After a day of R&R on Tuesday, Henrik Lundqvist will go back to work Wednesday night when the Rangers and Martin St. Louis face the Maple Leafs at the Garden.
Coach Alain Vigneault, who had expressed concern that the goaltender might be fatigued in the wake of his return from the Olympics, named Lundqvist after checking with the goaltender prior to the morning skate.
“That was a good opportunity to get an extra day,” Lundqvist said after coming off the ice. “It was an intense tournament we played in and coming back, it was important to put it behind you.
“We talked this morning and I told him I was good to go. The day of rest was good for me.”
After backing up Cam Talbot in last Thursday’s 2-1 victory over the Blackhawks, Lundqvist surrendered 10 goals on 64 shots in back-to-back weekend 4-2 and 6-3 defeats to the Flyers and Bruins, respectively.
“I look at those two games and I don’t think I played bad, but did I come up with the big saves? I don’t think so,” Lundqvist asked and answered appropriately. “There were crucial times in both games where I could have made the difference but didn’t.
“It is not enough to just play OK. You need to be on top of your game. It’s a matter of coming up with the big save at the right time.”
The Blueshirts also addressed a need for depth on defense, picking up rental property Raphael Diaz from the Canucks in exchange for a fifth-rounder in 2015.
The 28-year-old Diaz, who went from Montreal to Vancouver a couple of weeks ago after spending parts of three seasons with the Canadiens, is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound lefty who likely leapfrogs Justin Falk on the depth chart as the seventh defenseman.
The Rangers also assigned J.T. Miller to the AHL Wolf Pack, an indication that Mats Zuccarello (left hand fracture) should be ready to return to the lineup either Friday in Carolina or Sunday at home against the Red Wings.