Injuries to Wojtek Wolski and Mike Rupp mean Rangers coach John Tortorella will be required to dress Sean Avery for Saturday's game against the Canadiens at Madison Square Garden.
Avery, who was sent down to AHL Whale on Oct. 5, was back practicing with the team Wednesday after his return from exile but was left out for Anaheim's visit to New York on Thursday.
But his wait for game action did not last long, with Wolski's recurring groin problem requiring an MRI exam Friday afternoon, while Rupp will undergo an arthroscopy next week on his aching left knee.
Avery is advised to make very few mistakes if he wishes his stay in New York to be more than a temporary one until the Rangers can locate other players to take his place, the New York Post reported.
But depending on how and where Avery is used, it would be a mistake to dismiss his first NHL appearance of the season as irrelevant.
With Ruslan Fedotenko likely to skate in Wolski's place with Derek Stepan and Marian Gaborik, the Brian Boyle-Brandon Prust tandem will need a left winger. That is where Avery, who seemed serene during the last three days of practice, clearly belongs.
Because while most of the Rangers' 2010-11 lettermen have begun to re-establish themselves on this homestand on which the team has gone 2-1-1 and will conclude Sunday night against the Jets, Boyle and Prust have yet to establish the consistent, down-low cycle game that marked their play last season.
"We've just got to keep stringing wins together," Avery said, adding that he is "excited" to be in the lineup. "That's what it's about, playing well at home," he added.
