Marc Staal out for Game 5, unsure of return for Rangers vs. Caps

New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal returned after a two-month absence for Game 3 against the Washington Capitals. But on the morning of Game 4, he took himself out of the lineup and may not play the rest of the series.

Meeting with reporters on Friday morning in Washington, Staal ruled himself out for Game 5 and said a return to the series is unknown at this point.

From the Bergen Record:

“Not much, I’ll wake up tomorrow and go at it again,” Staal said before being asked whether he believes he’ll play again in the series. “I don’t know. With this thing, the way I’ve been dealing with it is I wake up in the morning and take it from there. I couldn’t speculate one way or another.”

Staal was on the ice Friday morning, but wouldn't go into detail why he ruled himself out for Games 4 and 5, and possibly the rest of the series. After taking a puck to the eye in March, blurred vision and a depth perception that's not 100 percent have been part of what's kept him out of the lineup.

He had also took part in the morning skate of Game 4, but said "it didn't go particularly well as the day went on."

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy