Projected lineup: Rangers hope 'change of scenery' can spark 5v5 offense

TARRYTOWN – It’s time for a little change of scenery.

That’s how Peter Laviolette sees it with the Rangers facing their first dose of adversity in the 2023-24 season.

It had been smooth sailing for 10 games, with the team jumping out to an 8-2 start and the new head coach barely touching the lineup. But following a tough couple days in which New York lost center Filip Chytil (upper-body injury) and a pair of stars in defenseman Adam Fox (lower body) and goalie Igor Shesterkin (undisclosed) to injuries and played one of its worst games yet in Saturday’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild, Laviolette decided to make a few tweaks.

“If you're not getting the results that you're looking for from a five-on-five standpoint with regard to a line or a D pair or a team, you look at what maybe you could do to see if it gives it a different look,” he said following Monday’s practice at the MSG Training Center. “More than anything, I just wanted to change the scenery.”

The most notable change is coming on the top line, where Kaapo Kakko is being replaced at right wing by Blake Wheeler.

Kakko put together a strong training camp and preseason, with Laviolette stating at the time he had earned the assignment to play right wing alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. But through 11 games, the production hasn't been there. The 22-year-old has collected only two points (one goal and one assist), which wasn't nearly enough to stake a permanent claim to the 1RW spot.

"Our line has not been the best," Kakko said Thursday. "I feel that we’re just forechecking and chasing the puck in the O zone, and then defending. We've been doing a good job and not giving up too many chances. But still, I think our line needs to get more chances of our own and score some goals."

Their underlying numbers actually look quite good, with Kreider, Zibanejad and Kakko generating a team-best 58.09% xGF, according to Natural Stat Trick.

In fact, the metrics are positive across the board − 55.17% shot share, 53.13% Corsi and 63.16% high-danger-scoring-chance rate − but that's largely based on their defensive efforts. Their line has only allowed one goal against in 117:37 time on ice together, undoubtedly an impressive feat. Yet, they've only scored twice in that span.

"I'm just looking for a little bit more out of that line," Laviolette said. "Out of all the lines, really."

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To that point, it's worth noting that Kakko is far from the only culprit.

Kreider has been on fire with a team-leading eight goals, but only two have come at five-on-five. Meanwhile, Zibanejad has registered even fewer 5v5 points (one) than Kakko.

In comes Wheeler, who's had his own offensive issues. The 37-year-old was held without a point in his first 10 games as a Ranger before finally ending the drought with a primary assist Saturday.

"He's moving his feet better," Laviolette said. "This is a guy who's put up points. He had (55) points last year."

That will send Kakko down to the third line, where he practiced Monday in an unexpected grouping with rookie Will Cuylle and veteran Nick Bonino.

"Maybe it helps Kaapo," Laviolette said. "All of a sudden, he's producing more and generating more points by finding a different line with a different view, different pairings (and) different matchups."

Chytil's injury, which will keep him on injured reserve for a minimum of two more games, has had a domino effect on the centers. It required Vincent Trocheck to elevate to the second line, with Bonino bumping up to take Trocheck's place on the third.

It's a different look for the 35-year-old Bonino, who typically plays a fourth-line defensive role and will now be put into more offensive situations.

"I’ve got a couple of young guys on the wings, so let's get them into open ice if we can," he said. "I can't change my game. I wish I could decide to score 40, but for me, it's just being responsible in the right places. Try to get out of our zone maybe a little bit quicker and then play a little bit more offense, but these guys have great offensive instincts. I think I can read the game pretty well and try to get to the net for them and create traffic and jump on pucks."

While the forwards are being shuffled around, Laviolette seems inclined to leave the defensive pairs alone for now. He opted to play veteran Erik Gustafsson in Fox's usual spot next to Ryan Lindgren in Minnesota, which is how it remained for Monday's practice.

That left a 23-and-younger bottom pair of Zac Jones and Braden Schneider intact, despite noticeable hiccups in two previous games together. In 25:06 TOI, that duo has allowed three goals and 11 HDCA while being outshot, 17-10, and producing a 40.42% xGF.

"Our defensemen, it wasn’t a great (Saturday) night for us," Laviolette said. "We gave up way too many attempts, way too much zone time. We just lost the battles in those areas. But it was just one game, too. And it wasn't just one young defenseman or two young defensemen. It was a group of guys who needed to do a better job. Those are the things that we tried to fix (Monday). I don't have a problem playing two young players together, but we as a group – I’m not talking about them – we need to play better, in general."

The Rangers will have to navigate life without Fox until at least Nov. 29, which is when he would first be eligible to come off long-term IR, but they appear to have avoided anything serious with Shesterkin.

The 27-year-old goalie practiced lightly Monday, and while he headed to the locker room earlier than the rest of the group, Laviolette indicated that was planned. They wanted to see how he responded, with the hope he'll return to the lineup soon.

"The plan (Monday) was to get him back and see how he’s going to come in (Tuesday). We'll evaluate at that point," Laviolette said. "He was out there, he was part of it, and he followed through with what we wanted."

It's likely veteran backup Jonathan Quick will start Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. home game against the Detroit Red Wings, but goaltending is probably the least of the Rangers' concerns at the moment.

Coping with injuries to Chytil and Fox, jumpstarting the 5v5 offense and cleaning up the uncharacteristic defensive breakdowns that cropped up in Minnesota − where the Blueshirts were outshot, 40-18 − are the most pressing issues.

"It's never good to lose guys, especially a couple of key guys," said a level-headed Alexis Lafrenière. "But we lost one game. We can play better. We know that, but it's good because we have a chance (Tuesday) to get back to winning. That’s what we’re looking forward to doing."

NY Rangers (8-2-1) projected lineup: Game 12 vs. Detroit Red Wings (7-4-1)

When: Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Madison Square Garden

TV/Radio: TNT/98.7 FM

Forwards

Top line ⊳ Chris Kreider (LW) ⋄ Mika Zibanejad (C) ⋄ Blake Wheeler (RW)

Second line ⊳ Artemi Panarin (LW) ⋄ Vincent Trocheck (C) ⋄ Alexis Lafrenière (RW)

Third line ⊳ Will Cuylle (LW) ⋄ Nick Bonino (C) ⋄ Kaapo Kakko (RW)

Fourth line ⊳ Jimmy Vesey (LW) ⋄ Barclay Goodrow (C) ⋄ Tyler Pitlick (RW)

Defensemen

Top pair ⊳ K'Andre Miller (L) ⋄ Jacob Trouba (R)

Second pair ⊳ Ryan Lindgren (L) ⋄ Erik Gustafsson (R)

Third pair ⊳ Zac Jones (L) ⋄ Braden Schneider (R)

Goalies

Starter ⊳ Jonathan Quick

Backup ⊳ Louis Domingue

Long-term injured reserve: D Adam Fox (lower body)

Injured reserve: F Filip Chytil (upper body)

Healthy scratches: F Jonny Brodzinski, D Connor Mackey and G Igor Shesterkin

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY Rangers hope projected lineup changes can create a spark