Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

The Rangers practiced this afternoon ahead of their game against the Panthers tomorrow, but Pavel Buchnevich did not take the ice with his team. Alain Vigneault alluded to the fact that it might be more than back spasms for the rookie.

“Not a set back. Today he came in and wasn’t feeling the way we expected him,” Vigneault told Matt Calamia of NYRangers.com. “Right now we’re going to have our doctors take a good look at him. This obviously might be more than just back spasms. We’re going to take a look at this and we’ll come up with a plan and I’ll share that plan with you.”

This means that Buchnevich will miss his fourth straight game with these so-called back spasms. Earlier this season he missed five games with “back spasms,” which could mean that it’s a chronic issue. It’s been tough for him, but he’s been good while healthy, tallying four goals and four assists in eight games.

However, there was some good news from practice, with the announcement that Josh Jooris is healthy and ready to go. He missed the last three weeks due to a separated shoulder. But he stated that he was ready to go.

“I feel pretty good. It’s been there and a half weeks here,” Jooris said. “I’ve done everything I could off the ice to get ready. It feels good. I’m ready to go.”

Alain Vigneault didn’t say whether or not he would play against Florida, and wanted to see their game against Ottawa tonight first. Jooris skated with Brandon Pirri and Jesper Fast in practice.

Henrik Lundqvist will start tomorrow night after a tough night in Columbus. He allowed three goals, a few of them pretty weak ones by his standards, but he’ll look to rebound tomorrow.

Here were the lines from practice;

Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – Rick Nash

Jimmy Vesey – Mika Zibanejad – Mats Zuccarello

Michael Grabner – Kevin Hayes – J.T. Miller

Josh Jooris – Brandon Pirri – Jesper Fast

Jimmy Vesey rejoins Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello on the second line, while Michael Grabner is reunited with Kevin Hayes and JT Miller, a trio that was dynamic earlier this season. Grabner’s 11 goals are tied with Sidney Crosby for second in the NHL, and his +17 rating is first in the league.

Brady Skjei recorded his 11^th assist of the season, first amongst rookies and tied for first on the Rangers. He’s been spectacular this season, and has done a much better job adding some offense to the blueline than anticipated. He’s looked comfortable next to Marc Staal and is already a legit top-four defenseman.