Ousted 'King' heads home

Whether for better or worse nobody really knows, but Sweden's surprising quarterfinal elimination by Slovakia late Wednesday night means that Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist will get an unforeseen extra day or two of rest while winger Marian Gaborik soldiers on in pursuit of Olympic gold.
Lundqvist recorded shutouts in his first two matches, but the King's tournament and defense of the 2006 gold came to an end with the 4-3 defeat in which he made only 10 saves. Lundqvist allowed three goals on four shots in the second period, and Gaborik scored his third goal in five games to open the scoring at 7:27.

As such, Lundqvist will return to New York to join his non-Olympic teammates in workouts that commenced on Wednesday, though it is unclear when he will get back on the ice. Complications caused by the snowstorm may prevent his return until tomorrow or Sunday.
There is no NHL regulation mandating when players are obligated to return to their respective teams upon elimination, though clubs have generally given their players until 5 p.m. the day following their final Olympic game to report.
Under adopted NHL guidelines, players on teams that have advanced to today's semifinals -- U.S. vs. Finland followed by Canada vs. Slovakia -- will be permitted to remain in Vancouver through Sunday's closing ceremonies.
The Rangers, who re-open the season on Tuesday in Ottawa, have four players still in medal contention: Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan for the U.S., Gaborik for Slovakia and Olli Jokinen for Finland. Head coach John Tortorella is an assistant for Team USA


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