Rangers give Daniel Carcillo first shot against Chicago

Daniel Carcillo, the agitator who was with the Blackhawks on their Stanley Cup run last season, made his Rangers debut Wednesday against his former team, and J.T. Miller, who had played eight of the last nine games, was a healthy scratch.

Carcillo, 28, who was acquired from Los Angeles last Saturday for a seventh-round draft pick, started on a fourth line with Dominic Moore and Brian Boyle.

Carcillo, who played 7:15, had two hits and drew a penalty on Brandon Bollig in the first period.

"It's time to get Dan in," coach Alain Vigneault said before the game. "It's his former team. And not that J.T.'s played bad, to the contrary, we're very happy with how he's played. But the [top] three lines are playing well right now and we need to keep the two penalty-killers, Dom and Brian, in. It's a numbers game."

Vigneault considers Carcillo an "energy" guy and said "sometimes you need those tempo/momentum shifts, changing during the game, when a guy goes out gets a couple big hits. That's what I remember from him. I'm anxious to see what he's going to do; it's his first opportunity to show what he's got."

The Rangers are carrying 13 forwards, but Vigneault did not want to discuss whether Miller would be sent to Hartford. But he did drop a hint. "The more I see that young player, I see that potential," said Vigneault, "and if he keeps improving and if he keeps working on his game, there's a chance someday he'll become a real effective player."

Del Zotto in, Falk out

SEE PHOTOSSee the fully transformed MSG

Justin Falk was a healthy scratch for the fifth straight game. Michael Del Zotto, with assists in the last two games, was in the lineup for the third straight game.