On Tuesday night, the Rangers played their second game of the preseason. After falling behind 3-0 due to a dismal second period, they came back to defeat the Islanders 6-4 at Madison Square Garden.

In his first appearance, Zac Jones opened eyes to highlight the win. He scored twice in the third period. That included a key goal to make it 4-3 with the goalie pulled. Following Alexis Lafreniere setting up Chris Kreider’s tying goal, Jones picked up his third point with a secondary assist on Adam Edstrom’s game-winner that came with 37.9 seconds left in regulation. Kreider added an empty netter to seal the victory.

Vying for a starting job on the blue line, Jones took a significant step last night. He logged 24:57 while paired up with Jacob Trouba. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette used him on both the power play and penalty kill. If Jones can play like that, he should be a lock for the sixth defenseman on the roster. His skating makes him a threat in transition. If there’s an area that can improve from last season, it’s having another defenseman who can jump into the rush. Jones’ speed is an asset. He should see power play time on the second unit – replacing Erik Gustafsson, who signed with the Red Wings.

Chytil Returns With a Bang

Early in the first period, Filip Chytil collided with Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield at center ice. Mayfield’s knee caught Chytil’s leg, sending him to the ice in pain. It looked worse than it turned out. After being helped off the ice by teammates, Chytil returned to the bench with over three minutes remaining in the period. He took one shift and looked okay.

In the third, with the Rangers trailing the Islanders 4-1, Chytil scored a power-play goal to cut the deficit to two with over six minutes left. It was his second straight game that he connected on the man-advantage. He also lit the lamp against the Bruins on Sunday.

Most importantly, he was alright. Chytil remains a key player for the Blueshirts. They’re counting on him to produce on the third line. They can ill afford to lose him for a stretch. Center depth isn’t a team strength. While Sam Carrick or Jonny Brodzinski could fill in, they aren’t close to the skill level Chytil possesses. It would be a huge downgrade.

Coaches and teammates have to be breathing a sigh of relief. Chytil has looked good so far in camp. He still must do a better job at avoiding big hits. The Mayfield one was a hockey play. They came together. Fortunately, Chytil returned with a bang.

Lindgren Suffers an Upper-Body Injury

When Chytil was knocked down to the ice by Mayfield, Ryan Lindgren responded immediately. He challenged Mayfield to a fight. It didn’t go well. He took an uppercut at the conclusion of the bout that buckled him. For his part, he received 17 penalty minutes, including a two-minute minor for instigating and a misconduct.

Lindgren was supposed to return early in the second period. Instead, he remained in the locker room. Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti reported that he wouldn’t be back. He suffered an upper-body injury.

A day later, the Rangers provided an update. Lindgren is expected to miss a few weeks due to the injury he sustained. That likely means he suffered a concussion. An unfortunate result of defending Chytil. The first pair defenseman made a decision that proved costly. It’s understandable why he fought Mayfield. He assumed the worst. You can’t fault him for stepping up for a prone teammate with an injury history. Unfortunately, he won’t start the season.

The Lindgren news opens the door for Ben Harpur and Connor Mackey to compete for a roster spot. Harpur was injured most of last season. Mackey played in one game for the Rangers. The 28-year-old veteran looked better than Harpur in the first two exhibitions. Harpur got turned around by Mat Barzal, who was denied by Igor Shesterkin.

With Lindgren out, it also means that Chad Ruhwedel should be in the Rangers’ lineup for the season opener versus the Penguins on Oct. 9. He’s a serviceable player who can step in when needed. Ruhwedel appeared in five games last season. That number should increase in 2024-25.

Laviolette also left the door open for Victor Mancini. He impressed in his first preseason game by recording a goal and assist last Sunday. It would be interesting to see if Mancini can follow up that performance with another one. The Rangers next play on Thursday against the Bruins.

That means there are four players vying for two spots. Ruhwedel should have the inside track on one. That leaves Mancini to compete with Harpur and Mackey for the other. At the very least, it looks like there’s enough depth on the back end to survive without Lindgren for the short-term.

Panarin Leaves with Lower-Body Injury

In the third period, Artemi Panarin left the game with a lower-body injury. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound serious. The news is better on Panarin.

Panarin didn’t participate in practice today. At least he should be ready for the regular season. If he’s good enough, the Rangers will likely try to get him in one more tuneup. Their final preseason game is on Oct. 4 against the Islanders. That should be enough time for him to recover.

Rangers Lines for This Afternoon

For this afternoon, the Rangers had these lines together.

The top line remains intact, with Reilly Smith penciled in on the right side. He played with Mika Zibanejad and Kreider last night. They’re expected to begin the season together.

Without Panarin, Jimmy Vesey slotted up. He will practice with Vincent Trocheck and Lafreniere, who has looked good so far. Once Panarin returns, the Blueshirts’ best scoring line will be reunited.

The third line remains the same. It’s Chytil working between Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko. They played together in the second half of last season. Kakko knows what his role is. For more on that, please refer to Jonny Lazarus’ piece on DailyFaceoff.com.

The fourth line is Jonny Brodzinski centering Edstrom and Matt Rempe. Edstrom was impressive scoring and setting up a goal against the Islanders. His size and strength is evident. If he continues to perform well, perhaps he can make the roster as an extra. However, that’ll depend on whether or not the Rangers can carry 23 players. It’s contingent on the salary cap.

Sam Carrick was brought in to replace Barclay Goodrow. When the season starts, it’s expected that he’ll anchor the checking line, and play on the penalty kill. Vesey will slide back down. Rempe has shown improvement so far due to his skating. He nearly set up Jake Leschyshyn for a goal on Tuesday night.

Kids On The Outside

If there was one thing that was noticeable, neither Brennan Othmann nor Brett Berard stood out. Berard showed some hustle on a couple of shifts, but had an issue clearing the zone. He isn’t the biggest player. That’s an area he’ll need to improve on.

Othmann got a chance to play with Chytil and Panarin. He admitted that he was a little bit nervous on the first few shifts. He also gave a tough assessment of himself.

It’s unlikely that Othmann will make the roster. What he can do is show improvement the next time he gets into a game. The Rangers have four left. The same applies to Berard. They can be reassigned to Hartford to continue their development. That’ll probably be better for them at this stage. There’s no reason to rush either.