Derek Stepan will not play until after Christmas. The injured Rangers center will miss 4-to-6 weeks with two broken ribs, coach Alain Vigneault said Monday morning at the Garden.
Stepan, 25, saw doctors on Saturday to set the recovery timetable for an injury he sustained in the second period of Friday afternoon's 4-3 loss in Boston, on Bruins forward Matt Beleskey's dangerous, late and un-penalized hit several feet away from the boards.
The NHL Department of Player Safety did not impose any supplemental discipline on Beleskey, either.
The Rangers were not calling up any replacements right away on Monday for several reasons: They are tight against the salary cap ceiling; they have extra bodies on their NHL roster who can play in Stepan's stead; and all four of their games in the next seven days are in the New York area (three at home, one in Brooklyn).