Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello could not speak for four days after being hit in the head by a shot in the opening round of the playoffs and sustaining a small skull fracture and some bleeding.

Three days after the Rangers lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final to the Lightning, Zuccarello discussed his injury for the first time on Monday.

He missed the last two rounds of the playoffs and said it was unlikely that he would have returned had the Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup final.