Rangers defenseman Nick Holden, who had played the last four games, was a healthy scratch against the Golden Knights on Tuesday, while Steven Kampfer, who has played just two games this season, was back in the lineup.
It was unclear whether Holden was being kept off the ice because of a pending trade, but part of the reasoning was surely based on Holden’s first period Saturday in Montreal.
He had a soft turnover early and then on Alex Galchenyuk’s power-play goal at 11:09, when Brendan Smith was decked by Brendan Gallagher and was down on the ice in pain, Holden went to the puck rather than covering in front.