THIS HURTS… 

I guess that whole, “We want Zuke to play down there” thing got changed when the Rangers showed that without Ryan Callahan they don’t have any offensive spark. Zuccarello is obviously being brought up to play more than just 7 minutes. “The Norwegian Hobbit” has not been able to put the puck in the net in the games he’s appeared in to this point, but he has added four helpers in three games since his assignment to Connecticut on April 1 skating on the top line with Kris Newbury and Dale Weise. Brodie Dupont will likely step back up to the top line for the Whale.

The Whale are in Bridgeport tonight in a must win scenario against the Sound Tigers and now will take on their intra-state and organizational rivals without Zuccarello.

Should the Whale make the playoffs and the Rangers not, Zuccarello and defenseman Ryan McDonagh were both on the Connecticut clear day list and in all likelihood will be available to the Whale for the start of the playoffs.

Here’s the official release:

NEW YORK RANGERS TRANSACTION UPDATE

New York, April 8, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Mats Zuccarello has been recalled from the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Zuccarello, 23, has tallied four assists in three games since his assignment to Connecticut on April 1, including the primary assist on the game-winning goal in a 4-2 victory vs. Portland on Sunday.  He has registered 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points, along with 16 penalty minutes in 36 games this season.  He recorded 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in his last 24 AHL games with four goals and nine assists in his last 10 contests.  He leads all Connecticut rookies in goals, points, shots on goal (107), and power play goals (three), and ranks second in assists.  Zuccarello posted an AHL career-high, four points, including his first career hat trick in a 7-1 win vs. Bridgeport on November 7.  He made his AHL debut on October 9 vs. Charlotte, and tallied his first career point with a goal on October 15 at Albany.

Zuccarello returns to the Rangers where he has registered six goals and 16 assists for 22 points, along with four penalty minutes in 41 games this season.  He is tied for the team lead with nine power play assists, and ranks seventh on the team with nine power play points.  Zuccarello is also tied for first on the team and fifth and third in the NHL, respectively, with five shootout goals and three shootout game-deciding goals, and ranks second on the Rangers with a 55.6% shootout percentage.  He has posted four multi-point performances this season, including a career-high, three-assist effort on January 25 vs. Florida and his first career multi-goal game with two goals on March 6 vs. Philadelphia.  Zuccarello made his NHL debut on December 23 vs. Tampa Bay, tallying a shootout goal in the contest.  He recorded his first NHL point with a power play assist on December 27 vs. the New York Islanders, and notched his first career goal with the overtime game-winner on January 5 vs. Carolina.

The Oslo, Norway native signed with the Rangers as a free agent on May 26, 2010.