The Rangers visit the Penguins tonight in the fourth of a five-game road trip that concludes tomorrow in Toronto. They’ll have captain Ryan Callahan back. After missing nine games, he returns from his latest injury. Fully recovered from a left MCL sprain, Callahan will replace J.T. Miller in the lineup.

Despite playing well, Miller became part of a numbers game according to coach Alain Vigneault. Callahan slides into his spot on a third line with Derick Brassard and Benoit Pouliot. Miller did nothing wrong. But Pouliot’s reemergence combined with what Vigneault cited as an effective fourth line forces him out. That fourth line includes penalty killing trio Brian Boyle, Derek Dorsett and Dominic Moore. Since being put together, they’ve provided energy. With Boyle and Moore Vigneault’s best on faceoffs, it’s understandable. You need them for key draws in the defensive zone and at the start of penalty kills.

It’ll be interesting to see what the organization does with Miller. The Wolf Pack play tonight and tomorrow against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Worcester. Danny Kristo continues to lead them in scoring with 22 points (12-10-22). Oscar Lindberg has 15 points and Marek Hrivik has 11. Jesper Fast is 2-4-6 in 8 GP. For now, Miller is the Rangers’ extra forward. In eight games with Hartford, he dominated scoring seven goals and two assists. There’s not much point of sending him down unless it’s to get game action. Much depends on what happens with the big club.

As for Callahan, who knows what to expect. He’s already missed 17 games in a contract year. The hardnosed style he plays leaves him vulnerable to injuries. The popular 28-year old Rochester native can test the market this summer. He earns $4.875 million in the final year of his contract. Captain Cally is the glue of the team. New Yorkers identify with his balls out style. It’s hard to envision a Ranger team without him. My guess is Glen Sather will bite hard and reward him with a long-term deal in excess of $5 million per season. If he doesn’t, the Sabres will be one of many that come calling.

That character is why he’s part of Team USA for a second straight Olympics. Callahan was an integral part of the Americans’ silver medal in Vancouver. He’s perfect because of his temperament. He doesn’t need to play a big role. Similar to former Rangers captain Chris Drury, he’s team first. That’s why Vigneault doesn’t have to tweak his lines opting to stick him with Brassard and Pouliot. That could be a good third line. Especially if both continue their upswing.

For the season, Callahan has seven goals and six assists over 24 contests. He’ll want to improve on those totals along with a minus-six rating. Even better, he is one of our top penalty killers. Depending on how much Vigneault uses him, he can easily slide next to Derek Stepan. They’ve been a fixture and probably will work together for the stars and stripes under Dan Bylsma. He also is a net presence and has scored four of his six on the power play. It’ll be interesting to see which unit he plays on.

The Rangers are currently tied with the Devils for fourth in the Metro Division with 42 points. They caught a break when the red hot Flyers were cooled off by the Avs last night. Philadelphia is locked into third with 44. The Caps sit second with 46. The Pens lead with 59. With the Islanders on a three-game win streak and the Blue Jackets winning in Nathan Horton’s season debut and the return of Sergei Bobrovsky, it’s important for the Blueshirts to keep pace. The Devils host the Blackhawks.

Henrik Lundqvist makes his third consecutive start. Here’s a chance for him to start the second half the right way. By staying hot against one of the league’s best. The Pens will skate without Evgeni Malkin or Kris Letang. However, that doesn’t matter. Sidney Crosby leads a strong offense that still features Team Canada Olympic candidate Chris Kunitz, James Neal and Jussi Jokinen. In a shootout win at MSG last month, Brandon Sutter beat Lundqvist twice including in the skill competition.

In a subplot, Taylor Pyatt will debut for the Pens. It should be interesting.