Filip Chytil out, Matt Rempe in for Rangers in Game 5 vs. Hurricanes

Filip Chytil will not play for the New York Rangers when they try to close out the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Second Round on Monday at Madison Square Garden. He did participate in the morning skate as an extra, but did not take part in any line rushes.

The 24-year-old forward will miss his second straight game after returning from a six-month injury absence to play in New York’s 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 down in Raleigh last Thursday. Chytil didn’t dress for Game 4, a 4-3 road loss on Saturday, with an illness.

“He practiced this morning. That’s a real positive thing for our team,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said . “I’m going to keep any lineup decisions that I make to myself.”

The health issue came as a surprise and raised some concerns about Chytil, who is believed to have sustained a concussion on Nov. 2 against the Hurricanes. He did not play again during the regular season, limited to just 10 games.

Laviolette said before Game 4 that Chytil, who didn’t participate in the morning skate Saturday, felt fine at a team meal Friday, but woke up feeling ill Saturday.

Dan Rosen of NHL.com reported Sunday that Laviolette said Chytil was feeling better and could be an “option” for Game 5, though that won’t be the case.

New York Post reporter Mollie Walker tweeted after the skate Monday that Chytil was not available for interviews.

Related: Winning special-teams battle among 3 Rangers keys for Game 5

Matt Rempe replaces Jonny Brodzinski in Rangers lineup for Game 5 vs. Hurricanes

With Chytil out, Matt Rempe will move back into the lineup and replace Jonny Brodzinski, in a somewhat surprising move. Brodzinski played his first game of these playoffs in Game 4. Though he was on ice for Evgeny Kuznetsov’s game-opening goal on his first shift, Brodzinski also set a screen on Barclay Goodrow’s goal in the second period that pulled New York within 3-2.

In all, the 30-year-old logged 8:49 in ice time on the fourth line with Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.

“Jonny’s a good skater, a good player, plays different positions, does different things for us,” Laviolette explained. “That was a good addition (to the lineup in Game 4).”

Brodzinski and Rempe exited the ice after the morning skate around the same time, but Brodzinski took line rushes with Goodrow and Vesey, and Rempe did not. So it appeared Rempe likely would be scratched for the third straight game after playing in New York’s first six postseason games, scoring one goal with eight penalty minutes.

But instead, Rempe was on the ice taking warmups and Brodzinski was not prior to Game 5.

The Rangers lead the best-of-7 series 3-1 and will try for the second time to eliminate the Hurricanes after winning the first three games. Game 6, if necessary, would be back in Raleigh on Thursday.

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