PITTSBURGH — It’s hard to think one bad postseason game, following a regular season filled with them, is enough to get Dan Girardi yanked from the Rangers lineup.
Yet coach Alain Vigneault did not dismiss the idea he is considering lineup changes when his team’s first-round playoff series against the Penguins resumes with Game 2 on Saturday afternoon at CONSOL Energy Center, his team down 1-0 in the best-of-seven contest.
“I’m considering all my options right now,” Vigneault said Thursday at his team’s hotel, with no on-ice workout before Friday’s practice. “At this time of the year, you have to look at all your personnel and who’s giving you their best. At this time, nobody wants not to play well, but some guys just play better than others. So obviously, with my coaching staff, we’re going to look at all our options.”
Right-handed rookie Dylan McIlrath was a healthy scratch for Wednesday night’s 5-2 loss in Game 1. He had played the final three games of the regular season, the final two without Girardi in the lineup, who was suffering from an upper-body injury.
Girardi went right back in for the start of the postseason, having continually sacrificed his body in 109 playoff games for the Rangers since 2006. Vigneault paired him with Marc Staal in hopes of matching up against Sidney Crosby’s top line, and both Staal and Girardi finished minus-2.
“I thought for the most part, I liked Marc,” Vigneault said. “I thought he tried to make the plays that were there. Danny, this was his first game back, you have to understand. He only had one full practice. We all know that he’s been in many battles with this team before. So we’ll give him [Thursday] to recover and have good practice [Friday] and go from there.”
Vigneault officially ruled out captain Ryan McDonagh being ready to play for Game 2 after he suffered a small break in his right hand blocking a shot April 4 in Columbus.
“The next game, I would say no,” Vigneault said. “But he’s still day-to-day.”
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan already has made it clear he’s not to be relied upon for lineup disclosures, but he sure seemed happy about the status of star Evgeni Malkin, who practiced fully Thursday and hopes to return at some point this series after a month-long absence due to a presumed left-hand or -wrist injury.
“Geno had a great day,” Sullivan said. “We thought he looked really strong.”
Malkin said this was the first day he took a full-on shot, adding: “It’s still not strong enough, but every day, it gets better.”
As for returning this series, he only said, “I’m trying as soon as possible,” and Sullivan is eager for it to happen this series.
“I don’t really have a timeline, but certainly that’s our hope,” the coach said. “Certainly he’s a difference-maker. He’s an elite player. We’re a better team when he’s in our lineup.”
Pittsburgh starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury practiced again after being a surprising scratch for Game 1. Fleury is recovering from his second concussion this season, and although he said, “I have to watch what I say,” he sounded optimistic he might be able to play in Game 2.
“It’s moving along. It’s getting better,” Fleury said. “So hopefully it’s good enough for Saturday.”
