Rangers' Dan Girardi has close call after skate cuts neck (VIDEO)

The Rangers lost a tough one against the Maple Leafs Saturday night in Toronto, but one Rangers player is considering himself a fortunate man after a scary moment on the ice.

Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi suffered a cut on his neck after he was accidentally struck by the skate blade of Nazem Kadri during a battle for the puck in the corner — and it could have been worse.

At 13:19 of the third period as the two players battled for the puck, Kadri's skate inadvertently rose up and kicked Girardi under his jaw.

Rangers trainer Jim Ramsay raced out from the bench, but Girardi escaped with a three-inch scratch.

"I felt it right away," said Girardi, who played 23:24 minutes of the 5-4 loss. "I grabbed my neck, I looked [at my glove] and I didn't see anything. I saw a little bit [of blood], but I was like, whew . . . I pushed him over, but he lost his balance too. That's what he told me."

Whew indeed.