Mar 9, 2017; Raleigh, NC, USA; Carolina Hurricanes forward Valentin Zykov (39) celebrates his first period NHL goal with forward Sebastian Aho (20) and defensemen Brett Pesce (22) against the New York Ranger sat PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

New York Rangers: Brendan Smiths Report Card as a Ranger by Timothy Haggerty

On their current road trip, the New York Rangers won two-of-three games despite injuries to important players on the roster. However, the loss of these players has made it difficult for the Rangers to maintain a set lineup.

These shifts to their lines and pairings have threatened the chemistry that the teams worked on all season. It will be essential for the Rangers to run lines as consistently as possible before the start of the postseason.

Both Rick Nash and Michael Grabner are expected to return to the lineup tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.

Nash missed Thursdays game against Carolina with an upper-body injury. He is slated to play tonights game against Detroit with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich.

At points throughout the season, Nash has also played with rookie Jimmy Vesey. With Nashs absence due to injury earlier this year and with Zibanejad jumping around from line-to-line, there has been little consistency for Nash and his linemates.

Michael Grabner has missed five games due to a hip injury. The 29-year-old has been one piece of a key line for the Rangers this year.

Grabners line with J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes has arguably been one of the most regularly played lines on the roster. Grabner has played some of the best hockey of his career on a line with Miller and Hayes.

Jesper Fast is currently on the Injured Reserved with a shoulder injury. The 24-year-old doesnt score all that much, but Fast is arguably one of the Rangers most prominent forecheckers and adds much needed two-way play on the Rangers fourth line.

Having him back in the lineup in the future will add depth on the Rangers fourth line on both the offensive and defensive end.

On top of the issues the Rangers have faced on defense, they have been impacted by the loss of Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein.

Both Girardi and Klein have been placed on the Injured Reserve and are out indefinitely (Klein for his back and Girardi with an ankle injury). The addition of Brendan Smith, who the Rangers picked up before the trade deadline, and Steven Kampfer, who the Rangers acquired in the Dylan McIlrath trade have kept the Rangers afloat in their absence.

Finally, it was announced yesterday that Henrik Lundqvist would be out for two to three weeks with a lower-body injury. More specifically a muscle strain, this shouldnt be a huge concern for the Rangers, as Lundqvist will be back in time for the playoffs.

Lundqvist is the Rangers most vital piece in the defense. Because the teams most prominent issues stem from their play on the defensive end, they will need Lundqvist to be at his best entering into the playoffs.

In looking ahead, for the Rangers to have any chance moving into the playoffs they need a 100% healthy roster.

With such competitive Metropolitan Division this season, it is vital that the Rangers have every asset on their team at full strength.

They also need to establish some kind of consistency to the lines that they are running.

It seems that head coach Alain Vigneault has been working all season to try and establish what pairings he wants to run on a consistent basis.

He has been changing up combinations in part due to the inevitable injuries the Rangers were bound to face, but has also done it at points when it seems unnecessary. There have also been scenarios where combinations that were effective that were not given the time to fully develop.

While the Rangers players are capable of playing with anyone on the roster, there is a period of adjustment. Additionally, the longer lines are played consistently, the more players will be able to predict their linemates moves on the ice.

Vigneault needs to make a finally call on his lines. He needs to begin to run consistent pairings that are as close to those that will be played in the postseason.

The return of Nash and Grabner to the lineup tonight should be the start in an effort toward these goals of health and consistency on the roster.

More here:
New York Rangers Chemistry Threatened by Injuries - Bluelinestation.com