Rangers Jimmy Vesey scratched again in telling lineup decision

Jimmy Vesey was scratched for the third straight game and fourth of the last six in the Rangers’ 5-1 defeat against the Kings at the Garden on Saturday and to hear head coach Peter Laviolette talk about it, it’s not about what the veteran has failed to do on the ice. “Jimmy’s been a very good player, but when somebody is out of the lineup, and you could say the same thing for Jonny [Brodzinski], but Jimmy has been good when he’s been in there, but at this point, I’ve made a decision to go with a different player,” Laviolette said.“At this point, I like what that player is doing on the ice. “That doesn’t mean that any player who is out of the lineup is necessarily doing something wrong.” Laviolette has chosen to go with the energetic, more physical, 22-year-old Brett Berard in Vesey’s place on the right side of the fourth line featuring Sam Carrick in the middle and Adam Edstrom on the left.

Berard was promoted from the AHL Wolf Pack on Nov.24 when Filip Chytil was out of the lineup dealing with upper-body issues. Chris Kreider missed some time, Reilly Smith was scratched for a game, Berard went down for three games with an upper-body issue of his own when crunched by Kirby Dach on Nov.

30.He returned Dec.

9 against Chicago, bumping Vesey out of the lineup. This is the first time since returning to the Rangers in 2022-23 that the 31-year-old winger has been scratched for more than a single game at a time.Vesey, who has three points (2-1) in 15 games while getting an average of 9:34 of ice time, was scratched once early in 2022-23 and then twice in the first week last season under Laviolette. Vesey was on LTIR for the opening 10 games with a lower-body injury he sustained early in camp.

Primarily combining with Carrick and Edstrom since his Nov.3 debut, the fourth line has had a 51.23 Corsi over 96:28 while on for two goals scored and three against with a 53.34 expected goal share. With Berard, the unit had recorded a 59.26 Corsi ov...