PHILADELPHIA — As sands through the hourglass, Filip Chytil remains, “day-to-day, but not today,” according to head coach Peter Laviolette’s briefing before Friday’s match here against the Flyers.
The 25-year-old oft-injured center missed his seventh straight game after sustaining an unidentified upper body injury in colliding with K’Andre Miller during the second period of the Blueshirts’ 3-2 victory over the Sharks at the Garden on Nov. 14.
Chytil rejoined the team in Calgary last week after having been cleared of a concussion by a phalanx of specialists but while he has skated regularly, No. 72 has not yet taken contact in a full practice.
Laviolette, circumspect per organization policy, would not reveal whether Chytil — who was centering Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko on the team’s best line before he went down — was operating under restrictions.
“He’s been skating, he skated today,” said the coach, whose team was attempting to break a four-game regulation losing streak. “Right now, he’s day-to-day and we haven’t really practiced.”
Kakko was set to center the third line for the third straight game between Adam Edstrom and Reilly Smith.
The makeshift unit with Kakko playing the middle for the first time in his six-year NHL career has held its own in the previous two matches, on for one goal for and one goal against with a 47.06 expected goal share.
Chris Kreider, also “day-to-day, not today,” missed his third straight game while dealing with back spasms.
The Rangers have gone 7-8 since their 5-0-1 getaway, a stretch through which essentially every player has been dragged down. It’s not just Mika Zibanejad.
“It’s unacceptable,” Laviolette said of the club’s extended funk. “I’m not making excuses for it. Nobody’s happy. I’m not happy.
“We’ve got to be better. There’s an expectation for us to be successful and to win games. The fact that we’ve kicked up some ground here and lost games, nobody is happy about that.
“It’s not good enough,” said the coach. “We’re not good enough defensively. We haven’t been good enough offensively. Special teams can be better. Everything can be better.
“The whole group can be better.”
The Blueshirts begin a five-game homestand Saturday afternoon when the Canadiens come to town.
