Sammy Blais is expected to play his first regular-season game in nearly a year when the New York Rangers host the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden on Monday (7 p.m. ET; MSG, BSSC, ESPN+, SN NOW).
The forward missed the first three games this season with an upper-body injury and all but 14 games last season because of a torn ACL in his right knee sustained against the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 14, 2021.
"He wanted to play but as coaches, we talk to him and say, 'Sammy, we're not going to put you in there when you're not ready to play. The last thing we want is you getting a setback,'" Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said Sunday. "This is a minor setback, but he hasn't played in 10 months, so I understand he really wants to play. He's ready to go now, feeling good and strong."
Blais has 39 points (17 goals, 22 assists) in 133 NHL games for the St. Louis Blues and Rangers.
"I haven't played in a regular-season game in a while. getting hurt right before the season was a bummer," Blais said. "I felt really good today on the ice, so I'm just looking forward to tomorrow."
Though Vitali Kravtsov (upper body) practiced in a non-contact jersey, Ryan Carpenter (upper body) did not. Gallant said each forward is day to day.