PITTSBURGH — Chad Ruhwedel is still waiting to make his Rangers debut.
He’ll keep waiting if Braden Schneider keeps earning more and more trust from his teammates.
Ruhwedel, a defenseman whom the Rangers acquired from the Penguins ahead of the deadline in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick, has yet to play for his new side, including Saturday’s 7-4 win over the Penguins at his old stomping grounds.
He participated in warm-ups, but he was a healthy scratch.
Ruhwedel, 33, had been expected to help fill the void created by Jacob Trouba’s lower-body injury as a right-handed shooter next to K’Andre Miller, but Schneider has largely filled in as Miller’s partner, and did so again Saturday.
“[Schneider] has been awesome,” Miller said. “He’s done everything right to this point. He continues to show how good he can be. … [Schneider] made it pretty easy tonight, talking a lot and just breaking down their offense and their pressure.”
Ruhwedel had played the previous seven-plus seasons with the Penguins, winning a Stanley Cup with the team. He received a tribute video during the first period, though it was a bit anticlimactic as he embraced the crowd in a suit from the press box.
Adam Fox went to the ground after blocking a shot from Kris Letang during the second period and appeared to be uncomfortable when he returned to the bench. But, though he appeared to be laboring, he gutted it out and finished with a goal and assist.
“I’m sure it did [hurt],” Laviolette said. “He finished the game.”
Laviolette didn’t take anyone out of the lineup Saturday from the team’s 6-3 loss to the Lightning on Thursday, though he did swap Jimmy Vesey and Will Cuylle.
Vesey skated on the third line with Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko, while Cuylle skated on the fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Jonny Brodzinski, but Laviolette switched it back in the third period.
Laviolette could have replaced the suspended Matt Rempe’s size with 6-foot-7, 234-pound Matt Edstrom, whom they recalled from AHL Hartford on Friday.
Brodzinski hadn’t impressed in two games filling in for Rempe entering Saturday and Edstrom could have taken his spot in the lineup, but Edstrom was a healthy scratch.
Brodzinski had another quiet showing on Saturday. Rempe will serve the final game of his suspension in Sunday’s matinee against the Islanders.
Edstrom was recalled as an injury emergency, meaning it doesn’t count as one of his four call-ups permitted after the trade deadline.
Forwards Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Alexis Lafreniere and Wennberg were banged up after Thursday’s game, though they all played Saturday.
Chris Kreider played his 800th career game Saturday, which is 10th-most in franchise history.
Miller fed Vincent Trocheck before the latter found Panarin streaking in front of net to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead in the first period, and the assist was Miller’s 100th-career point. He finished with a goal and two assists, bringing him to 102 career points.
“The goals were all just coming off good reads and joining the play at the right time,” Miller said. “I don’t think we were forcing anything.”
