Step and Nash: Derek Stepan and Rick Nash celebrate a goal. Each scored twice in a Rangers 5-2 win over the Penguins.
AP Photo by Gene J. Puskar/Getty Images

Derek Stepan will return to the Rangers lineup for the Stars tonight at MSG. The top center missed yesterday’s 3-2 loss at Nashville with the flu. That forced coach Alain Vigneault to alter his lines. J.T. Miller returned to the lineup and centered the fourth line while Kevin Hayes moved in between Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis.

Stepan’s return comes at an important time with rookie Jesper Fast sidelined with a sprained knee sustained during the second period against the Predators. That means Miller stays in along with Tanner Glass and Lee Stempniak. Down a center, Vigneault had Dominic Moore center the third line with Carl Hagelin and Fast before he went down. For the start of the game against Dallas, he’s moved Moore back to the fourth line while shifting Miller to the wing to play with Hayes and Hagelin.

The rest of the lineup stays the same including the D pairings with John Moore and Dan Boyle as the third tandem. Cam Talbot makes his third consecutive start. He made 20 saves Saturday.

Rangers Lines

Nash-Stepan-St. Louis

Kreider-Brassard-Zuccarello

Hagelin-Hayes-Miller

Glass-D. Moore-Stempniak

McDonagh-Girardi

Staal-Klein

J. Moore-Boyle