Buffalo – Jimmy Vicy was a strange guy from the 4 Nations face-off break from the Rangers' first lineup.
After running four straight games before the regular season pause, Vesey warmed up against the Sabres on Saturday evening before a skewed 8-2 defeat from the press box. I saw it as a scratch.
This season, it was counted as the 16th time Vesey has served as a healthy scratch.
The Rangers lineup was pretty similar to the lineup that was rolled out just before the break.
“I like it,” coach Peter LaViolet said of his final match. “We are unveiling three games in four days. We come out of a break we haven't played for a while. We have four guys playing extensively and several people throughout this break. I'm coming through a few games that guys have played. When I play [last] Back-to-back, the opponent played the night before.
“So there's that factor to it. It was a decision we made for that game. We're not saying we're going back to it or not, but that night served our purpose. I also like the line when Mika was with JT. [Miller] and [Artemi] Panarin. It was a really good line for us and I thought it was effective. I'm sure we'll see it together this year. ”
Miller centered around the Rangers' top line between Panalyn and Rayleigh Smith.
Will Cuylle, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere made a second unit, with Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Arthur Kaliyev skating third. Zibanejad played some wings in the game before the break, but he was the third line center in his final match at Columbus.
Line 4 features Johnny Brozinski, Sam Carrick and Matt Lempe.
On his way to five season-high goals in the first term, Rabiolet began to change his line early after giving up goals under two minutes of the game.
Zibanejad hit Panarin and Miller's right wing slightly, pushing Brozinski back into the middle of Kreider and Kariev.
Smith was also dropped down to the fourth row for a shift at one time. This is where I skated during the final match before the break.
A major injury report has been issued by Rangers AHL affiliate Hartford Wolfpack.
Bo Groulx has been ruled out over the weekend and is considered weekly for upper body injuries.
Defensive man Ben Harple, who has struggled with injuries since joining the Rangers organization in 2022, is classified monthly for upper body injuries.
Brandon Scanlin and Blade Jenkins both suffered upper body injuries, while Eric Branstrom suffered daily injuries.
Kaliyev skated in his 200th NHL game.
Zach Jones scored the goal in the first game of his conditioning assignment at the Hartford Wolfpack.
The 24-year-old tied it 1-1 for his team on the way to a 6-5 victory over the Providence Bruins.
