Ryan Reaves becomes latest Ranger to enter COVID-19 protocol

ANAHEIM – Artemi Panarin has not yet cleared COVID-19 protocol and was not in the lineup when the Rangers faced off against the Anaheim Ducks Saturday night at the Honda Center. But the Rangers added one more player to their COVID protocol list when the team announced at the beginning of warmups Saturday that fourth-line forward Ryan Reaves had joined Panarin, goalie Igor Shesterkin and forward Julien Gauthier in the protocol.

With Panarin, Gauthier, Reaves and Dryden Hunt (injured reserve – upper-body injury) unavailable, three Hartford callups entered the lineup. Tim Gettinger, Morgan Barron and Jonny Brodzinski skated together on the fourth line, with previous fourth-liners Greg McKegg and Kevin Rooney moving up to the third line alongside Filip Chytil.

Rangers coach Gerard Gallant did tweak the lines, though. Chytil, normally the center on the third line, shifredto the right wing, and Rooney, who had been playing left wing, was at center. McKegg played on the left of the third line.

The top two lines remained unchanged, with Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko comprising the top line and Alexis Lafreniere, Ryan Strome and Barclay Goodrow staying together for the fourth straight game as the second line.

"You don't want to change up all four lines just because you’ve got a player here or there missing,’’ Gallant said. "So we’ll do the best we can."

Georgiev starts

Alexandar Georgiev, who started Thursday’s game in Vegas, got the start in goal again. At practice on Friday, Gallant had said he isn’t committed to playing Georgiev in all the games that Shesterkin misses while in COVID protocol. He has confidence in Keith Kinkaid, he said.

Blue notes

D Patrik Nemeth missed his fourth straight game with a personal issue… With Barron, Gettinger and Brodzinski activated off the taxi squad, the team called up forwards Anthony Greco, a Queens native, and Lauri Pajuniemi to join the taxi squad, along with defensemen Zac Jones and Tarmo Reunanen. Both Greco and Pajuniemi arrived during the day and should be available to practice on Sunday.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

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.