Finally recovered from hip surgery he underwent in May, Oscar Lindberg hadn’t had a full practice at center before making his season debut for the Rangers on Sunday, when he stepped in for the ailing Chris Kreider.
Lindberg won 134 faceoffs and lost 143 last year (48.4 percent). But against the Coyotes, he won seven of nine draws.
It’s a small sample through six games, but throughout the lineup, the Rangers are on pace to have their best season at the dots since lockout-shortened 2012-13, when they finished at 50 percent.
As of Monday, the Blueshirts were fourth in the NHL in faceoff wins, at 53.