NHL

It’s early, but Rangers are consistently inconsistent

LOS ANGELES — Through six exhibition matches and one game that counted for real, Thursday’s 4-1 defeat at Phoenix, the Rangers have consistently been unable to develop consistency in their game.

They have been unable to sustain good moments and have too easily squandered momentum. The Blueshirts have barely been able to string together more than a couple of good shifts at a time, let alone play at the required level for 60 minutes.

The Rangers recovered from a spotty start Thursday to seize control late in the first period, but faltered following a series of mistake-filled shifts in the second and never could quite make a game of it again once the Coyotes grabbed a 2-1 lead midway through the contest.

“I agree that we’ve looked good at different points, but we haven’t been able to put together a full period or a full game,” coach Alain Vigneault said after Friday’s one-hour practice session. “I don’t want to give our team an excuse, but a lot of that has to do with our challenging training camp schedule.

“The game in Phoenix was only the second time we had even close to our full lineup together — we had most of the group in the [exhibition] game in Vancouver — and that’s made it difficult,” he said. “Everything takes time. This is no different.

“Having said that, I’m confident that the 48-hour window we’ve given the guys before our next practice on Sunday will be very beneficial to getting the team to play at the pace we need to sustain.”

The tempo that has come and gone and the hard forecheck game that has been absent both should be bolstered, if not remedied, by Ryan Callahan’s expected return against the Kings. The captain said he will be “100 percent when I come back,” unencumbered after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum immediately after last season’s playoffs.

Callahan will not immediately reclaim a top-six forward spot, the coach choosing instead to leave his top two lines intact while moving the captain to the right side with Brian Boyle and Taylor Pyatt. That bumps rookie Jesper Fast down and almost certainly out. (Yes, that was quick).

Vigneault said he doesn’t want to give too much too soon to Callahan after watching Derek Stepan struggle while centering the top line on Thursday after missing nearly all of camp and the entire exhibition schedule.

“If I could have been fairer to Step [Derek Stepan], I’d have done with him what I’m doing with Cally, and I don’t want to say play him in a lesser [offensive] role,” the coach said. “I know Step’s intentions were good, but he didn’t play in any games, and he’s got a guy right in his face, turns it over and the puck goes right into our net.

“We have to play these guys into shape.”

Stepan was on for Phoenix’s first and fourth goals, the latter a four-on-four score while going minus-two in 19:35. Brad Richards, playing left wing on the line, was likely the Blueshirts’ best forward in the opener, but Rick Nash was ineffective on the right side, barely noticeable until he avenged a hard and legal Martin Hanzal check on Stepan late in the match by dropping his gloves and engaging in his first fight since midway through 2009-10.

“From the standpoint of team respect and awareness, I thought [the fight] was real good,” Vigneault said. “But we need Rick to play like Rick Nash, and he will.”

The Rangers need to play with structure they can maintain. They need to control the pace. They need to operate on instinct. They need to be able to once and for all leave behind a contrived training camp schedule that turned the preseason into a counter-productive exercise.

“We all know that hockey is a game of details,” Richards said. “With the travel out West and back home, and then back out here to California, it’s been a challenge.

“But the way the schedule is set up now, we should be good. We’re working hard. We’ll be ready.”