The Rangers entrusted Cole Beaudoin to fill their vacancy at center.
Just two games into his professional hockey career in Hartford, Beaudoin was recalled Tuesday afternoon ahead of the matchup with the Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
The 20-year-old, whom the Rangers acquired in the Vincent Trocheck deal with Utah, skated between Jaroslav Chmelar and Oliver Bjorkstrand on the fourth line.
“I felt good. Obviously, just playing my game,” Beaudoin said after the Rangers defeated the Isles 5-2. “There’s excitement, a little bit of nerves. I’m just going out there and having fun, having a smile on my face and going out there and enjoying it. It was great.”
Prior to the recall, Joe Veleno was placed on injured reserve with the lower-body injury he suffered in the win over the Mammoth.
In the first period Sunday night, Veleno fell awkwardly along the boards with Utah’s Clayton Keller.
The centerman had to be assisted to the dressing room and didn’t put any weight on his right leg.
Head coach Mike Sullivan did not have a timeline on Veleno, nor could he say whether he was day to day or week to week.
The Blueshirts also had to put Matthew Robertson on waivers Monday to make room on the roster for Beaudoin. Robertson ultimately cleared and was assigned to Hartford.
Through the first week of the season, the Rangers had three players go on injured reserve.
The 26-year-old Veleno joins backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo and young wing Adam Sykora, who both sustained lower-body injuries, on the sideline.
It is unclear when Korpisalo sustained his injury, but the veteran netminder got hurt before he could start a single game.
In the preseason, Sykora absorbed a hard hit from Devils prospect Mikael Diotte and bent his right knee back along the boards as he fell. The Slovakian wing was ruled out for four to five months.
Since Sykora is on a two-way contract, only logged 11 games with the Rangers last season and was injured prior to the finalization of the opening-night roster, the 22-year-old’s cap hit is prorated based on his number of days on the roster last year multiplied by the current year cap hit ($110,208), per Puck Pedia.
Beaudoin was leading the Wolf Pack with five points (one goal, four assists) in two games at the time of the recall. He had been skating on Hartford’s second line between Anton Blidh and Taylor Raddysh.
The Rangers’ five-game stretch without a first-period goal against is their longest such streak to start a season since 1939.
Scheduled for a day off Wednesday, the Rangers are set to return to practice Thursday at MSG Training Center.
