Laviolette chose to keep the K’Andre Miller-Borgen duo together, then opted to keep Braden Schneider on the third pair, partnering him with Zac Jones, who entered the lineup. Laviolette said the familiarity Jones and Schneider have from playing with each other so much over the past few seasons played a part in his thinking.

Zac Jones is poised to step back into the Blueshirts' lineup, which will feature reshuffled D pairs and maybe even a five-forward power play.

It started with an awkward fall. Now, the New York Rangers will have to embark on a crucial part of their season without their No. 1 defenseman. Adam Fox was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with an upper-body injury,