Rangers' line-shuffling could create Artemi Panarin-Mika Zibanejad-Chris Kreider mix

Peter Laviolette’s message at the Rangers’ optional practice on Wednesday was that he and the team were moving on from their awful 2-1 loss to the Flames the night before and focusing on Thursday night’s game against the Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden.

But with the Rangers unable to explain why they laid an egg on Tuesday night, and with the desperation level for Thursday’s game off the charts, Laviolette didn’t show his hand as to whether he intended to make any changes to the makeup or configuration of his lineup against Toronto.

Asked on Thursday morning if he foresaw any lineup changes, Laviolette couldn’t — or wouldn’t — reveal anything.

“There are some things that we’re dealing with, so I can’t say,’’ he said.

On Wednesday, Laviolette was asked if he had seen anything promising from the changes he made to the lines and defense pairs in the third period against the Flames.

“No,’’ he said. “Am I going to stick with it? We’re working through things like that in the room now.’’

The most noticeable change Laviolette made in that final period was creating a new first line of Mika Zibanejad at center between wingers Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider. J.T. Miller moved to left wing on a second line with Vincent Trocheck in the middle and Will Cuylle at right wing. Alexis Lafreniere dropped down to the third line with Sam Carrick and Jonny Brodzinski.

Panarin-Zibanejad-Kreider has been something Laviolette, as well as predecessor Gerard Gallant, sometimes turned to in late-game situations when the Rangers were trailing. Laviolette hasn’t gone to it much this season, but the numbers over the past two seasons were good: 12 goals for, three against; 105 shots for, 70 against.

Since Panarin arrived as a free agent, several coaches have tried to play him and Zibanejad together, but it hasn’t lasted. Zibanejad always has chalked that up to the combination simply not getting enough time together.

“When you put a new line together, you want it to work [instantly],’’ Zibanejad said this week. “So if it doesn’t work after two games, it’s not a good line all of a sudden.

“Ultimately, I think it’s time, and try to get an understanding. Because guys that you know you mesh well with, you’re not really thinking. You have, kind of, automatics; you’re kind of on the same page.’’

Sometimes, though, it’s a matter of balance and spreading out the talent rather than having all the top talent on the same line. When the Rangers traded for Miller at the end of January, Laviolette put him on a line with Panarin on the left wing and Zibanejad on the right.

That combination worked well for a time, but eventually, in an attempt to try to create two dangerous lines, he put Panarin back with Trocheck and Lafreniere and had Cuylle up with Miller and Zibanejad. He later tweaked that by putting Cuylle with Panarin and Trocheck and moving Lafreniere back to left wing with Miller and Zibanejad.

When things got desperate on Tuesday, Laviolette put Panarin, Zibanejad and Kreider together, a kind of in-case-of-emergency-break-glass move.

One other move Laviolette tried late Tuesday was pairing his top two defensemen, Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller. In their three minutes, 40 seconds together, the Rangers had more shot attempts (6-3) and more scoring chances (4-1) than the Flames.

After the loss, Laviolette seemed to suggest keeping Fox and K’Andre Miller together isn’t something he wants to do on a full-time basis.

“Sometimes there’s a balance that we’re looking for,’’ he said. “We played four games [before Tuesday] that we were pretty happy with . . . We were trying to generate offense. We were looking for a goal. And so sometimes we make those moves.’’

K’Andre Miller and Fox played together for the first 10 games of the season and in 16 of the first 19 as Fox’s usual partner, Ryan Lindgren, started the season on injured reserve. In their more than 290 minutes together in five-on-five play, the Rangers have outshot opponents 170-109, out-attempted them 368-228 and outscored them 17-10.

Notes & quotes: Igor Shesterkin (23-24-4, 2.78 goals-against average, .907 save percentage) started his sixth straight game . . . Whatever issues the team was “dealing with’’ prompted the Rangers to call up forward Anton Blidh from AHL Hartford. Forward Matt Rempe and D Urho Vaakanainen came out of the lineup, replaced by Brennan Othmann and Carson Soucy . . . The Rangers introduced a centennial logo to be used next season. The design is a blue shield with the No. 100 in red block characters on top over the regular Rangers crest.

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.