THE TOUGH GET GOING! LITERALLY… 

The New York Rangers have recalled not one, but two key Wolf Pack players that won’t be in the Hartford lineup tonight in a must win game against the Adirondack Phantoms. With three games in three nights and the season on the line, if they’re not going to have those two in the line-up it’s going to take a 1980 US Olympic Hockey-type miracle for them to overcome this. Both P.A. Parenteau and Anders Eriksson have been recalled by the Rangers.

This means that Ryan Callahan is definitely going to be out after reinjuring his leg last night against the New Jersey Devils. Anders Eriksson on defense however is a bit puzzling. It didn’t appear as if a Ranger defenseman was hurt, but that could be because they just didn’t say. We’ve put feelers out there to see if we could find out who it might be.

Meanwhile in Hartford expect Andres Ambϋhl is take Parenteau’s spot in the lineup. On defense, there’s no imminent recall from Charlotte (Dave Urquhart) so perhaps Nigel Williams is now healthy enough to play. Or maybe the plan is to go with recent signee, rookie Lee Baldwin.

If you watched last night’s contest between the Rangers and New Jersey Devils, after the game Head Coach John Tortorella made a big point of not wanting to play guys he wasn’t comfortable with defensively. Matt Gilroy only played 10:05 and his defense has been suspect all year long so in all likelihood Gilroy will sit and the veteran Eriksson will play.

The Wolf Pack already have their backs up against the wall and would likely need to run the table in order to get into the race for the Calder Cup. Without Parnteau and Eriksson, the odds of that just got a whole lot longer. So as the old saying goes, when the going get’s tough, the Wolf Pack, better get going!

Here’s the official release:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward P.A. Parenteau and defenseman Anders Eriksson have been recalled from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Parenteau, 27, notched two goals, including the overtime game-winner, in a 4-3 win vs. Providence on Sunday, and has registered nine points (four goals and five assists) in six games since returning from injury on March 10 at Worcester.  He has recorded 20 goals and 25 assists for 45 points, along with 63 penalty minutes and a plus-15 rating in 35 games with Hartford this season.  He leads the Wolf Pack in plus/minus rating, ranks second in points, third in goals and fifth in assists.  He is also tied for second on the team with eight power play goals on the season.  Parenteau has recorded 15 multi-point performances and five games with three-or-more points, including two hat tricks on February 28 at Lowell and October 10 vs. Springfield.  He posted a season-high eight-game point streak from October 23 at Adirondack to December 18 vs. Toronto, registering 15 points (six goals and nine assists) over the span.  In addition, Parenteau has skated in 14 games with the Rangers this season, registering one goal and four points.  He tallied his first career NHL goal in his Rangers debut on October 28 at the NY Islanders, and recorded his first NHL multi-point performance with two assists on November 23 against Columbus.  Last season, Parenteau finished ninth in the AHL in points with 29 goals and 78 points, and was named a First-Team AHL All-Star.

The Hull, Quebec native was acquired by the Rangers from the Chicago Blackhawks on October 11, 2007, in exchange for a conditional draft pick.  He was originally Anaheim’s ninth round selection, 264th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Eriksson, 35, has registered three assists in eight games with Hartford since being acquired by the Rangers on March 3 from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for goaltender Miika Wiikman and a seventh round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.  He has appeared in 18 AHL games with the San Antonio Rampage and Hartford this season, registering one goal and six assists, along with six penalty minutes and a plus-two rating.  In addition, he has registered three assists in 12 games with Phoenix this season, after signing with the Coyotes as an unrestricted free agent on December 21.  He tallied three assists and a plus-two rating in his first seven games with Phoenix, from December 21 vs. Columbus to January 5 at Edmonton.

The Bollnas, Sweden native was originally Detroit’s first round selection, 22nd overall, in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.

The Blueshirts return to action tomorrow, March 27, when they will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre (7:00 p.m.), in an Original Six matchup.  Prior to the game, the Rangers morning skate is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Air Canada Centre.  This will be the third of four meetings with the Maple Leafs this season, and the second at Toronto.  The Rangers own a 2-0-0 record vs. the Maple Leafs this season, having out-scored Toronto, 11-3, in the two contests.  The Blueshirts’ power play has tallied three goals in 10 attempts (30.0%), while the penalty kill has surrendered one goal in 10 chances (90.0%).  The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.