12:54 PM: Chris Kreider, who left Tuesday’s win in the middle of the third period with an upper-body injury, will not play tomorrow against Dallas. (Brooks)

He’ll be reevaluated in “a couple days.” (Stephenson, Brooks, Staple)

4PM: Gerard Gallant spoke after practice today and said (NYR):

• Is Kreider a short-term injury, “I’m sure hoping that.”
• Will Lafreniere replace him on that line, “Quite possible that Laffy is going up there.”
• On the obstacle of not having Kreider in the lineup, “We’ll see. We miss him, he’s a big part of our group, but it’s not going to be long-term, it’s a short-term thing and gives 13 a good chance to go up and play good hockey with good players. He’ll be excited and get an opportunity to go up there and play and see what happens….and that is what you hope for when you get guys knocked out, somebody else gets another opportunity to go up there and do the job.”
• On Zibanejad skating with Kakko and Lafreniere earlier in the season, “I think it was three games or something…yea, that is the way she goes.”
• What have you seen from Lafreniere since he was scratched, “he’s been okay.”
• You think there is more there, “Yea, there is more there, for sure, definitely, but he’s fine, there are no issues. He’s playing, trying hard, comes in everyday, comes to work and tries to get better and he will….but I’m not disappointed with him.”
• Can you saying that Lafreniere has been ‘okay’ be interpreted as ‘not so good, not so great,’ “No, I don’t. I don’t. I keep saying he’s 21-years old. He scored 19 goals last year, I’m expecting similar numbers again this year and it hasn’t quite been there. But he’s coming, he’s working, he’s doing all the right things. Sometimes you have great runs like he did last year and he hasn’t had as many of those as we’d like and he’d like, but he’s fine.
• I’m not concerned about the kid. A lot of people are, (chuckle) but I’m not. I think he’s going to be a good player, like I said in Montreal last week. He’s 21-years old, played less than 200 games. We see some real good things, we want to see them more on a consistent basis, but he’s got the tools and talent and I don’t know how many times I’ve said, he doesn’t get the same opportunity some kids get as a first-overall pick. You can blame that on me or you can blame that on Quinny, but we’ve got star players ahead of him. We’re trying to win games every night, that’s what our job is and when I came here it was…you know, you develop your players in practice, you develop your players in games, but we are trying to win, that is my goal and I think it’s the whole Rangers goal.”
• Is Lafreniere’s skill set most similar to Kreider, “yea, I would agree with that. If Laffy gets on the number one PP and goes to the net front, Laffy has a good set of hands on him in front of the net…he’ll get more than 20 seconds, if that is the case, if that is what we decide to do tomorrow then he’ll probably be that guy.”
• You’d put Lafreniere at the net on the PP, “Yea, your not going to change nothing, the other guys will go in their spots and whoever goes in there will be the net front guy.”
• Could Trocheck play that role or do you want to keep everyone in their spots, “yea, I don’t like to switch them around.”
• Of all the options you like Lafreniere at the net, “yup.”
• On Kakko and Chytil being more consistent, “they’ve been real good….they’ve played really well. Laffy hasn’t done as much as they’ve done at this part of the season, 41 games in, and again, I’m not disappointed in him, he’s played fine. We wish the numbers were a little better, wish he’d get a little more chances. Kaapo recently has played really well, taken a big step. He got an opportunity to go up there with the big line and play more minutes and he’s taken advantage of it. Fil, from Day 1 this year has been really good. The playoffs last year to Day 1 this year, the whole season he’s been solid, real good. That is what we need if we are going to be a real good team, that is what we need right through our lineup.”