The experimentation seems to have ended. For now, at least. Because as Team Jekyll and Squad Hyde have coalesced into a Rangers unit whose current streak of six straight victories is equally improbable as the 1-5-2, 3-7-2 pratfall that preceded it, structure in the lineup has meshed with enhanced structure on the ice.
With the exception of Paul Carey substituting for the ailing Boo Nieves on the fourth line, coach Alain Vigneault has gone with four stable lines for the last six games — artfully mixing, matching and shortening the bench in the third period for score-related purposes — and with three stable defense pairs the last five matches.
Nick Holden might not tickle your fancy as a matchup first-pair right defenseman, but No. 55 has for the most part handled the assignment well on Ryan McDonagh’s tandem. The Brady Skjei-Kevin Shattenkirk duo has been a breath of fresh air with 69.8 percent offensive-zone starts. And Steven Kampfer has kept it pretty simple while skating on Marc Staal’s right side.
Probably sooner than later, the Brendan Smith situation is going to have to be addressed. This is a defenseman, after all, whom the Rangers convinced not to go on the free-agent market by signing him to a four-year, $17.4 million deal for an annual $4.35 million cap hit who has been a healthy scratch for five straight games and seven of the first 19. This kind of thing doesn’t happen every day.
If Vigneault is simply waiting for the right time — which would probably take a defeat in which Kampfer plays badly — to ease Smith into the lineup, then so be it. Or if Vigneault believes the competition will spur Smith, then fine. It is not as if the Rangers bought blind on the defenseman.
But if the coach five months later is convinced the Rangers are a better team without No. 42 as an everyday top six, there is no time like the present for general manager Jeff Gorton to scour the market for the best return possible on Smith so both parties can cut their losses and move ahead.
Meanwhile, the Rangers will prepare for a challenging two-game trip with games in Chicago on Wednesday and in Columbus, Ohio on Friday. They are a confident group from Henrik Lundqvist out. They have committed to a defense-first mentality and structure. That structure sometimes in the form of the dreaded trap they unfurled with success in Saturday’s 4-2 Garden victory over the Oilers.
“We’d be losing those games at the start [of the season] and everybody was like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ ”Kevin Hayes told The Post. “We knew we were a better team, but we also knew we had to turn it around quick or things might happen. Honestly, I think guys were a little nervous.
“I don’t think we were looping or whatever at the start, but now, everybody’s coming back to the house. We’re all coming back in front and Hank is making the saves.”
The Rangers have done a dramatically better job of allowing Lundqvist to see the puck. They’re doing a better job of protecting the front and they don’t seem to be doing as much chasing. There is more discipline through the neutral zone, as well, though you’d like to see the club be able to stand up more at its own line. Still, the last two weeks have featured far more committed efforts.
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“Our speed is our strength, but we can only use that when we play well without the puck and in our own zone,” said Rick Nash, who has had a significant impact throughout the streak. “We’ve been OK since we realized that we needed to keep it simple and follow the plan. That’s something we need to continue to reinforce.”
The Rangers looked slow in the first period against Edmonton, beaten to too many pucks. Thus, their breakouts were fractured. But once they adopted a better five-man structure, they were able to transition nicely from defense to offense.
“We want to be a fast team every game,” Hayes said. “But you have to have the puck to be a fast team and you have to play good defense to get the puck. That’s it.”
Jimmy Vesey, who had two front teeth embedded in his lower lip after taking Zack Kassian’s skate (but not blade) to the face 3:34 into Saturday’s second period, underwent dental work Sunday. A further update is expected Monday. Vesey missed the remainder of the period but returned to play 5:12 on seven shifts in the third while wearing a full shield.