Rangers' Girardi Back At Practice After Taking Puck To Face

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Dan Girardi isn't one to sit out a game -- and it looks like he'll be good to go for Game 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The defenseman was back at practice Friday after taking a puck to the face in the series opener.

"There's a little swelling," Girardi said. "That's all."

Girardi was struck after deflecting a shot off the stick of Pittsburgh's Chris Kunitz with 9:29 remaining in the third period of New York's win at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. He went to the locker room and didn't return.

"The only thing I heard after the game was that the dentist was looking at him," head coach Alain Vigneault said after the 2-1 victory.

Meanwhile, it looks like the Rangers will still be without D-man Kevin Klein when the series resumes Saturday at MSG. Klein, who has been out with a broken arm, wasn't at practice on Friday, according to Newsday's Steve Zipay.

Marc Staal and captain Ryan McDonagh picked up much of the slack in the closing minutes Thursday, with Staal playing 6:07 over five shifts and McDonagh with 4:04 TOI in six shifts after Girardi's injury, according to NHL.com.

"Especially when you have a lead, Danny is one of the guys you want on your side," Rangers center Derick Brassard said. "He's playing a lot of minutes with McDonagh and he's one of the guys that is going to be there in the last minute. He's a shutdown D-man. We hope he's going to be fine, but other guys in our lineup on defense they stepped up for the last 10 minutes and that's the depth we have on defense. We saw it tonight."

Girardi has failed to suit up only four times due to injury in nine seasons, according to the New York Post.