Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh, who skipped practice on Wednesday, skated Thursday morning at Madison Square Garden and declared himself ready to play against the Islanders.
The defenseman, who didn’t play well in the 5-4 overtime loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, said the issue was “something small.” He has played in all seven games for the 1-5-1 Rangers.
McDonagh has been paired with several different defense partners so far. He has two assists and is a minus-2. He is expected to skate with Tony DeAngelo tonight against the crosstown rivals.
Henrik Lundqvist (1-3-1, 3.03 GAA, .902 save percentage) will start in net for the Rangers, and the rest of the lineup will remain the same.