There was probably a sharp inhale of breath, collectively, across the entire city of New York when Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist took a puck to the neck and fell to the ice.
King Henrik, though, shook off the shot and somehow managed to stay in the game. He even played another 60 minutes before ceding the net to backup Cam Talbot for a game against the Boston Bruins.
Shortly thereafter, the Rangers unexpectedly announced that Lundqvist would miss "at least three weeks" with a "vascular injury," according to the New York Daily News.
Not a great development for a team in the thick of the playoff hunt - the Rangers currently hold a tenuous grasp on one of two Wild Card playoff spots.
While Talbot has been effective in limited time, the injury to Lundqvist could force the Rangers to make a move for a more experienced netminder ahead of the NHL's trade deadline.
"Buffalo Sabres goalies Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth and Edmonton Oilers goalie Viktor Fasth fit the bill for what the Rangers need, which is an experienced goalie playing on an expiring contract that includes a reasonable NHL salary-cap charge," writes Dan Rosen of NHL.com.
The 27-year-old Talbot, in his second NHL season, has 33 games to his name. He has been highly effective this year (.924 save percentage, 2.14 goals against average) but has only appeared in 12 games.
With the Rangers statement revealing that three weeks is the minimum that Lundqvist will miss, a team that can ill-afford a string of bad weeks may need to look seriously at making an addition.
Enroth may be the best option, as his cap hit is a very affordable $1.25 million and his .901 save percentage and 3.34 goals against average is actually somewhat respectable for a goalie on a last-place team.
Neuvirth's save percentage is slightly better, but his goals against average is worse, he's played in fewer games and is older and more expensive than Enroth.
Fasth (.892 save percentage, 3.25 goals against average) has been part of an abysmal goalie tandem for the Oilers this season. His $2.9 million cap hit is affordable, but not great.
Other names the team could consider include Washington Capitals goalie Justin Peters and the recently waived Evgeni Nabokov.
There's also the somewhat insane thought of Martin Brodeur coming out of retirement after about a week to help the Broadway Blueshirts for the next month or so.
