Vincent Trocheck returns to the Rangers' lineup vs. Predators

GREENBURGH — The Rangers, still seeking their first home win this season, added some reinforcements for Monday night’s game at the Garden against the Nashville Predators. Vincent Trocheck, who had missed the last 14 games with an upper-body injury, returned to the lineup and prized prospect  Gabe Perreault,  called up from AHL Hartford on Sunday, joined him.

“It makes us deeper. It gives us more balance,’’ coach Mike Sullivan said at the morning skate on Monday when he was asked what the two additions will do for a Blueshirts team that entered the day 7-7-2 overall and 0-6-1 at home.

Trocheck stepped back into his familiar line, between wingers Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere, and Perreault joined him in the top-six forward group, playing on a line with Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller.

Trocheck, who   left in the second period of the second game of  the season, said it was “miserable’’ sitting out for so long.

“I don’t like missing time,’’ he said. “This is the first time I’ve missed games since I’ve been in New York and the last time was, I think 2021 [while playing with Carolina], and I had kidney issues . . . So any time you’re sitting out in the lineup and want to be in the game, helping your team, it’s been tough to watch.”

Getting Trocheck back, Sullivan said, will “give our team a jolt.’’

“Just his presence alone, from a leadership standpoint, means a lot to this group,’’ Sullivan said. “The hockey side of it goes without saying. He’s a terrific hockey player, as we know, so it’ll be nice to get him back.’’

Perreault was called up after a strong start at Hartford (a team-leading five goals and 10 points) and with the Rangers needing help in the goal-scoring department. Entering Monday, they were averaging 2.19 goals per game, the second-lowest figure in the NHL. And it was even worse at home, where they were shut out in five of their first seven games. They were outscored 17-1 in their six home regulation losses.

“The thought process with Gabe, he’s had a pretty decent start, especially most recently,’’ Sullivan said. “And he’s an offensive player that has really good instincts on that side of the puck. So our intention is to try to set him up for success so he can play with strengths. So in other words, I don’t know that it makes a whole lot of sense to call a player up like that and put him in a bottom-six role.

“I think he’s a guy that potentially could help us if we can get the best version of him.”

Perreault, who missed two games over the weekend for Hartford, insisted the decision to hold him out was “just a precautionary thing” and declared he was “good to go.”

The 20-year-old winger, the Rangers’ first-round draft pick (No. 23 overall) in 2023, had two goals and two assists in five preseason games but   was sent down to start the season in Hartford.  He said it was good for him to start there because he had some things he needed to work on at the minor-league level.

“A lot of little things, like I talked about in camp — wall play, defensive details, little stuff like that,’’ he said. “And also try to work on my strengths at the same time. So a mix of all those things.’’

Meanwhile, as the media approached Trocheck on Monday morning, Miller, who sits at the locker next to him, joked that his longtime friend and youth hockey teammate was “the answer’’ to the Rangers’ home woes and said, “We don’t need you on the road.’’

Trocheck, though, said he wasn’t thinking of himself as the player who would turn things around for the Rangers at home.

“I don’t think one guy’s going to change much,’’ he said. “But of course, we all feel pressure, right? Playing in New York City and some of the most passionate fans in the world, in any sport, the most famous arena in the world. I mean, every night you go into MSG, you want to win for these fans. And obviously the pressure has been building up without us winning at home. So everyone’s feeling the pressure.’’

Notes & quotes: With Trocheck coming off long term injured reserve, Matt Rempe (upper-body injury) was moved from injured reserve to LTIR . . . The other lines in the morning skate were Will Cuylle-Noah Laba-Taylor Raddysh and Adam Edstrom-Sam Carrick-Conor Sheary. Igor Shesterkin got the start in goal.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.