Surgery will determine extent of Bure's knee injury

NEW YORK -- Rangers star Pavel Bure will have arthroscopic surgery this week to determine the extent of the injury to his left knee.

The 31-year-old right wing, one of the NHL's most prolific scorers, does not know how long he will be out.

"They have to wait until my knee settles down a little and the swelling goes down," he said after Boston beat New York 4-1 Sunday. "After that, they will schedule the surgery."

Bure underwent an MRI exam Saturday and the Rangers placed him on injured reserve.

Team spokesman John Rosasco said Sunday the test showed torn cartilage and a sprain of the medial collateral ligament. The test for damage to the anterior cruciate ligament was inconclusive.

Bure was hurt Friday night in the Rangers' 4-1 loss to Buffalo. He knocked knees with the Sabres' Curtis Brown midway through the game and fell as his left leg collapsed. Bure struggled to make it to the bench.

"I knew something was wrong with my knee right away as soon as I went down," said Bure, who has had two major reconstructive operations on his right knee. "I'll have to see what the doctors think it is exactly."

Bure has 14 goals this season, tops on the Rangers. He had started to pick up the pace with five goals in the three games before the injury. Bure has scored 50 or more goals five times in his career

"When we traded for Pavel last year it brought a lot of hope to the organization, to the players, the fans and the city. Not many players can play the game like Pavel," Rangers star Mark Messier said.

"Not many can do what he can do. All we can do is wait and see how bad the injury is," he added. "We'll deal with that and hopefully he'll be back for some part of the season."

Bure joins a growing list of prominent Rangers on injured reserve. Defenseman Brian Leetch bruised his ankle Tuesday and goalie Mike Richter has been out since a concussion Nov. 5.