There is an art to managing a team’s extra skaters, especially if said team has lengthy playoff aspirations like the Rangers.
Everybody knows that injuries are often inevitable and that the grind of an 82-game season takes its toll on every player differently.
Players who are scratched night after night are expected to stay sharp and ready, but when they haven’t seen game action in a while, it can be a lofty task.
The Rangers are in a unique position with the players on their lineup bubble.
Tyler Pitlick and Jimmy Vesey have alternated through the first three games, with Pitlick drawing back into the Rangers’ lineup for their home-opening 2-1 win over the Coyotes Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s difficult, you’re talking about players who’ve been around for over 500 games and they’re good players,” Laviolette said when asked about balancing his desire to ensure players aren’t sitting too long with dressing the lineup he feels gives him the best chance to win every night. “We’re not making any decisions based on player evaluation. I’m making decisions right now based on the fact that I’ve got 13 forwards I think do a good job and I can only play 12.”
Zac Jones is currently serving as the seventh defenseman.
He was a healthy scratch for the season-opening win in Buffalo, but got the call when Ryan Lindgren was sidelined with an upper-body injury in the second game of the season in Columbus.
With Lindgren back in the lineup on Monday, Jones was scratched again.
The premise of keeping players sharp and in touch with game action is important.
This makes for an easier transition from player to player in a lineup when injuries do arise.
There is also a major benefit to riding the same lineup and letting it organically develop chemistry.
At the same time, however, consistently yanking players in and out of the lineup can prevent guys from finding a rhythm in their game.
Look no further than Jones, who was yo-yoed last season by former head coach Gerard Gallant and never got an opportunity to really settle in.
Jones is a special case in the sense that he’s still developing into a full-time NHLer, but competing under those sorts of circumstances isn’t beneficial for any player.
“I don’t think I had a very good mindset last year, I think that was the biggest thing,” Jones said, declining to put blame on the way he was handled as a reason for his struggles. “I just kind of got in my head too much. I used to let the things I couldn’t control affect me. The biggest thing for me coming in this year is being a good pro and learning that some days I’m not going to be in the lineup. So I got to be ready whenever that time comes and whenever the opportunities arise, I’ve got to be ready to go.
“The biggest thing for me this year is just having a good mindset. Obviously, you want to play every game, but I’ve come to learn that in the situation I’m in right now, I just got to be ready to go whenever I’m in the lineup.”
Igor Shesterkin earned the starting nod in goal in the home opener, marking his third straight start of the season and the first time a Rangers goalie started the first three games since Henrik Lundqvist played the first five in 2017-18.
With another home game scheduled for Thursday against the Predators, the Rangers need to find the right time to get backup goalie Jonathan Quick a game before they leave for a 12-day road trip on Friday.
It’s possible Quick gets the Nashville game, and then at least one contest in either Seattle or somewhere during the western Canada road trip.
“We’ll get him going,” Laviolette said of Quick. “It’s the home opener, guys are excited about that. We’re excited for that opportunity when he does get in there. We’re aware of [finding a spot for him to play]. There’s been conversations about it and the goalies are aware of what we’re thinking and the intentions.”
Chris Kreider scored the Rangers’ first goal of the night off a feed from Mika Zibanejad on a two-on-one rush in the first period, his fourth goal in three games to start the season.
It’s the third time in Kreider’s career that he’s opened the season on a three-game goal streak.
