The Rangers’ young centers are neck-and-neck in the race for a roster spot.
Three former first-round draft picks — Brett Howden, Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson — are approaching the last opportunities to showcase why they deserve to be in a Rangers sweater on opening night next week in Madison Square Garden.
Behind top-line center Mika Zibanejad, the middle job for lines two through four are relatively up for grabs — with Ryan Strome most recently jumping over Chytil to the second line in Thursday’s shootout win over the Flyers. The three young talents are about to embark on their second seasons in the league and are one breakout performance away from locking up a roster spot heading into the Rangers’ 4-2 loss to the Islanders on Saturday night in Bridgeport, Conn.