Big Blow For Rangers: Leading Scorer Zuccarello Suffers Broken Hand In Sochi

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- This is Exhibit B for all those who don't like the idea of NHL players competing in the Olympics.

Injuries have once again become a story.

First, the Detroit Red Wings lost Henrik Zetterberg for an extended period of time after he went down with a back injury while playing for Sweden in the preliminary round. On Wednesday, the Rangers revealed that they will be without leading scorer Mats Zuccarello for an undetermined amount of time.

Zuccarello, who has 15 goals and 43 points in 58 games this season for the Blueshirts, suffered a non-displaced fracture in his hand while playing for Norway in the preliminary round, the Rangers announced.

An MRI exam performed in Russia confirmed the injury, NHL.com reported. Zuccarello is scheduled to return to New York on Thursday and he will be re-evaluated by Rangers team doctors. There was no word on how long Zuccarello could be out, though there was speculation he could miss anywhere from 10 days to three weeks.

The Rangers' next game is Feb. 27 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Due to the injury, Zuccarello, Norway's lone NHL player, was forced to sit out his home country's qualification playoff loss to Russia on Tuesday.

Zuccarello did not register a point during Norway's three preliminary round games, but had 10 shots on goal and led the team's forwards with an average ice time of 22:25 per game.

Zetterberg, who has been one of Detroit's best offensive players for years, suffered a herniated disc and could miss the rest of the regular season.

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