It has now been confirmed that Norwegian forward Mats Zuccarello suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left hand during the Sochi Olympics. An MRI on Wednesday confirmed the injury. He will be assessed by Rangers team doctors back in New York on Thursday.
Zuccarello injured his hand during the Norwegians third game of the tournament, a loss to Austria. Zuccarello did not play in Norway’s 4-0 qualification round loss to Russia. He failed to record a point in three games in the tournament. He was the lone NHL player on Norway’s Olympic roster.
The loss is a big one for the Rangers who will need to determine exactly how long Zuccarello will be out of the lineup. He leads the team in scoring this season with 15 goals and 28 assists for 43 points in 58 games this season. He is also tied for second on the team in goals.
The Rangers next game is a week from tomorrow against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 26-year-old Zuccarello originally signed with the Rangers as a free agent in the summer of 2010. In 125 career NHL games he has 26 goals, 51 assists and 77 points, all with New York.
Last season Zuccarello missed time with a broken wrist suffered blocking a shot from Jordan Leopold, then of the Buffalo Sabres.
Zuccarello could become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
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