Chytil returns, Rempe out for Rangers' Game 3 win against Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Filip Chytil returned to the New York Rangers lineup for the first time since Nov. 2, replacing Matt Rempe for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Thursday.

The Rangers won 3-2 in overtime and lead the best-of-7 series 3-0.

Chytil had one shot on goal in 12:02 of ice time.

“It's not the Filip who is always here and ready for the season, who was playing the last time, who was ready, but I'm here and I know I can help the team and I'll do everything for every teammate in this locker room,” Chytil said.

Rempe played in Games 1 and 2, but the forward did not take a shift after the second period in New York's 4-3 double-overtime win in Game 2 on Tuesday.

Rempe scored a goal in Game 1 of the first round against the Washington Capitals. The Rangers are 20-2-1 with him in the lineup this season, including 6-0 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Chytil started Game 3 as the left wing on the third line with Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko. Will Cuylle, who had been the left wing on that line, dropped to the fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey. Rempe had been on the fourth line.

“Just leaving that last game with only one day rest, it ended late, travel down here, really knowing that we don't have the change anymore, we don't have the ability to pick and choose what we want to do, we really needed to try to maximize the bench as much as we could,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “This was a perfect opportunity for him to reenter into the lineup. Kind of like our game tonight, I thought he got better and better as the game went on. You wouldn't have known he was off for however long it was, five months or six months. I thought he gave us some real good quality minutes and that line gave us some real good quality minutes as well and at times spent time in the offensive zone.”

Chytil sustained an upper-body injury in a 2-1 win against the Hurricanes. He was initially ruled out indefinitely and returned home to the Czech Republic in December to reset his rehab, Laviolette said at the time.

Chytil returned to practice in a noncontact jersey Jan. 25, but the next day he had a setback during an optional morning skate before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights. He had to be helped off the ice and was ruled out for the remainder of the regular season.

Chytil returned to practice with the Rangers on April 12 wearing a regular jersey and taking part in full-contact drills. Laviolette said then that the forward had been medically cleared but there was still no timetable on his return and that the Rangers would not rush him back. He has been practicing and traveling with the Rangers since.

“He's been working really hard,” Laviolette said. “He was off for a bit. He came back. I thought the staff, the medical staff and training staff and even the coaches, skills coach and assistant coaches, did an unbelievable job over the last month ramping him back up for a possible reentry. He's been attacking every day to get to that point where we all came to agreement that that time was now, it was approaching.”Chytil had six assists in 10 games this season.

Selected by the Rangers in the first round (No. 21) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Chytil has 144 points (64 goals, 80 assists) in 337 regular-season games and 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 30 playoff games.