10/18/17 | 8:34PM: Bob McKenzie reiterates that Nash wants to stay a Ranger past this season, will need to take a pay cut and that there hasn't been much discussion about an extension. (NBCSN, Today's Slapshot)

McKenzie adds that if the Rangers continue to struggle then Nash will likely be traded before the deadline. (NBCSN, Today's Slapshot)

10/9/17 | 10:48AM: Nash said that it would be exciting to become a free agent for the first time but that he hopes that he gets to stay with the Rangers. (The Athletic)

Nash's agent Joe Resnick said that Nash isn't thinking about a contract right now. (The Athletic)

Alain Vigneault said on Wednesday that Kevin Shattenkirk is putting a lot of pressure on himself and that he likes players who are accountable and "demanding" of themselves.

Vigneault said that Shattenkirk is still adjusting to being with the Rangers but he is closing in on knowing and understanding about 90% of what the Rangers want to do and how they want to play.

Shattenkirk said that he has been better the past couple of games and that he likes how his pairing with Marc Staal is playing. (NY Post)

Alain Vigneault met with the media on Wednesday after practice and said (NYR):

• Will McDonagh be okay for tomorrow, "as far as I know, yes. Today was a maintenance day. At this time I would say that he should be good tomorrow and I should be able to let you know in the morning."
• Are you having a morning skate, "no, just a couple of guys. McDonagh should be one of them."
• On the offense, "we are working extremely hard right now both as a team and individually for us to win. This is a business that is oriented around winning and we need to get our game to where it will permit us to do that on a more regular basis. I look at the things we have been working on and we are taking huge steps in the right direction in all facets of our game, defensively and offensively and it's just a matter of time before we put it all together. The focus is there, the prep and hard work is there and needed to be successful and we have an opportunity tomorrow against another good team. We had the Stanley Cup champions come in here and now one of our biggest rivals. We played well against one of our rivals against New Jersey. I'm expecting the same type of energy and execution and jump tomorrow and expect us to be on the right side this time."

1:38PM: Ryan McDonagh should be able to play tomorrow against the Islanders but he will skate in the morning. (NYR, Zipay)

12:52PM: At practice today, Nick Holden skated in McDonagh's spot next to Tony DeAngelo, Marc Staal and Kevin Shattenkirk stayed together and so did Brady Skjei and Brendan Smith. (Zipay)

Paul Carey and Steven Kampfer skated as an extra defense pair. (Zipay)

Alain Vigneault said on Tuesday night that the Rangers are a very "accountable" group of players, are "working very hard" and that "I'm very confident that if we keep doing a lot of the things we are doing we will be on the right track."

Vigneault said that the Rangers came back with a strong effort in the second and third periods and said that the players will work themselves out of this slump and "we will be on the right track real soon."

Henrik Lundqvist said that the Rangers are doing "a lot of good things" and played well against the Penguins. (MSG)

Through seven games to start the season, Ryan McDonagh has two assists, a minus two rating, 10 PIM and an average of 23:29 per game.

McDonagh has been credited with 9 giveaways, including 6 last night in the Rangers loss to the Penguins.

McDonagh turned the puck over in OT last night, leading to the Penguins game winner, and said that he let the team down and made a "really bad play."

Alain Vigneault met with the media on MSG and said:

• On the game, "there is no sense in being frustrated. It's about playing the game and playing it the right way. We started off, again, tonight, we didn't make the simple plays but you gotta like the way we battled back. We came back real strong in the second and third and carried most of the play and had a lead. Could say that there was icing on the play, maybe Kevin shouldn't' have touched the puck, right now it's a little bit challenging as far as putting the whole game together for us. This group is very accountable and working very hard and I'm very confident that if we keep doing a lot of the things we are doing we will be on the right track."
• On McDonagh messing up, "you guys know Ryan as much as I do and how much he cares and wants to do the right thing. There is always that fine line of wanting to do too much to help the team. Ryan is a great captain and a great person and he will do like the rest of the group and work himself out of this and we will be on the right track real soon."
• On the penalty on the 5 on 3, "he got pushed from behind by the goalie and the momentum pushed him on the D. I don't really think I can fault him for that. I looked at the replay quickly and I have to see it again. It's part of the game."

On MSG, Henrik Lundqvist was asked about the game tying goal that Sidney Crosby score and said:

• On the tying goal, "I think you watched five replays so you probably know what happened, he banged it off me and it's not the first time that happens. As a goalie you just need to make sure you are alert. Try to deflect the pass but when it goes right at you like that, sometimes you need some luck. I didn't have it in that situation. I don't know what else to say. It was a tough goal to give up late in the game. Sometimes it's easy to face a shot then have a play like that where my stick is there and it's a just a bad bounce, that is what it is."
• Were you surprised on the tying goal, "when the puck is there you wait for the next play and when it bangs it off your stick like that you hope it doesn't go the way it went in. It went back and not in front of me. Sometimes you need to hide behind the post and some players, Crosby does it a lot. Just gotta learn from it. Maybe it was a little surprising, I didn't expect that."

The Rangers scored three straight goals in the second period, but Evgeni Malkin scored the game-winning goal to propel the Penguins to a 5-4 win on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. >> Read More

First period:

• 0:43 PIT Phil Kessel; Assists: Evgeni Malkin, Ian Cole
• 13:30 PIT Carl Hagelin; Assists: Olli Maatta

Second period:

NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers are sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference at 1-5-0, their worst start since 1980. They are desperate for a victory, and the good news is their next game is on home ice Tuesday night.

When asked what the Rangers can do better to limit turnovers, Alain Vigneault said Saturday that they need to make better decisions with the puck.

Ryan McDonagh said that the Rangers are trying to force things and that the for them to be successful they need to play as a unit of five, play fast and understand where each other are on the ice.

Rick Nash said that the Rangers need to simplify their game and stick with a simple game, even when they are struggling. (NYR Game Notes)

Tonight against the Penguins, the Rangers are expected to start with the lines as (NYR):

• Rick Nash, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello
• Chris Kreider, David Desharnais, JT Miller
• Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast
• Michael Grabner, Adam Cracknell, Pavel Buchnevich

Alain Vigneault said today that Cracknell has played center "quite a bit" and that Lindy Ruff said that he played Cracknell at center about 50% of the time last season.

On defense the plan is similar to Saturday's loss in New Jersey, with Ryan McDonagh and Anthony DeAngelo, Marc Staal and Kevin Shattenkirk, Brady Skjei and Brendan Smith. (NYR)

Alain Vigneault met with the media this morning and said (NYR):

• Is Cracknell in today, "yes, he is playing. Four lines and 6 D."
• How much center has he played, "quite a bit. Lindy said that he used him there more than 50% of the time last year so he is used to playing there and he will be effective for us."
• On JT Miller's season, "JT has always been good on faceoffs, especially on the strong side, good technique and strength and has been efficient for us. As far as his play, like the rest of our team, especially on offense, just a little bit off and that is one of the reasons that when you have guys with that skill level, that can play a power game are having a tough time helping us score goals, we haven't scored a lot of goals this year. We are looking to play a solid two-way game and finish a bit more on the opportunities we are getting."

Brady Skjei said on Monday that spirits in the Rangers locker room are "still high" and that while it's been a frustrating start, "there is a lot of fight in this room" and the Rangers are trying to improve every day. (NYR)

Skjei added that the Rangers are a "tight knit" group and that no one is giving up or quitting. (NYR)

Alain Vigneault said on Monday that no one is happy with where the Rangers are right now but that these struggles will help to form the team's identity.

Only 6 of the Rangers 13 goals so far this season have come at 5 on 5 while the Rangers have allowed 12 goals at 5 on 5.

The Rangers had two 5 on 5 goals against the Leafs and Canadiens and one each against the Blue Jackets and Devils this past weekend. (Natural Stat Trick)

Alain Vigneault said that the Rangers are aware of their scoring issues so far and that they are working on being more efficient with the puck while trying to make plays.

Alain Vigneault met with the media following practice on Monday and said (NYR):

• On practice, "we had a good practice, worked on a couple of areas we needed to work on. A little bit of forecheck and zone time and got a lot out of it."
• On the lack of even strength scoring, "we are aware of it. Right now, except for that Toronto game where we scored 4 goals at 5 on 5, the other 5 games we have only scored two goals at 5 on 5. It's definitely an area we are working on, being more efficient coming into the zone and making certain plays and trusting their instincts. These guys have had pretty good numbers and we have done it on a four line basis and there is no doubt that we, in my estimation, improved the defensive side of the game but we need to score some goals and focus on our offensive zone. We get another opportunity tomorrow.' 
• "For me, I see this as us being challenged, we are feeling adversity as a group and the solution lies inside that room. As a player you control what you can control, hard work, prep, making sure you analyze your game properly so that you can focus on the areas that you need to improve. That is where coaching comes in, to provide the right feedback and if we get our guys to improve their games individually, team will benefit, play better and win. When you win you are happy and when you don't win it's a little more challenging."

12:13PM: At Rangers practice on Monday, the team is using the following lines (Cyrgalis):

• Rick Nash, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello
• Chris Kreider, David Desharnais, JT Miller
• Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast
• Michael Grabner, Paul Carey, Adam Cracknell/Pavel Buchnevich.

On defense, the Rangers have Ryan McDonagh with Tony DeAngelo, Brady Skjei with Brendan Smith, Marc Staal with Kevin Shattenkirk, Nick Holden with Steven Kampfer. (Cyrgalis)

Ryan McDonagh said on Saturday that hopefully this was "rock bottom early on" for the Rangers and that this is a real "gut check" time."

McDonagh said that the Rangers have no one to blame but themselves and that an inability to play a 60 minute game has been the story so far this season.

He said that there is an understanding of the expectations both for the team and individually and that the Rangers need to play with more "edge and desperation."

Ryan McDonagh said on Saturday that this group of Rangers is not going to quit and that he knows that to be a "fact."

McDonagh said that the Rangers need to keep working, trust their system and play a game with more edge and more desperation.

He added that this group of players understand that their recent play is not good enough and that if they don't then "something is wrong."

10/16/17 |Alain Vigneault said on Monday, of DeAngelo's game on Saturday, "he had some real good moments and decisions with the puck, there is no doubt that the upside is there. His penalty was costly, he pushed the guy a little bit, fell on the goalie and the ref looking right at it he didn't call it, the ref 80ft behind calls it. I'm thinking that if he is a more veteran guy he probably doesn't get that call. He needs to establish himself, establish that respect with the refs. He had some good moments, I like the skill level and he did some good things."

10/15/17 | In his return to the lineup last night, Anthony DeAngelo was a minus one, had 3 shots on goal, 1 shot that missed the net, 2 hits and 2 giveaways.

DeAngelo was also called for a cross checking penalty early in the third period that led to the winning goal for the Devils.

Following Friday's loss to Columbus, Henrik Lundqvist said that "turnovers" are killing the Rangers and preventing them from playing fast.

Following Saturday's loss to New Jersey, Brady Skjei said that "turnovers" are killing the Rangers and preventing them from playing fast. (MSG)

Asked what changed after a strong first period on Saturday, Alain Vigneault said "turnovers. We turned the puck over and couldn't play as fast as we did in the first period."

The Wolf Pack defeated Springfield 4-3 last night on the back of a 3-point performance from Filip Chytil:

• John Gilmour: 1 goal, 1 shot, plus one, interference penalty
• Neal Pionk: 4 shots
• Adam Tambellini: 5 shots
• Brandon Crawley: 1 shot, cross checking penalty
• Steven Fogarty: 1 shot, minus one
• Boo Nieves: 1 goal, 2 shots, minus one, hooking penalty
• Ryan Graves: 1 shot, plus one
• Gabriel Fontaine: 1 shot, minus one
• Alexei Bereglazov: 1 assist, holding penalty
• Filip Chytil: 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 shots, plus three
• Matt Puempel: 2 shots
• Vinni Lettieri: 1 goal, 1 assist, 6 shots, plus three, slashing penalty

Alain Vigneault met with the media on MSG following the Rangers loss to New Jersey and said:

• What changed in the second, "turnovers. We turned the puck over and couldn't play as fast as we did in the first period and they capitalized on a couple of their looks."
• How do you prevent the turnovers, "it's better decision making. We obviously came out real strong and made the right decisions with the puck which permitted us to play a fast game. We weren't able to capitalize on some of our looks but you gotta keep playing the right way and if you do you will be rewarded. In the second period we had too many costly turnovers. We started off the third with a couple of unwarranted penalties on our part. Tried to battle back and came up short."
• On 11 forwards and 7 D, "we played back to back, I just felt that tonight that gave us the best chance to win."
• On the injuries, "no, at the end of the day everybody that I thought was questionable ended up playing."
• On Jesper Fast, "he looked alright for having no exhibition games, didn't have a lot of practice on a regular line. Skated well and competed real hard like he always does."

Ryan McDonagh met with the media on MSG following the Rangers loss to the Devils and said:

• Another game without a 60 minute effort, "it's been the story thus far in our season. There is no one to blame but ourselves, the guys in this room, the guys that are in the lineup every night. Our coaches are preparing us and we are going to our meetings and know what is expected us but we are not performing, playing the way we need to play. Every single one of us, maybe 1-2 guys going a night and that is not a winning formula. We need to keep our heads up and work hard and find a way to get better results individually and as a group."
• What happens when the game turns, "certainly when it's not going your way you are probably trying to force it too much. You want to go out there and make a difference on every shift but you have to understand that for our group to be successful you gotta do it together as a unit of five and move the puck and play fast and know where each other are on the ice. We get disjointed at times and we lose our focus and structure and we get hurt there."

First period:

• No goals

Second period:

• 5:31 NYR Rick Nash; Assists: David Desharnais
• 10:21 NJD Adam Henrique; Assists: Brian Gibbons
• 16:41 NJD Miles Wood; Assists: Ben Lovejoy, Will Butcher

Third period:

• 1:00  NJD Drew Stafford (Power Play); Assists: Will Butcher, Nico Hischier
• 19:03 NYR Kevin Shattenkirk; Assists: J.T. Miller

The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils are coming off disappointing losses Friday night.

Only one team will exit the ice satisfied with the outcome Saturday night when the Devils and Rangers begin their season series at Madison Square Garden.

7:02PM: The Rangers are going with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen with Tony DeAngelo returning to the lineup and both Adam Cracknell and Paul Carey being scratched. (MSG)

5:29PM: Alain Vigneault spoke with the media before the game and said (NYR):

• "the only thing I know for sure tonight is Pavs going in and Quickie has been cleared to play so he is going to play. We've got 3 question marks that I will only know after warmups. A couple of bumps and bruises and we will sort this out up front and on D."
• On Pavelec, "it's very important, if you look at our backups and their records since I have been here, their winning percentages have been excellent. Very confident, Pavs has been working hard and doing a lot of extra with Benoit and tonight he gets his first chance to start his first game as as Ranger. I expect the group in front of him to be engaged for 60 minutes and to play real hard."
• On Fast, "like I said a couple of days ago, he was cleared medically, a matter of him feeling physically on the ice he was where he needed to be. We would not put him on back to back situations so I had a feeling we would be good for tonight and tonight is his first night."
• "I think our schedule is pretty good here moving forward. Any time you come back from a serious injury you are in constant communication with the medical staff. He has been feeling real well and followed all the rehab he had to do, he was on schedule. This is 5 months, I think, right to the letter."
• On the Devils, "combo of real good speed, goaltending has been very good. Playing with a lot of confidence and fast, a tough opponent for us."

Heading into tonight's sixth game of the season against the Devils, the Rangers are 1-4, last in the Metro and have a minus 7 goal differential.

Mats Zuccarello said that they can't start to panic but that if the Rangers want "to win hockey games" they need to play better. (Newsday)

Rick Nash said that the Rangers are going through a "tough time" and need to stay together. (MSG)

The Wolf Pack beat the Toronto Marlies 5-2 last night with Filip Chytil playing his first AHL game:

• John Gilmour: 3 shots, plus one
• Neal Pionk: 1 shot, plus one
• Adam Tambellini: 1 goal, 3 shots
• Brandon Crawley: slashing penalty, 1 shot
• Steven Fogarty: 1 shot, plus two
• Boo Nieves: 1 goal, 1 assist, 4 shots, minus one
• Ryan Graves: 1 assist, 1 shot
• Gabriel Fontaine: nothing on scoresheet
• Alexei Bereglazov: 1 assist, 1 shot, plus one
• Filip Chytil: 1 shot, plus one, tripping & high sticking penalty
• Matt Puempel: 1 goal, 3 shots, plus one
• Vinni Lettieri: 3 shots

Alain Vigneault said that the Rangers were "totally dominated" in the third period last night and that the Rangers need to put together a 60 minute effort.

He said that at times the Rangers had some real good moments but "in the third we certainly weren't good enough."

The Rangers were out-attempted 25-13 in the third period and out-shot 18-9. (Hockey Stats)

Alain Vigneault met with the media on MSG following the Rangers loss in Columbus and said:

• On the game, "again, tonight, we didn't play 60 minutes. They get that first goal that deflected off of us and we didn't respond well in the third. They totally dominated us in the third period. Right now every line seems to have one guy really fighting it, one guy just playing okay and it's not good enough right now. We definitely need to get our game in order. It's there for spurts, for moments but in this league, a competitive league you need to play for 60 minutes and we aren't doing it right now."
• On the turnovers, "we have a few issues, there is no doubt, this group can play a lot better than it is right now. We gotta focus right now on tomorrow, for moments we looked real good , looked like we could make plays and defend bu we didn't put it together, there is no doubt."
• "It's going to happen in a 60 minute game where the other team gets some looks and some momentum, that is when you need to respond on the next shift. Tonight we had some real good moments but in the third we certainly weren't good enough."

Henrik Lundqvist met with the media on MSG following the Rangers loss in Columbus and said:

• On the third, "just coming up short. It's not enough, we need more, obviously. We aren't getting wins and it's not good. There are a lot of areas we are doing well but the one thing we have to clean up is the amount of turnovers. Turnovers are killing us. We are a fast team when we put the puck in the right place but now we have to defend a lot because of turnovers. That is something we have to discuss and do better. Other than that it's a lot of good things, special teams are doing a good job. The intensity is out there, it's just turnovers. We work on that and we start winning."
• On things you can control, "if you look at the chances they had tonight, I think most of it we brought on ourselves. It happens and it's a fast game and a game of mistakes because of the pressure. Just have to make sure it's not too many. We had our chances to go up 2-0 in the second period and instead they get the late one, a bad bounce and it's a different game going into the third."

First period:

• 14:15 NYR Kevin Hayes

Second period:

• 19:14 CBJ Seth Jones Assists: Zach Werenski, Alexander Wennberg

Third period:

• 7:25 CBJ Artemi Panarin Assists: Seth Jones, Zach Werenski
• 19:54 CBJ Lukas Sedlak (ENG) Assists: Ryan Murray

Alain Vigneault met with the media on Friday prior to the Rangers game against Columbus and said (NYR):

• On what he wants to see from Brendan Smith, "he's gonna play a good game for us, Brendan knows his strengths, is a physical player. When he has a good gap he is very effective and we look to him to have a real strong game for us."
• On what to do with DeAngelo, "I'm gonna get him back in. If you look at his overall camp, he had a good camp, a tougher game in Toronto, I went with 7D and he didn't play much. I wanted to get Kampf and Holden in, it's a game of numbers. We have 8 guys right now. I love that skill set, love that he is a right handed shot, for us there is a lot of potential there. It's a long season and you try to sort things out. You look at all of the teams know, who they are playing in certain situations and who is in and out of the lineup and I can tell you that come game 60-70 it won't be the same thing. Everyone is trying to figure out if their young players can do it, if some other guys can have a bigger role. That is just part of the process of a start of the season. At the same time we are trying to win games and that is what we will do tonight."
• On Columbus, "same type of team, they come after you, they are going to forecheck hard, they defend well, gotten some sound goaltending. It's a good test to know where we are as a team, we put some new lines together, the only line we kept together is Mika's line. I'm hoping to see something from the other three lines and our D group, which I believe is a real strong group, to play a good game and this is a real tough building to play in so we will find out a lot about ourselves tonight."

The Rangers (1-3) visit the Blue Jackets Friday night in Columbus.

6:06PM: Tortorella said before the game about the Rangers, "You are with an organization for five years, I live in the area during the summer. I have some great friends there. The team is different now as the league is, people are coming and going, but to me it's never been, 'it's the Rangers, lets kick them. I end up seeing a lot of good friends when they come in. I spent a number of years there so it's part of me. I'm coaching another team but that is still part of me, being part of that organization and I loved coaching there. That is all I can think of. It's not being upset about something, it's good to see the guys and I got a couple of texts last night but then once you start playing you are playing." (CBJ)

2:04PM: Columbus coach John Tortorella said on Thursday that the Rangers will be "champing at the bit" on Friday against the Blue Jackets. (The Athletic)

Tortorella said that the Rangers are a "good team," have "great goaltending" and that it will be a "hard game" for his Columbus team. (The Athletic)

Against Columbus tonight, the Rangers are expected to go with a defense group that includes:

• Ryan McDonagh paired with Nick Holden
• Marc Staal paired with Kevin Shattenkirk
• Brady Skjei paired with Brendan Smith

Vigneault said that the Rangers defense is a work in progress as they try and find some duos that have chemistry.

He said that Smith and Skjei had good chemistry last season and that the Rangers want Ryan McDonagh playing on the left side.

On Wednesday, Alain Vigneault said that the Rangers are a "work in progress" and trying to find their identity.

Following Tuesday's loss to St. Louis, Vigneault said that the Rangers are getting a lot of offensive chances from Mika Zibanejad's line but that he is still looking for chemistry with his other two scoring lines.

Vigneault, on Wednesday, reiterated that there is a search for chemistry when it comes to putting the forward lines together and that the forwards and defense need to get on the same page so the Rangers can play a faster game.

Alain Vigneault said on Thursday that he thinks JT Miller is more effective on the wing and that Miller lprefers to play on the wing.

Miller was skating at practice today with David Desharnais and Jimmy Vesey.

Vigneault said that Miller can get in on the forecheck, protect the puck and get in front of the net more while skating on the wing and the Rangers need him to do that.

Miller saw time at center in parts of the Rangers previous three games and said that he was feeling comfortable in the middle but had to make some adjustments.

Alain Vigneault met with the media on Thursday after practice and said (NYR):

• On Shattenkirk, "Kevin, like the rest of our team, is a work in progress. He has been very efficient on the PP but like the rest of our team, 5 on 5, there is definitely room for improvement there. It's normal, you come from another organization, two really but one he was with for a long time, it takes a little while to adjust to teammates, environment, style of play. He's going to be fine, smart young man, real good work ethic and he will fit in real good."
• On the defense changes, "right now, work in progress, trying to find combos and duos that can be real successful and bring us wins, trying to sort that out on defense. Obviously putting Smytty with Brady, they had good chemistry. Now we have to sort out, I think by having Mac on the right side, as much as he can play both sides, we lose a little bit of him being able to jump into the play and keeps puck in the offensive zone because he is so much more comfortable and better on the left side than right side. We decided to put him back there so that changes our dynamics of our back end because we want that strength in our lineup. Just trying to sort things out right now and figure out if we are going to have a shutdown pair like we have in the past or are we going to have a group of six with that mandate. We need a bit more time here and we said that at the start of the season."
• On better starts, "there is no doubt that in the first four games, other than the Montreal one, even the Montreal one where we had a lot of turnovers and spent time in our own end, if you get behind, it's a tough league. Positive thing, for me, is that we got behind and tied it up, that shows a lot of character and resiliency in the room. Last game we went down and tried to come down and had a real strong push and their goaltender was the difference in the third. There are some things to build on but we aren't going to hide, we have room to improve and I believe this group will do it, very hard working group."
• On McDonagh and Shattenkirk, "Shatty has to have a little bit of time to get adjusted here, he has had a different role in the past. This is an adjustment and playing against top-six forwards. I think he is on the verge, 5 on 5, of understanding what we are looking for and being a real effective player for us. Is that going to be with Mac or someone else, right now he is with Marc Staal and time will tell."
• On Pavel Buchenvich, "there is no doubt, he came to camp better prepared. Because he was better prepared it shows, he is getting some good looks. That line has had some real good moments and that the chemistry will continue. He's still got a lot of room for improvement and with that skill set, he can be a real solid player and he is trying to get better and we are trying to get him better."

5:19PM: While speaking about the starts on Thursday, Alain Vigneault said "there is no doubt that in the first four games, other than the Montreal one, even the Montreal one where we had a lot of turnovers and spent time in our own end, if you get behind, it's a tough league. Positive thing, for me, is that we got behind and tied it up, that shows a lot of character and resiliency in the room. Last game we went down and tried to come down and had a real strong push and their goaltender was the difference in the third. There are some things to build on but we aren't going to hide, we have room to improve and I believe this group will do it, very hard working group."

3:33PM: Kevin Shattenkirk said on Thursday that the Rangers need to "reset" a bit and be ready to play their best game against Columbus. (NYR)

He said that the Rangers have been getting off to slow starts and then puts them in a position where they sometimes start to stretch out and become disconnected on the ice. (NYR)

12:14PM: At Rangers practice on Thursday, the team is using the following lines and defense pairs (Cyrgalis): 

• Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello
• Rick Nash, Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello
• Jimmy Vesey, David Desharnais, JT Miller
• Michael Grabner, Paul Carey, Adam Cracknell

Ryan McDonagh & Nick Holden, Marc Staal & Kevin Shattenkirk, Brady Skjei & Brendan Smith.

Alain Vigneault said that the Rangers have a lot of room for improvement and that every player and coach would agree.

He added that the areas where the Rangers have to improve are "pretty simple" and that they need to take things one day at a time.

On Wednesday, Vigneault said that the Rangers have "quite a few areas of improvement" and that "our situation is that we need to get better."

In the middle of Saturday's loss to Toronto, Alain Vigneault moved Marc Staal up in the rangers lineup and paired him with Ryan McDonagh on the Rangers top pair.

In the season opener, Staal played 15:20 and, since being moved up, has played 18:51 (Toronto), 19:08 (Montreal) and 18:43 against St. Louis.

Vigneault said on Tuesday that he felt Staal was playing "some pretty solid hockey" when the change was made and that Ryan McDonagh, who was moved to the right side, is good at making adjustments.

Alain Vigneault met with the media on Tuesday and said (NYR):

• On Jesper Fast, "this morning he did his on-ice testing and had the fourth best score of our whole group. I think he is closing in here, might need a couple of practices, not sure of the time length, I haven't talked to our doctor or Rammer, but I will at some point today or tomorrow. I would say a week to 10 days he should be ready to go."
• What do you miss most from him, "It's not one player, Quickie is an important player to our group but right now, we are a work in progress. We are trying to sort out our identity, trying to sort out the chemistry, whether it be in duos and linemates. It's where we are. We have a lot of work ahead of us, everyone wants to put in the work and effort that is needed. We had a good day today as far as some video and on ice stuff. Tomorrow we will have a good practice and get ready for Columbus."
• Was this a set day for skill work, "this was planned quite some time back. We look at the schedule and plan what is ahead, what we should be doing on certain days. I know that the results aren't what we want them to be but we have a plan, it's a smart plan. It's a plan that I want executed. We know what is ahead of us and today was a good day for us."

10/13 | 6:11PM: Alain Vigneault said on Friday before the game against Columbus:

• On Jesper Fast, "he is closing in, I would say that he is very close to getting in the lineup. He's been cleared medically, physically, just a matter of how he feels and him talking with our doctors."
• How does Fast change the forward group, 'it gives us an experienced player that can help us 5 on 5 and help us to kill penalties. When he is healthy and tells us that he can play and the docs say that he is good to go then he will get in the lineup."

10/11 | 2:04PM: Alain Vigneault said on Tuesday about Fast, "this morning he did his on-ice testing and had the fourth best score of our whole group. I think he is closing in here, might need a couple of practices, not sure of the time length, I haven't talked to our doctor or Rammer, but I will at some point today or tomorrow. I would say a week to 10 days he should be ready to go." (NYR)

The Rangers allowed a goal 15 seconds into last night's loss to St. Louis and allowed two goals overall in the first period.

The Rangers have allowed at least 2 goals in the first period in 3 of their 4 games this season and against Montreal on Sunday they had two goals against that were disallowed.

Ryan McDonagh said after the game that the Rangers "started out slow again" and that it took a period for the Rangers to get their legs going and to get engaged. (MSG)

Alain Vigneault met with the media following the Rangers loss to St. Louis and said (MSG):

• On getting better starts, "the start tonight is a turnover right off the hop and the puck ends up in the back of our net. No doubt that in the first two periods we didn't generate a lot, yes they were good defensively but in the third we brought more energy and will power and spent a lot more time in their end and we finally got some pretty good looks but weren't able to score."
• On the level of concern right now, "there is definitely a lot of room for improvement and I think every player and coach would tell you the same thing. Gotta take it one day at a time and keep improving our game. The areas of improvement are pretty simple and that is what we will get back to work on tomorrow."
• "Mike's line is generating quite a few chances, in the third anyway and on the initial PP, after that it was ordinary. The other two lines right now, I'm looking for a little bit more chemistry to create more and we will work on that tomorrow."

Henrik Lundqvist met with the media following the Rangers loss to St. Louis and said:

• On the early goal, "it just means that it's a game where you have to be strong mentally. I think I played a pretty solid game, made some good saves but it's not the start we are looking for. We talked about how important it is that first shift to set the tone. It's tougher for everyone when you get behind a goal like that. They are a good team, we did not get a lot of open chances in front. We had to work really hard to get in front of the net, that is why they are a good team. After the first couple of minutes we settled down and played a strong game but you need a little extra to get in front to create the big chances."
• On Schenn's goal, "honestly, I don't know how that finds the net. It was frustrating to see it go in, it was a quick play from the boards, I don't know if it's off my skate and up. From that angle it was tough to see. After that we regrouped as a team, and played a strong game it was just not enough. We had some good looks to tie it up but he made some saves. With some luck we could have easily tied the game. We have a few days to regroup and we have a big one, the next one, we need to get a win here."
• Is there concern, "I think it's important that you have urgency, doesn't matter if it's game 4 or 74. We lost a few games here, it's important that we get the urgency and realize how important the next game is and the game after that see it as a big game every night. It's going to be a tight race and if you want to be in it you need to be ready now even though it's October. We have to go to work and make sure we play our best game in Columbus."
• "I feel like my game is coming, feel better and better but we wanted a better start."