Rangers' Kevin Hayes remains sidelined against Ducks with contusion

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Whether Rangers center Kevin Hayes plays at all on this Western road trip is an open question.

Hayes missed his third game on Tuesday — and sixth straight — with what the team has described as a contusion, and coach Alain Vigneault described his status as day-to-day. “He’s working on his rehab and trying to get back in the lineup . . . We have a scheduled practice [Wednesday] and a morning skate [before the Sharks game Thursday], so we’ll sort it out and hopefully he can come in for the last game, I’m not quite sure yet.” The Sharks game is the final match before the All-Star break next weekend.

In Tuesday’s morning skate at Honda Center, Hayes, who was injured on a check into the boards from Vegas defenseman Nate Schmidt on Jan. 7 and played just 3:01 that night — didn’t appear very comfortable, not skating with much speed or power, so the bruise must be deep and painful.

Hayes, who rested and received treatment during the bye week and aggravated the injury on Jan. 13 against the Islanders, rotated in on the third and fourth units during line rushes and played defense on one penalty-kill unit.

The absence of Hayes, who has 10 goals and eight assists, ranks second on the team in faceoffs won, has been impressive shorthanded, and was compiling some points just before the injury, has weakened the pivot. Mika Zibanejad and David Desharnais are the lone regulars.

J.T. Miller has been moved to the middle from the wing (he is more suited for the flank) and Peter Holland was brought up from Hartford to replace Boo Nieves. Holland had one assist in four games before Tuesday.

Shattenkirk update

Vigneault said he did not speak with Kevin Shattenkirk, who underwent surgery in New York on Monday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, but said he received an e-mail saying that everything went well . . . Forward Daniel Catenacci, who was summoned from the AHL as a spare and played 11:03 in his NHL debut against in Colorado in the first game of the trip, was scratched for the second consecutive game. Defenseman Steven Kampfer also was a healthy scratch, so the lineup against the Ducks was the same as in Los Angeles on Sunday, when the Blueshirts lost, 4-2, to the Kings.