Rangers Mats Zuccarello Excels Two Years After Possible Career Ender

Two years after being struck in the head with a slap shot, forward Mats Zuccarello recovered and returned to the NHL. During the New York Rangers' first-round series win, Zuccarello was one of the team's top performers.

His head was lowered, fighting for position in front of the net. The shot was launched from the point, a friendly fire one at that had struck Mats Zuccarello's helmet. Dazed, he skated directly to the New York Rangers bench. Zuccarello sat for a moment before going to the locker room. Witnesses immediately wondered of his future.

That was two years ago Monday.

On the second anniversary of the horrific incident, Zuccarello is preparing to carry his momentum of scoring the series-clinching goal against the Montreal Canadiens into the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against the Ottawa Senators. The Rangers will be on the road for Thursday's Game 1.

What a journey it's been for Zuccarello.

Impossible to Predict

Against the Canadiens Saturday, the Rangers came out flat. The team's effort did not match the moment so Zuccarello embraced the opportunity. The first of his two goals came from the right circle and was one Canadiens goalie Carey Price generally handles. Humbly, Zuccarello later called the goal pure luck.

Regardless, it gave the Rangers a lift. The placid fans at Madison Square Garden, who have witnessed their share of home wakes recently, spontaneously turned the atmosphere into a rock concert.

Zuccarello's game-winning encore resulted from an assist from Kevin Hayes. It clinched the Rangers' entry into the second round for the fifth time in six seasons.

Two years ago Monday, it would have been nearly impossible to predict.

Competing in Game 5 of a 2015 first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Zuccarello was attempting to cause chaos in front of the net. Teammate Ryan McDonagh released a slap shot. The shot struck the lowered head of Zuccarello, causing a brain contusion and a hairline fracture of his skull.

He was unable to talk for four days and lost sensation in his arm.

Difficult to Imagine

Teammates visited Zuccarello in the hospital. They recanted how difficult it was to see the gritty forward in such a vulnerable position.

Scary. That's a prominent word to describe Zuccarello's early prognosis.

That summer, Zuccarello recovered, took speech therapy and returned to the Rangers. Over the past two seasons, he has appeared in 161 regular-season games. During that span, he has collected a combined 41 goals among 120 points.

During the Rangers' three consecutive wins to clinch the first-round series against the Canadiens, Zuccarello and goalie Henrik Lundqvist played the most prominent roles. Lundqvist turned aside 27 shots in Saturday's clincher.

The duo will need to be as sharp against the Senators, who are directed by all-world defenseman Erik Karlsson and an improving power play. The Senators' man-advantage unit struggled through much of the regular season, before rebounding with five goals in 23 opportunities during the series win over the Boston Bruins.

With a few days of rest and practice, Zuccarello is preparing to move forward with the Rangers.

Two years ago Monday, that was difficult to imagine.

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