Gerard Gallant makes changes to Rangers' lineup

Two nights after the Rangers were embarrassed in a Friday night loss to the Islanders, coach Gerard Gallant decided to make a few changes to his lineup for Sunday’s matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Garden.

Forward Ryan Strome, who practiced with the team Saturday and had been deemed “a possibility’’ to play against the Flyers, did not make it into the lineup, and instead missed his fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury. But Gallant made three other lineup changes, inserting forwards Julien Gauthier and Jonny Brodzinski, and defenseman Justin Braun, the former Flyer who was traded to the Rangers at the March 21 trade deadline.

Gallant said the fact the Rangers were playing Braun’s old team was not the reason he chose to dress the 35-year-old for the game.

“No, no,’’ he said. “I want to win. Give him a chance to play. He's played one game.’’

Braun, acquired in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2023, played in the 7-4 loss to the Devils in New Jersey March 22, the day after the trade, replacing 20-year-old rookie Braden Schneider. But then Braun sat out the next five games, as Schneider came back in. Sunday, Schneider was scratched to make room for Braun.

Gallant was asked if he might try Braun, a righthanded shooter, on the left side.

“We’ll see,’’ he said.

Braun skated on the right side Sunday, partnered on the third pair with lefty Patrik Nemeth.

Blue notes

Forwards Greg McKegg and Dryden Hunt came out of the lineup to make room for Brodzinski and Gauthier. The other scratch was defenseman Libor Hajek, who sat out for the 11th straight game. Hajek has played in 16 of the Rangers’ 70 games this season, registering one assist with eight penalty minutes.

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.