NHL Buzz: Chytil, Kravtsov out for Rangers against Flyers

New York Rangers

Filip Chytil (upper body) will miss his fifth straight game and Vitali Kravtsov (upper body) his second in a row when the Rangers play the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SN360, MSG, NBCSP, ESPN+, SN NOW). 

Chytil, a forward, is day to day and skating on his own. Kravtsov, also a forward, will be out at least a week.

Neither participated in the morning skate.

Chytil hasn’t played since he was injured in a first-period collision with Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger on Oct. 23, a 5-1 Rangers loss. 

Kravtsov will miss seventh game of the season. He was injured in a 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars on Saturday, when he slammed hard into the boards while in pursuit of a puck with Dallas defenseman Jani Hakanpaa. He sat for four straight games with an upper-body injury sustained in a 3-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 11. — Dan Rosen, senior writer

Tampa Bay Lightning

Victor Hedman will be a game-time decision against the Ottawa Senators (7 p.m. ET; BSSUNX, TSN5, RDSI, ESPN+, SN NOW) with an undisclosed injury.

Hedman was not on the ice for practice Monday but took part in the morning skate. He did not participate in the power-play drills and remained on the ice with trainers after the skate ended. 

“He’ll be a game-time decision, but he’s definitely a little bit more than we anticipated,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “There’s a chance he’s going to have to sit this one out.”

Hedman, the 2018 Norris Trophy winner voted as the best defenseman in the NHL, has not missed a game since the final weekend of the 2019-20 season. He scored his first goal this season against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday and has eight points (goal, seven assists) coming into Tuesday. 

If Hedman is unavailable, it’s expected that Haydn Fleury will play. Fleury has one assist in four games this season. 

The Lightning have been rotating different players on the third defense pair with Ian Cole. Fleury, Philippe Myers and Cal Foote are all part of that rotation.

“We’re just trying to find ourselves as a group back there, I think we’ve made some really good strides the last couple weeks,” Cooper said. “When your name is called, you’ve got to jump in. Especially tonight, it might be an opportunity for someone to come in and we’re looking for guys to seize it.” — Corey Long

Chicago Blackhawks

Petr Mrazek skated with the Blackhawks for the first time since sustaining a groin injury against the Detroit Red Wings…