Barclay Goodrow drew back into the Rangers’ lineup on the second night of their back-to-back Sunday against the Kings, after the 30-year-old missed the previous game in Washington.
Revealed as a game-time decision by head coach Peter Laviolette, Goodrow took warm-ups sporting a full face guard and ultimately slotted back into his usual spot on the fourth line between Jimmy Vesey and Tyler Pitlick.
“It was also for Goody, letting him know how important he is to our team,” Laviolette said of starting Goodrow and the rest of the fourth line in the Rangers’ 4-1 win over Los Angeles.
“Putting him right back out there. He was off for a couple days. Obviously, something happened and he had to take some time. For him to come back and step in. We talked about it, it was a good matchup [with the Kings’ top line of Quinton Byfield, Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe].
“We didn’t stick with it 100 percent, but they probably caught 60 to 70 percent of their shifts against that line. I thought they did a great job. I thought him coming back with what he just dealt with, I thought he played a heck of a game, too.”
Goodrow was forced to go to the locker room in the first period of the Blueshirts’ 6-2 loss in Ottawa on Tuesday, when a keep-in attempt smacked him squarely in the face and knocked out a tooth or two.
He was sidelined for the remainder of the game and then missed the following two practices.
In 24 games this season, Goodrow has one goal and two assists with 30 penalty minutes on the season.
Despite coming off two losses in a row, Laviolette opted to keep a majority of the lines the same — aside from reinserting Goodrow and flipping Blake Wheeler and Jonny Brodzinski.
“There’s been some things that have popped in, where we’ve had to shake them up regardless because of the injuries,” Laviolette said before the game. “I still think that the one line, the one line, the [Vincent] Trocheck line [with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere], remains really dynamic and offensive. I don’t really want to get near that one yet. I think they’re doing a lot of good things.
“I wouldn’t shake it up after Ottawa because those are things we need to do better from a defensive standpoint. The attack and the offense was there. [Against the Capitals], I’d like to give these guys a chance to respond and see how they do.”
So the top line featured Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Wheeler, while Will Cuylle, Nick Bonino and Brodzinski skated on the third unit and Vesey, Goodrow and Pitlick made up the fourth line.
The Rangers are scheduled to be off on Monday before they return to game action against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday at the Garden.
Forward Riley Nash was reassigned to AHL Hartford after Sunday’s win.
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