash.

He would twice represent the United States at the World Junior Championships, winning a gold medal in 2017 and being awarded bronze in 2018.

Going into Friday night, the Rangers are 29-15-3 with 61 points through 47 games this season, first in the Metropolitan Division. However, they’re 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. After Friday’s game, they fly to the Canadian capital to face the Ottawa Senators before the All-Star break.