The injury bug took a big bite out of the New York Rangers Friday night as the team lost both sniper Marian Gaborik and captain Chris Drury to injuries.
Gaborik suffered a separated shoulder in the second period in a collision with Maple Leafs' forward Colby Armstrong. Armstrong received a boarding minor on the play and Gaborik remained on the ice for the ensuing power play. Later, Gaborik was seen grimacing on the Rangers bench before heading to the team's dressing room. The team said he was expected to miss between two and four weeks.
Meanwhile Drury, who was making his season debut after missing the first two games of the current campaign with a broken finger, re-broke the same finger in a collission with teammate Michal Rozsival. He is expected to miss an additional six weeks.
To make matters worse, the team announced that injured forward Vaclav Prospal will undergo additional surgery on his right knee on Monday. The timeline for his return is uncertain.
The loses are a devastating blow to the Rangers.
The 28-year old Gaborik has battled numerous injuries throughout his career, however he remained healthy enough last season to lead the Rangers in scoring with 42 goals and 44 assists.
The Trencin, Slovakia native has two assists in three games this season.
Meanwhile Drury was limited to only nine minutes of ice-time before he was forced to leave. He had 14 goals and 18 assists in 77 games last season.
