Stepan To The Rescue: Derek Stepan makes the save of the game tucking the puck under Henrik Lundqvist.
AP Photo/Bruce Bennett

During last night’s 3-0 shutout loss to the Islanders, Rangers center Derek Stepan barely saw the ice the final two periods. He took a slash from Matt Martin early injuring his hand. Coach Alain Vigneault only used him sparingly including for a 31-second shift on a late power play in the second. That was it. He took only 11 shifts logging 6:55.

Afterwards, the Rangers termed it as a ‘upper body injury.’ They’re not fooling anyone. With Vigneault all but assuring Stepan won’t play tomorrow at Boston, that means J.T. Miller shifts back to center. He moved Miller up yesterday. He had a bad night with a giveaway leading directly to the Isles’ second goal. Miller remains a project in his first full season. Since returning, he has posted five goals and five assists while adding a physical presence to the fourth line. He’ll need to raise his level if Stepan’s out the next week. He is traveling with the team on a three-game road trip.

With Miller likely to center Martin St. Louis and Chris Kreider, that leaves Derick Brassard to stay intact with Rick Nash and Mats Zuccarello. Vigneault has continued to use rookie Kevin Hayes as the club’s third line center despite his lack of faceoff success. With two helpers over his last six, Hayes can use a goal. He and linemates Carl Hagelin and Jesper Fast struggled at even strength against the Isles.

If that line is getting stale, I’m not sure how much Tanner Glass can help. A healthy scratch the past six games, he only has one assist in 29 games this season. The Rangers need more from the fourth line physical winger. Without Stepan, it puts Vigneault in a bind. Dominic Moore is the only dependable faceoff guy who’s winning over 50 percent. That could mean an increased role with Lee Stempniak. Perhaps Vigneault will plug Moore for key defensive assignments.

Assuming Stepan needs a week to recover, that hurts one of the league’s best offenses. He might not be a wiz in the faceoff circle but Stepan’s the Rangers’ most dependable center who Vigneault can lean on in any situation. He plays all three zones and is a key penalty killer who has teamed with Nash for all four of the club’s shorthanded goals. Stepan has also produced at nearly a point-per-game clip tallying 27 points in 28 games. Despite missing a dozen, he ranks second on the team in assists (21) and is fourth in scoring. He also has been a key trigger man on the power play with eight power play points.

There’s not much he can’t do. This season, he has proven capable of being more consistent offensively while not missing a beat defensively. Outside of faceoffs, Stepan’s one of the most underrated defensive forwards in the NHL. A darkhorse for the Selke, he’ll probably never get his due with the award favoring bigger name stars such as Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Toews and Pavel Datsyuk. But if you ask those with knowledge, Stepan means a great deal to the Blueshirts. Hopefully, he won’t be out too long.