Alain Vigneault rips struggling Rangers

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- For 18 games, Alain Vigneault had kept his frustration mostly hidden, like a vest under a jacket. A button popped after the Rangers' inexplicable showing in a 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay Monday night, and he let slip a few expletives as he left the interview room.

On Tuesday, the jacket still hadn't been buttoned up, and the second-year Rangers coach sharply criticized his players.

"We better respond," a stern Vigneault said. "We're going to have to show more resiliency, there's no doubt. We're going to have to show a lot more commitment to playing the right way every shift. I believe we have the group to do it, but we're going to have to see some action on the ice here."

Asked about a third-period trial of joining Rick Nash, Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan, Vigneault interrupted the question with: "Produced no results. Nothing. We didn't get a chance in the third yesterday . . . that was a very efficient line. But that was last year."

During practice, Kreider and Stepan were paired with Martin St. Louis, and Mats Zuccarello joined Derick Brassard and Nash. Vigneault seemed tormented he has been unable to find the right combinations for his 7-7-4 club.

"What is giving a player a fair look? That's always the line you're walking," he said. "The reason why I'm having a hard time sticking with lines or duos is that this is a results-oriented business, and the results aren't there."

Even Henrik Lundqvist caught some flak. He has surrendered goals on shots he usually absorbs easily and has not been patient on breakaways.

"He needs to be better," Vigneault said. "Our whole group needs to be better. There's no one guy. This is a team sport -- individual preparation, but it's a team game -- and our execution, our commitment, our attention to detail as a team, needs to go up a notch."

Cam Talbot, not Lundqvist (7-5-3, 2.68 GAA, .910 save percentage), will start Wednesday night at the Garden against the Flyers (7-7-2), which Vigneault said had not been planned until he and goaltending coach Benoit Allaire looked at the schedule. Talbot has started once in 12 home games, a 4-3 shootout loss to the Blues on Nov. 3. Overall, he is 0-2-1, with a 3.48 GAA and .880 save percentage.

Notes & quotes: Before practice, Ryan McDonagh skated on his own for the first time since separating his shoulder Nov. 1. He is two weeks from returning . . . Lee Stempniak took a maintenance day for an undisclosed injury and was called day-to-day . . . Flyers second-leading scorer Claude Giroux (lower-body injury) was ruled out Wednesday.