It’s possible that Chytil was fine and that the Rangers made the decision that with a 3-1 lead and the 25-year-old’s history of concussions, they would be cautious and not play him in the third period. If that’s the case, however, why would they have played him for one shift late in the second?

The internal battle between knowing they can play better and still picking up wins continued for the Rangers on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

Filip Chytil collided with a teammate and did not return for the third period. Struggling center Mika Zibanejad scored for the Rangers.

Whether Filip Chytil travels with the Rangers on their upcoming four-game road trip out west should give a pretty good indication of the severity of the Czech center’s injury. That, and whether the 25-year-old is even on the ice when the Blueshirts return to practice Saturday at MSG Training Center ahead of their flight to Seattle.

The New York Rangers picked up an important win Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, 3-2 over the San Jose […]