Rangers' Lundqvist would risk a stroke by playing through vascular injury

Henrik Lundqvist shed some light on why he and the New York Rangers have decided it's in his best interest to take a few weeks off.

Lundqvist, diagnosed with a vascular injury that will keep him out of the lineup for three weeks, revealed Sunday that he was at risk of suffering a stroke if he kept playing.

Lundqvist took a puck to the throat Jan. 31 but appeared in the team's next game on Feb. 2, after which he experienced headaches. Doctors then found a sprained blood vessel, and if he had continued playing, he would have been at risk for a stroke, as reported by Dan Rosen of NHL.com.

Lundqvist's plan is to rest up and heal over the next few weeks, with a view toward being 100 percent for a playoff push.

"You don't play around with this," Lundqvist said Sunday. "It's not like a sore shoulder or something; you have to listen to the doctors."

In 39 games this season, Lundqvist has posted a record of 25-11-3 with a .922 save percentage, and is obviously a key piece of any measure of success achieved by the club this season.

The Rangers will rely on backup Cam Talbot in the interim.