Alain Vigneault wants third line to pick up its play

It goes without saying that the Rangers' top two lines need to produce, and when their fourth line is their best trio, as it was Thursday, reality sets in. The third line has to pitch in, which it hasn't done in the last three games.

In Thursday night's 2-1 loss to the Lightning in Tampa, which ended the Rangers' winning streak at nine games, a couple of flaws surfaced.

"We're definitely not getting enough pucks to the net," said coach Alain Vigneault, who indicated after Friday's practice that he will not change the lineup against the Panthers here Saturday. But he made a point that the team's third line -- Viktor Stalberg, Kevin Hayes and rookie Oscar Lindberg -- needs to raise its level. The group has one assist in the past three games.

"I have so much belief in Kevin, and Oscar's shown he can play at this level and Viktor came in hungry and had a strong training camp," Vigneault said. "The last couple games, though, we haven't gotten a lot from that line, and some of it starts in the middle. I believe that line can be better than it has lately."

Stalberg, 29, the elder statesman of the trio, didn't dispute Vigneault's assessment. "I don't think we've played great the last two, three nights," he said. "We had a tough time getting into the interior; we have to simplify. Hayes is such a good puck protector, but sometimes we stand around watching him try to do his thing. We've got to help each other and try to move the puck a little quicker. If you're not getting chances, sometimes you have to crash the net to get something going. I thought [Thursday] was a step in the right direction compared to the two games before that."

Stalberg, who has played with Chicago, Nashville and Toronto, understands the math with a team that's come out of the gate at 14-3-2. "The first 20 games go by pretty quickly; then you get that 20 to 40 or 50, and it's tougher,'' he said. "We're excited where we're at, but we've got to be better. We put ourselves in a great spot here; we want to keep that separation. Vigneault stresses that a lot: Points in October, November and December are as important as March and April."