GREENBURGH, N.Y. _ Mika Zibanejad thinks he's ready. Rangers fans hope he's ready. And Chris Kreider just looks happy to have his friend and linemate back (and yes, he thinks Zibanejad will bring a big boost, too).
A lot of that was on display Tuesday afternoon, as Zibanejad _ who has missed 13 games with an upper-body injury _ practiced fully and was embraced at least twice on the ice by a laughing Kreider. He centered Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich, and coach David Quinn said that barring unforeseen setbacks, Zibanejad would be skating with those two on the first line in Wednesday's game against the Hurricanes.
That will cause some reshuffling, since the Rangers mostly have been successful in his absence, going 8-4-1 in that span. On Wednesday, Quinn kept Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome together _ this time on the second line _ hoping for more of the chemistry that made them so successful.
