Dylan McIlrath knows from knee injuries, the 23-year-old having missed the first half of the 2012-13 season after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated left kneecap that he sustained during that June’s prospects camp.
So when the Rangers’ rookie defenseman sustained an injury to his right knee on a hit from Cal Clutterbuck at 13:27 of the first period of the Rangers-Islanders match at the Garden on Mar. 6, McIlrath was the first to know this wasn’t in the same ballpark.
“I was kind of in shock when it happened; it was like an ‘oh-s–t’ moment, but I could tell it wasn’t anything super serious,” McIlrath told The Post after taking part in the Blueshirts’ morning skate at the Garden on Monday while wearing a non-contact jersey.