Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko ‘felt good’ with top-six minutes in injury return

Kaapo Kakko woke up Sunday morning and saw his name next to Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on the lineup card.

In his first game back after a 21-game absence on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury, the Finnish wing was entrusted with the top-six minutes he had lost 11 games into the season.

The Rangers, on a four-game skid before Sunday’s 2-1 victory over the Capitals, needed a lifeline and Kakko was put in a position to help deliver.

“It felt good,” said Kakko, who finished with two shots on goal and two hits in 16:04 of ice time in the win. “Of course, I knew it was going to be more ice time [than] I got before I got hurt. That was a good thing. I was happy about that. Good win, also. So hopefully next game I can keep playing with those guys and get better also.

“They are great players, so [I] have to be better also.”

The 22-year-old was not under any sort of restrictions or ice-time limits, according to head coach Peter Laviolette.

As a result of Kakko’s return, Anton Blidh, who made his season debut and Rangers debut on Saturday in Washington, was returned to AHL Hartford.

While Kakko only had two goals and one assists in 20 games before his injury, which he sustained in an awkward fall along the boards following a corner collision with Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson on Nov. 27, the Rangers had two AHL call-ups in their lineup the previous five games.

In need of another NHL-caliber forward, the Rangers got Kakko back just in time to help the club end a season-high four-game losing streak.

Laviolette noted that Kakko started the season on the right wing of Zibanejad and Kreider and had decent numbers.

The only thing that was missing, he said, were the results.

“I thought he had really positive minutes,” Laviolette said of Kakko after the game. “Just talked with him and he felt good. I thought he was a contributor offensively, he had some chances to score and that’s what you want to see. The opportunity and the chances, both will eventually drop for him so he could create out there.”

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The NHL announced on Sunday that Laviolette will serve as one of the two Eastern Conference head coaches at All-Star weekend in Toronto.

Laviolette was named along with Jim Montgomery of the Bruins to represent the East, while the Jets’ Rick Bowness and the Canucks’ Rick Tocchet were chosen for the West.

Head coaches are selected from the teams with the highest points percentage in each of the four divisions through Jan. 13 — the halfway point of the regular season — to lead the four All-Star rosters.

This will be Laviolette’s fourth All-Star weekend appearance as head coach, after the 59-year-old participated in 2011, 2015 and 2018.

It’s the most among active head coaches in the NHL.

Laviolette has led the Rangers to a 26-13-2 record so far in his first season with the team.