The revolving door of right wings on the Rangers’ top line continued to spin Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, with Filip Chytil drawing back into the lineup and re-assuming the post for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Panthers — at least to start.
Chytil slotted next to Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, with whom the Czech forward skated for Games 2 and 3 before the Rangers pulled him from the lineup for Game 4 in the name of load management.
That’s not how it stayed for all of their 3-2 loss, however, as head coach Peter Laviolette continues to plug different skaters in to try and help get his top-line duo going at five-on-five.
Throwing Will Cuylle, Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin on that unit at different times during the game, Laviolette was clearly trying to find a spark for his lineup.
“I think there’s still been a lot of stability within the lineup,” Laviolette said before the loss. “I think there’s been a block of stability, even in the playoffs. [Blake] Wheeler comes back, he’s now an available option. Fil comes back, he’s now an available option. That has to move something. But the core of the lineup, the overall concept of our lines and the overall makeup of our team is still maintaining a lot of stability. I think we’ve handled that OK.”
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With Chytil back in, Blake Wheeler served as a healthy scratch after making his triumphant return from a leg injury he sustained on Feb. 15 in Game 4.
The fourth line featured Cuylle, Barclay Goodrow and Matt Rempe. Additionally, Jack Roslovic returned to the third line next to Kakko and Alex Wennberg, while the second line of Vincent Trocheck, Panarin and Lafreniere remained intact.
Laviolette also decided to revert to the defense pairs the Rangers started the playoffs with.
K’Andre Miller was back with Braden Schneider and Jacob Trouba returned to the left side of Erik Gustafsson.
“We were taking a lot of heat down in Florida,” Laviolette said of the defensive pair changes. “For me, it was just a time to switch. The pairs have been together in the past. I thought they played well tonight. I thought they did a good job against that line. So that was a real positive I thought coming out of it. We didn’t spend nearly as much time defensively, we didn’t give up as many opportunities at the net.”
The Rangers are scheduled to travel Friday to Sunrise, Fla.
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