Rangers Get Some Very Bad Luc

For all his struggles this season, Luc Robitaille’s 24 goals and 24 assists are admirable numbers. Now that he will miss the next four to six weeks with a broken bone in his left foot, the New York Rangers have to adjust to keep the offense clicking on the current roll of five victories in six games.

Adam Graves served up a hat trick and Niklas Sundstrom scored the winner 1:24 into overtime for a 4-3 victory over the Senators Friday night as Robitaille watched on crutches. Those are heroics the Rangers (33-28-9) need with 12 games remaining to secure home-ice advantage for the first round. Before the Florida Panthers hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night, the Rangers needed two points to catch Florida for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

All Robitaille can do is cheer, but if the foot heals on schedule he should return by the first round of the playoffs.

Team doctors set Robitaille’s bone Saturday and encased the foot in a hard cast. According to coach Colin Campbell, Robitaille did not need a pin inserted to hold the bone in place.

Robitaille said he felt pain in Wednesday night’s 3-2 victory over the Capitals after taking an Alexander Karpovtsev shot off the top of his skate. Original X-rays showed no fracture, but as Robitaille stepped off the team bus two days later he heard the bone pop. Subsequent X-rays Friday night revealed a break.

“I’ve never missed (playoff) games with an injury,” Robitaille said. “It’s devastating.”

In 1993-94 an ankle fracture near the end of the season required surgery in June, but the Los Angeles Kings missed the playoffs so he was sidelined only one regular-season game.

The left wing spent most of this season playing with Wayne Gretzky and Sundstrom, although Campbell shuttled an ineffective Robitaille to the third and fourth lines and even benched him the final 25 minutes of a 2-1 loss to the Flyers on Feb. 23. His inconsistency spawned persistent trade speculation, but the injury (along with a $3 million salary) practically ensures Robitaille will stay a Ranger through Tuesday’s trading deadline.