Lias Andersson gets his shot centering Rangers' third line
The Rangers' Lias Andersson holds back the Canadiens' Artturi Lehkonen during the first period at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Credit: Getty Images/Bruce Bennett
Though he insisted that Brett Howden was “looking very good,’’ and that his absence from the lineup most likely will last just one game, coach David Quinn nevertheless said Howden’s injury seemed the right time to call up Lias Andersson from AHL Hartford.
“We’ve been talking about this for a little while,’’ Quinn said of bringing up Andersson. “He’s played really well down in Hartford, done all the things we’ve asked him to do. Obviously, with Howden’s situation, we thought it’d be a good time to get him to come up. We’re short of centers, so it just was a perfect time. . . . But we’ve been talking about it for a little while. He’s earned this opportunity.’’
The Rangers aren’t really short of centers, though. Behind Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes, who occupy the top two spots, there are Howden, Filip Chytil, Ryan Spooner, Vladislav Namestnikov — who’ve both played mostly wing this season — and now Andersson, who Quinn said might stick around for a while, even after Howden is back.
Against the Canadiens in Tuesday night’s 5-3 win, Quinn inserted Andersson into Howden’s spot on the third line, between Jimmy Vesey and Jesper Fast. Chytil, whose ice time has gone down the last few weeks, remained on the fourth line, between Cody McLeod and Spooner, who took Vinni Lettieri’s spot on the right.
Quinn said he did consider moving Chytil up one spot and putting Andersson on the fourth line.
“Like I’ve said before, a lot of these decisions are 51-49 — you go around, and around, and around,’’ he said. “It’s not just about one player, it’s about the balancing of the lines and all that, so we’ll see how it goes.’’
Questioning Quinn on Quenneville
Quinn was asked his opinion of the Chicago Blackhawks’ firing coach Joel Quenneville.
“Ten years, three (Stanley) Cups . . . you can be a really good coach and still lose your job,’’ he said. “I think that’s what happened to Joel. Ten years is a long, long time in this profession. I know, they’re in a different situation right now, obviously, expectations are high, but I think his success rate speaks for itself. If he chooses, I’m sure he’ll be unemployed for about 10 seconds.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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