SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Rangers coach Alain Vigneault did not divulge his lineup, but it appears defenseman John Moore will see action in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Kings on Saturday at Staples Center.
Moore completed his two-game suspension by sitting out Game 1 of the series on Wednesday, a 3-2 overtime victory by the Kings. Moore had been out since his blindside shot to the head of Montreal’s Dale Weise in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, and was replaced in both games by Raphael Diaz.
“Johnny has played some good hockey for us,” Vigneault said Thursday. “He skates with the puck well. He’s left‑-handed D. I think it’s easier to go D-to-D when you have right-‑ and left-‑handers.”
Diaz played well in Game 6 of the East finals, but struggled in Game 1 against the big and physical Kings, who took advantage of his small stature and pressured him to make quick decisions with the puck.
“Raf has done a good job for us also,” Vigneault said, “but Johnny has been one of our consistent six defensemen that we’ve rolled all year. If we do go that way, I’m sure he’s going to be ready for it and he’s going to look forward to the opportunity.”
The Rangers were outhit 45-33 in Game 1, and it is no surprise the bigger and stronger Kings tried to raise the level of physicality.
Yet the Rangers aren’t shying away from that.
“For the majority of the game, I felt we were matching them, too, physically,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “We had some big hits ourselves. We understand they’re going to be physical on us, and we’re not going to shy away from it, for sure. We’ve got to look for opportunities to be physical on them.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a big hit, but utilizing our legs, getting on the right side of guys, creating turnovers — that way is part of being physical, too. We feel we can play that game, as well.”
Vigneault was asked about Rick Nash’s struggles — Nash has three goals in 21 postseason games, all coming in the conference finals — and the coach was quick to shoot it down.
“Not sure if you followed our series very closely, but Rick has been playing some real good hockey,” Vigneault said, citing the team-kept statistic that Nash is leading the squad in scoring chances-for versus scoring chances-against while he is on the ice.
“He’s competing. He’s using his size. He’s done some great defensive plays for us. He’s been a big part of why we are where we are and why we have a chance to compete for the Cup.”