from Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post,

After all this, Henrik Lundqvist isn’t about to rush.

The Rangers franchise netminder said on Wednesday night “it’s been a long six weeks,” and it sure has been since he first suffered a blood vessel injury in the back of his neck on Jan. 31. Yet he was cleared Tuesday to practice, and he was cleared to speak to the media before the Rangers’ 1-0 loss to the Blackhawks, when he said he will rejoin the lineup only when he’s good and ready.

“I’m not going to force it,” Lundqvist said. “It’s not about me, it’s about what’s best for the team, too. I’m not going to just jump out there because I want to play. I want to make sure when I go out there, I feel ready and I can make a difference and help the team. Before that, it’s better for everyone if I just stay in practice and work on my game.”

The plan is for the 31-year-old Lundqvist to practice as much as possible — which, with the Rangers’ upcoming schedule, isn’t very much. They have just two full-team practices over the next week, Friday and next Wednesday before they leave for Ottawa for the beginning of a two-game, four-day trip, which Lundqvist plans to be on.

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