Filip Chytil making ‘positive’ Rangers strides with Game 1 vs. Panthers looming

The Rangers are almost assuredly going to hold Filip Chytil’s playing status close to the vest until 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday night when they hit the ice for warm-ups ahead of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Panthers.

But the signs continue to look good for the Czech to come back into the lineup after his triumphant return hit a snag after he played Game 3 against the Hurricanes then did not play for the rest of the series.

Chytil skated as a full participant at Monday’s practice and was on the third line along with Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko.

He also drew in on the second power-play unit.

Nothing is certain. But this is how the Rangers should want things to look for Chytil to be on track to play on Wednesday night.

“Remove the part [about Chytil] you want to get into, for anybody that comes into the lineup, we’ve gotta do our job,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “If you’re a defensive physical player, you gotta bring that to the table. If you’re a guy that creates, you gotta come in and create. If you’re a great defender, come in and defend.