Lias Andersson scored for Hartford on Friday and had six shots on goal in a Wolf Pack win.

6:19PM: On Friday, Quinn said of Chytil, "I think he is pressing a little bit for a goal, once one goes in I think that the weight of the world will be off his shoulders. He is not unlike any 19-year old playing in this league. They want to have success and they are going to press and he is going to stay with those guys and play and as long as he puts forth an effort we will let him play. We think very highly of him and think he is a big piece of our future and think he can be good right now. This isn't just about the future, this is about winning hockey games and we think he can help us." (NYR)

10:22AM: David Quinn said that right now Filip Chytil is going through the normal ups and downs for a 19-year old and "fighting it a little bit." (NYR)

He said that on some nights Chytil plays with energy but that on Wednesday, in the second half of a back to back, "I thought he was tired." (NYR)

Quinn said last week that he had to get Chytil more ice time and in the two games since he said that, Chytil has played:

• Colorado - 20:08, plus one, 1 shot, 4 shot attempts blocked, 1 giveaway, 2 takeways and a hooking penalty. He played 5:58 in the first, 6:25 in the second and 7:45 in the third.
• Washington - 12:34, 1 shot on goal, 1 shot that missed the net and was 1 and 3 on faceoffs. He played 6 minutes in the first, 4 minutes in the second and 2:34 in the third.

1:29PM: Shattenkirk and Claesson had maintenance days and are expected to practice tomorrow. (Stephenson)

Boo Nieves skated on his own before practice. He has been out since the preseason due to a concussion. (Stephenson)

1:01PM: Kevin Shattenkirk and Freddy Claesson are not skating at Rangers practice on Friday. (Cyrgalis)

The Rangers have sent goalie Alex Georgiev to Hartford and have called up goalie Marek Mazanec.

Georgiev has only played once this season and the Wolf Pack have games Friday and Saturday before the Rangers return on Sunday.

Mazanec, 27, is 2-2 this season with a GAA of 3.53 and a save percentage of .859 through four starts.

Rangers coach David Quinn said on Wednesday that sending Georgiev to Hartford was something that he and Jeff Gorton would discuss. (NYR) 

Pavel Buchnevich returned to the Rangers lineup on Wednesday after being scratched for Tuesday's win.

Buchnevich played 10:30 and was a minus one with no shot attempts.

He played 4:23 in the first, 2:40 in the second and 3:27 in the third, all at even strength. He didn't play in the final 5:28 of the third or get a shift in OT.

The Rangers fought hard, but couldn't pick up the golden goal in overtime as they lost to the Capitals, 4-3, in Washington D.C.  >> Box score

First period:

• 6:09 NYR Mika Zibanejad; Assists: Chris Kreider, Neal Pionk
• 14:05 WSH John Carlson; Assists: Nicklas Backstrom

Second period:

• 3:32 WSH Alex Ovechkin (PP); Assists: John Carlson, Brett Connolly
• 12:42 NYR Jimmy Vesey (PP); Assists: Neal Pionk, Brett Howden
• 17:01 WSH Alex Ovechkin (PP); Assists: John Carlson, Nicklas Backstrom

WASHINGTON -- The Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals renew a divisional rivalry Wednesday night when the New York Rangers visit Capital One Arena for the first of four meetings this season.

New York will be playing for the second straight night after Tuesday's 3-2 shootout victory over the Colorado Avalanche.

Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Shattenkirk converted in the shootout and each had two assists for the Rangers (2-4-0). Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes scored in regulation and Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves. New York capped a 2-1 homestand in which all three games were decided by one goal.

5:25PM: The Rangers have announced that Henrik Lundqvist will start tonight in the second half of a back to back against the Washington Capitals. (Stephenson)

Pavel Buchnevich, after being scratched last night, will replace Cody McLeod on the fourth line LW spot. (Stephenson)

Lundqvist stopped 31 of 33 shots overall and two of three shots in the shootout last night against Colorado.

Kevin Shattenkirk had two assists and the shootout winner on Tuesday in the Rangers win over Colorado.

The assists were Shattenkirk's first points of the season and, after being scratched last Thursday, said that he was more aggressive and felt like he was playing his game again. (NYR Game Notes)

The Rangers bounced back from their loss against the Oilers to edge the Colorado Avalanche in a shootout on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Kevin Shattenkirk had two assists and scored the deciding goal in the shootout while Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31 shots on goal in the 3-2 Rangers victory.  >> Box score

First period:

• 12:07 NYR Chris Kreider (Power Play); Assists: Kevin Shattenkirk, Mats Zuccarello

Second period:

 The Rangers are off to their second straight 1-4 start after taking a 2-1 home loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Mika Zibanejad scored the lone goal for the Rangers, who matched a season-low 24 shots on goal. The Rangers held their own against Connor McDavid's line, but gave up the game-winner to McDavid during a power play 6:23 into the third.

In the past three games the Rangers have had 24, 27 and 24 shots on goal while allowing 40, 43 and 27 against. (HR)

In their five games this season, the Rangers have only scored three or more goals twice and have scored just one goal in a game twice as well.

David Quinn said last week that the Rangers need to have "more tenacity in the offensive zone."

Through five games, Filip Chytil has two assists, a minus one rating, 6 shots on goal and an average of 12:17.

In the last three games, Chytil has played 10:03, 11:06 and 10:19.

Chytil said last week that he needs to play to his strengths and shoot the puck more. (NY Post)

At Rangers practice on Monday, Matt Beleskey, who has been out with an injured shoulder since the preseason, is on the ice in a non-contact jersey. (Cyrgalis)

The lines being used at practice are (Cyrgalis):

• Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Jesper Fast
• Jimmy Vesey, Brett Howden, Vladislav Namestnikov
• Filip Chytil, Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello
• Cody McLeod/Pavel Buchnevich, Ryan Spooner, Vinni Lettieri

Neal Pionk was a healthy scratch for the second straight game on Saturday but David Quinn said after the game that he is someone who is going to play "a lot of hockey." (NYR)

In the first three games of the season, Pionk is a minus three, has 2 shots on goal 6 shot attempts and an average of 19:15 per game.

In just 42 minutes of 5 on 5 play this season, when Pionk is on the ice the Rangers have 38% of the shot attempts. (Natural Stat Trick)

10/15/18 | Keith McCambridge said of Andersson (NYR Prospect Report), "Lias has been coming to the rink with the mindset of continuing to get better every day and he has been playing well as of late. He has done a better job of consistently keeping his feet moving and supporting pucks and, as a result, he's been able to capitalize on his scoring chances. He has been putting in the work, spending time with me reviewing his shifts back, and he has also been doing extra off-ice workouts in the gym."

10/14/18 | Lias Andersson had a Gordie Howe Hat Trick on Saturday, his 20th birthday, in the Wolf Pack win over Providence.

The Rangers were unable to build off their recent 3-2 overtime win over the Sharks from earlier in the week, this time falling to a winless Oilers team at home, 2-1, on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Connor McDavid netted the game-winner for the Oilers on a power-play at 6:23 in the third period.  >> Box score

First period:

• 12:49 NYR Mika Zibanejad; Assists: Marc Staal, Brendan Smith
• 14:17 EDM Ryan Nugent-Hopkins; Darnell Nurse, Connor McDavid

Second period:

• No goals

Third period:

• 6:23 EDM Connor McDavid (Power Play); Assists: Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

It took four games for the New York Rangers' David Quinn to get his first win as an NHL coach, and when it finally happened, his team presented him with the puck to mark the achievement.

There may not be any celebratory pucks for getting the second win, but Quinn and the Rangers hope they do not have a long wait for the next victory.

The Rangers get a chance to follow up their first win of the season Saturday afternoon when they host the Edmonton Oilers. >> Read more

Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith scored the tying goal last night for the Rangers and, so far, in his return to the NHL this season is averaging 17:18 per game.

Smith is averaging 15:53 per game at even strength, 1:13 on the PK, 13 seconds on the PP and David Quinn said on Friday that the Rangers are not asking Smith to do anything he hasn't done already in his career. (NYR)

Through the first four games on his NHL career, Brett Howden has 2 goals, 1 assist, 5 shots on goal and 14:09 per game.

Howden is at 59.6% on faceoffs this season and has seen his ice time increase in all four games, from 10:36 to 12:31 to 15:53 to 17:34 on Thursday against the Sharks.

12:33PM: At Rangers practice on Friday, Kevin Shattenkirk is paired with Brady Skjei, Neal Pionk is paired with Marc Staal and Tony DeAngelo and Adam McQuaid are skating as extras. (Cyrgalis)

The forward lines being used are (Cyrgalis):

• Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Jesper Fast
• Pavel Buchnevich, Brett Howden, Mats Zuccarello
• Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Spooner
• Vlad Namestnikov, Filip Chytil, Vinni Lettieri

Cody McLeod is skating as an extra. (Cyrgalis)

David Quinn picked up his first career NHL coaching victory last night when Brady Skjei scored the OT winning goal against the Sharks.

Quinn said after the game that the players presented him with the puck for his first game, something that he called "pretty special" before saying he wishes he could divide the puck into "about 45 pieces" to share with the team. (NYR Game Notes)

Henrik Lundqvist presented Quinn the puck after the game, in front of a group that included James Dolan, and said that while Quinn has won games before in college or during his time as an assistant in the NHL, the first NHL win as a head coach is "special" and "a big deal." (NY Post)

On Quinn, Lundqvist added, "I like everything about his style. I like the way he communicates and interacts with the team, I like the way the whole staff goes about its business to get us prepared. I'm really happy for him." (NY Post)

The Rangers picked up their first win of the season after Brady Skjei scored in overtime against the Sharks, 3-2. Brendan Smith tied the game late in the third period with his first tally of the year.  >> Box score

First period:

• 4:31 SJS Marcus Sorensen (Shorthanded); Assists: Timo Meier, Brent Burns
• 13:52 NYR Brett Howden

Second period:

For the San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers, eight meant different things in their previous games.

The Sharks totaled eight goals in their first regulation win of the young season while the Rangers allowed eight in falling to 0-3-0.

On Thursday, the teams will get together at Madison Square Garden where the Sharks will hope to keep the goals flowing while the Rangers will hope to avoid another ugly loss. >> Read more

Copyright 2018 by the Associated Press

6:11PM: David Quinn said of Shattenkirk's reaction to not playing tonight, "he's taking it well. I know that everyone wants to make a big deal out of this and it's always a big deal when you don't play a game but I think that under these circumstances, where a guy is coming off major knee surgery, missed the second half of the whole year, finding his way mentally. He's fine physically, but he doesn't have a lot of confidence from a skating perspective. He isn't fine with it, no one is fine with not playing but if you were hearing our conversations, this is not an 'are you kidding me type of conversation. We've talked through this and he is going right back in on Saturday. This is part of where he needs to get back to." (NYR)

1:12PM: David Quinn confirmed on Thursday morning that Kevin Shattenkirk and Neal Pionk will not play tonight's game against San Jose.

He added though that Shattenkirk would return against the Oilers on Saturday.

Quinn said that he did not consider Shattenkirk's absence to be a "healthy scratch" but as another step in his return from major knee surgery.

David Quinn spoke on Wednesday about accountability and roster management, saying "you don't bench guys for every mistake but, to me, the piece that is non-negotiable is effort." (NYR)

Quinn noted that when a decision to bench a guy, or take someone out of the lineup, is made then multiple things are taken into consideration, including how much of a "bank account" they have built up but that "If mistakes are made because of lack of all out effort, then I don't care what your bank account is." (NYR)

He said that situations like that lead to conversations of "clarity and explanation" with the player and that "holding guys accountable is his number one responsibility as a coach." (NYR)

At Rangers practice on Wednesday, the defense pairs being used are :(Stephenson)

• Brady Skjei and Adam McQuaid
• Marc Staal and Tony DeAngelo
• Freddy Claesson and Brendan Smith

Kevin Shattenkirk, who is likely to be scratched tomorrow, is skating with Neal Pionk.

David Quinn said yesterday that he wanted to get Freddy Claesson into the lineup.

8/20/18 |Following their time together at Boston University, David Quinn coached Kevin Shattenkirk for 10 games with Lake Erie during the 2010-11 season.

Shattenkirk did not produce a point in those games and was scratched after playing three games.

He sat out a 10/17/10 shootout loss to San Antonio before returning to play against Oklahoma City on 10/19/10.

Quinn said that Shattenkirk, at the time, wasn't doing what was needed or playing at the right pace. He said that he handed Shattenkirk a DVD of the previous game and told him to figure out why he wasn't playing against San Antonio. (NY Post)

5:59PM: Shattenkirk said of his game this season (NYR):

• "Not great. I think I need to get the urgency back in my game a little bit. It's a little too slow for me. With the puck, being harder to play against in the D zone, in my 1-on-1s and making decisions quicker and playing with urgency and getting things done because you have to get them done and that is what I have been lacking and it's what the coaches want to see more from me."
• "You have to learn from it. I'm not a guy who would take it the wrong way and mope about it. It's the NHL, if you aren't playing well there are guys who are. Tony DeAngelo played a phenomenal game the other night. He earned a spot on the roster, I think all of the D have earned a spot on the roster and I'm probably the guy who needs to fight a little harder to get my spot back. That is on me for sure. It's a process bu this is probably a good little kick to get me going and get me out of this, I don't want to say slump, but playing the game that I know that I have."

David Quinn said on Tuesday of Shattenkirk (NYR),"He's coming off major knee surgery and I think he is fighting it mentally and is unsure of himself. He's a big part of what we got going on moving forward. We talked at length today and I thought he had a good practice and I think it's more mental than anything. We've talked about playing with more urgency, I think he is still a little hesitant because of what happened last year and he has to get his confidence back and he will get every chance. This is a process, it's not a punishment. Sometimes it takes a bit longer to get back to where you want to be than you would like. He's going to be that guy when he gets back to being Kevin Shattenkirk and a great mindset and being physically 100%. I have zero doubt about that and so does he."

David Quinn said that he went with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen against Carolina because he wanted to get Tony DeAngelo into the lineup but keep the same six defensemen. (NYR)

DeAngelo played 17:34 in his season debut, had two primary assists, 2 shots on goal, 2 hits, 3 giveaways, 1 takeaway, 1 blocked shot and penalties for roughing and interference.

He played 4:55 in the first period, 5:24 in the second period and 7:15 in the third period with 15:21 at even strength and 2:13 on the PK.

On Sunday the Rangers had leads of 2-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, and 5-4 before falling 8-5 to the Hurricanes.

David Quinn called it a "tough night" and said that the Rangers lacked the attention to detail that they had in the first two games. (NYR)

Quinn said that defensively it looked like the Rangers had "never gone over D-zone" coverage, didn't play situational hockey and felt a sense of deflation when Carolina tied it at 5. (NYR)

The Rangers allowed four unanswered goals in the third period as they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 8-5 on Sunday at PNC Arena. >> Box score

Third period:

• 4:26 NYR Chris Kreider; Assists: Tony DeAngelo, Jesper Fast
• 5:01 CAR Lucas Wallmark; Assists: Jordan Martinook, Andrei Svechnikov
• 10:44 CAR Andrei Svechnikov; Assists: Justin Faulk, Calvin de Haan
• 11:31 CAR Warren Foegele; Assist: Justin Williams
• 19:29 CAR Teuvo Teravainen (ENG); Assist: Sebastian Aho

3:30PM: Vlad Namestnikov and Tony DeAgenlo are in the lineup for today's game in Carolina. (NYR)

Cody McLeod and Vinni Lettieri are healthy scratches and Alex Georgiev is in net. (NYR)

RALEIGH, N.C. -- If there has been a good thing about the ebbs and flows through the first two games of the season for the Carolina Hurricanes, it's that they've been able to work through the down stretches.

Early in the second period on Saturday night, Patrik Berglund hit Filip Chytil on a play that David Quinn said he had a "big problem" with. (NY Post)

No call was made on the play and Chytil missed 11 minutes of the game while sitting on the bench with Jim Ramsay and then going through concussion protocol. (NY Post)

Quinn noted that Chytil didn't have the puck and that, in Quinn's view, it was a hit to the head. (NY Post)

Conor Sheary scored two goals and the Sabres held on to beat the Rangers on Saturday night, 3-1. >> Box score

First period

• 13:15 BUF Conor Sheary (Power Play); Assists: Rasmus Ristolainen, Casey Mittelstadt

The New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres are rebuilding teams.

So, it is no surprise that both will be looking for their first win of the season when they meet Saturday in Buffalo after losing their respective season openers at home on Thursday.

The Rangers lost 3-2 to the Nashville Predators, while the Sabres were defeated 4-0 by the Boston Bruins, who were hurting from their 7-0 loss to the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals in their season opener on Wednesday.

Cody McLeod will play for the Rangers tonight in place of Vlad Namestnikov. (Stephenson)

The rest of the lines are the same as they were on Thursday:

• Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich
• Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello
• Ryan Spooner, Filip Chytil, Jesper Fast

During the preseason, McLeod said that his job is to "stick up for teammates" and Quinn said, "he's a straight-line player and has an edge to his game. (NY Post & NYR Game Notes)

McLeod played under Quinn when he was an assistant with Colorado in 2012-13.

Jimmy Vesey said that he believes he can be a 20-25 goal scorer in the NHL and that he could get there this season. (Newsday)

Vesey said that he wants to be a "factor every night" and that David Quinn told him that he is counting on him to "have a good year and be better than last year." (Newsday)

• Vesey has been searching for consistency and signed a two-year contract over the summer.

Quinn said on Friday 9/28 Vesey got better as camp went along, had his best game against the Flyers and added "with Jimmy it's more the mental piece of it and feeling that he can be a real good player at this level."

With the Rangers and Predators tied at 1 in the third period, Adam McQuaid was in front of the Rangers net when Nashville's Kevin Fiala's stick caught him up high.

McQuaid's glove flew off and he went to the ice but, even after the refs huddled, no call was made.

In describing the play, McQuaid said that he took a stick to the mouth but that the situation "is what it is." (Newsday)

Jesper Fast and Pavel Buchnevich scored in the season opener but the Rangers failed to get a lead on the Nashville Predators in a 3-2 loss at Madison Square Garden. << Box score 

NEW YORK -- The Nashville Predators are widely considered one of the teams likeliest to contend for the Stanley Cup this season. The New York Rangers are ... not.

But the Rangers will get an early opportunity to prove the prognosticators wrong Thursday night when they host the Predators in the season opener for both teams at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers embarked upon a rebuilding project late last season, finishing 34-39-9 and in last place in the Metropolitan Division. New York shipped off several veterans at the trade deadline, including Rick Nash and captain Ryan McDonagh.

In early September, Dom Luszczyszyn projected the Rangers to finish this season around 82 points but possibly surprise in either direction. (The Athletic)

He notes though that while the Rangers may not be good enough to be in the playoff race this season, they may not be "bad enough" to battle with Vancouver, Ottawa and Detroit for the top overall pick. (The Athletic)

Overall he has the Rangers ranked fourth from the bottom, behind Detroit, Ottawa and Vancouver.

Henrik Lundqvist was on The Michael Kay show on Wednesday and said the following (ESPN):

• On the season, "super excited to be back and playing tomorrow. We had a great camp. It's exciting, a lot of people around us are unsure of where we stand, for us as a group, it's a great challenge to see how far we can push this. Right now our main focus is to have a great start and really try to get into the playoffs. If you get in there, you never know. I think that is a good mindset to have."
• On sticking with the rebuild, "I made a commitment to this organization way back and it's a dream of mine and goal of mine to finish my career here. I love the way the organization treats me, getting the opportunity to play in NY is a great challenge to have. A rebuild, a lot of people think of it as 3-4 years but I think, today, you see in hockey that it's all about getting the right pieces and you can do it pretty fast if you do a good job. This year we have added some great pieces, I think it's a year where we can build for the next couple of years but I hope we can be a team that surprises a lot of people. When that came up in February it was not a very long discussion, I want to be in NY, I want to play here, try to be here when we turn things around and try to go for it again. That would be the ultimate dream and goal for me."

The Rangers' 'A' list has grown extra long for the 2018-19 NHL season.

The Blueshirts announced Wednesday that Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello and Marc Staal will serve as alternate captains for the upcoming campaign.

The new leadership quintet figures to be a collective substitute for the primary captain role. The Rangers' 'C' remains ownerless since last season's trade of ex-captain Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Pavel Buchnevich is slated to start the season on the Rangers top line with his regular linemates Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.

Buchnevich said that, like any player, he wants to take a step towards getting more minutes and playing an important role on the team. (NHL.com/RU)

Mika Zibanejad said that Buchnevich worked hard this summer, came to camp with a "good attitude" and has looked "a lot more upbeat." (The Athletic)

10:16AM: At Rangers practice on Tuesday morning, the lines being used are (Cyrgalis):

• Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich
• Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello
• Ryan Spooner, Filip Chytil, Jesper Fast
• Vlad Namestnikov, Brett Howden, Vinni Lettieri

Cody McLeod is skating as an extra in line rushes.

On defense, the pairs being used are Brady Skjei and Adam McQuaid, Brendan Smith and Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal and Neal Pionk. (Cyrgalis)

10/2/18 | 5:38PM: Quinn said on Tuesday of Lundqvist that he is in "world class shape who is incredibly competitive and a team guy, who wants to be here and be part of the next successful Stanley Cup run. I know people talk about his age, I've said this before, I think it's a position that you can play longer at than the other two and as long as he keeps himself in the shape he is in, he will never lose his competitiveness, I think he has a lot of great hockey ahead of him." (NYR)

9:55AM: Lundqvist said that he plans to return to playing deep in his crease, saying "It's what I trust. It's my game. It's who I always was as a goalie." (NY Post)

He said that he has worked hard to get back to "basics" and his "foundation" and that there have been times in the past when he was too aggressive, tried to "do too much" and at times "kind of lost my game plan." (NY Post)

10/1/18 | Andersson was named the winner of the Lars-Erik Sjoberg award as the top rookie in Rangers training camp.

Rangers GM Jeff Gorton was asked about Andersson earlier on Monday and said:

• On Andersson , "when you go seventh overall there are expectations that are higher than when you go 21st, we have kept, for now, Brett Howden. For us, you draft them and then wherever you take them you move on and try to develop them and see when it's time for them to come to the NHL, which isn't easy. Lias is a 19-year old player, he turns 20 soon. We looked at it like this, if we can't find him 10 minutes on our team then he is better in Hartford. We could have easily put him on our team and say that he is the 7th pick overall but in the long-term what is best for him is to play 20 minutes."
• What does Andersson need to add, "He is a strong kid, wide body, plays a 200 ft agitating game with skill and just trying to develop that and not put him on a fourth line and hold him there and maybe stunt his growth. There is more upside if we just keep him playing, PP, PK, play 20 minutes in Hartford and we can take a look at him in a month or so and see where he is at."

Jeff Gorton was on SiriusXMNHL Radio this morning and said :

• On getting the season going, "we had our six games and we start with 55 guys and now we are down to our team and we are all pretty excited about the season getting started on Thursday."
• On David Quinn, "he's a lifetime hockey guy and played the game a long time ago and he has been coaching for a long time and as time has gone on he has evolved as a real good communicator and teacher and I think he is the right person for us at the right time and so far, 2-3 weeks, everything has been good and positive and everyday we are getting better."
• On Andersson and Chytil, "when you go seventh overall there are expectations that are higher than when you go 21st, we have kept, for now, Brett Howden. For us, you draft them and then wherever you take them you move on and try to develop them and see when it's time for them to come to the NHL, which isn't easy. Lias is a 19-year old player, he turns 20 soon. We looked at it like this, if we can't find him 10 minutes on our team then he is better in Hartford. We could have easily put him on our team and say that he is the 7th pick overall but in the long-term what is best for him is to play 20 minutes."