New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider exited Tuesday night's game against the Minnesota Wild after picking up an upper-body injury. Ahead of Thursday's showdown against the Dallas Stars, Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant has already ruled Kreider out, though he indicated he's not anticipating a long absence for the 2022 NHL All-Star. Via Mollie Walker, Gallant said he doesn't expect Kreider is dealing with a long-term injury.

Via Walker on Twitter:

“NYR coach Gerard Gallant says he doesn’t think Kreider (upper body) will be out long term.”

Kreider sustained the injury during the third period of the Rangers' overtime win against the Wild. He skated 18 shifts for a total of 16:52 on the ice before making an early exit due to the upper-body injury. He was held without a point despite registering five shots on target in the game.

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This season, Kreider has 30 points in 42 games, including 19 goals and 11 assists. He's tied with Vincent Trocheck for the fourth-most points on the Rangers roster, behind Artemi Panarin (45), Mika Zibanejad (44), and Adam Fox (42).

Kreider is coming off a career year in 2021-22, during which he scored 52 goals and racked up 77 points. His previous career high in points was 53, so the 52-goal explosion was a major shock for the 31-year-old. That season, Kreider led the NHL in Power Play goals (26) and game-winning goals (11).

With Kreider already ruled out for the clash against the Dallas Stars, his next chance to suit up for the Rangers will come Sunday at home against the Montreal Canadiens. In his absence, Gallant revealed that Alexis Lafreniere would be bumped to the first line, with the Rangers hopeful of getting a spark out of their underperforming former first-overall pick.