While the offensive production has been consistent from Pirri, Vigneault said after Monday's game he's still evaluating the 25-year-old's play away from the puck.
"There's no doubt he's got a knack to find the net," Vigneault said. "[Last night] he scored a big goal for us. There's other areas where I need to be sure that he's going to make the play, get the puck out and be strong on the wall. In certain areas tonight he needed to make a better play. But there's no doubt offensively that he's got good hands and can find the back of the net."
Hayes will center Miller and Nicklas Jensen, while Pirri will play right wing on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Two other players battling for spots in the bottom-six are Nathan Gerbe and Michael Grabner, who will be on the third line with Jesper Fast. Rounding out the offense is Hrivik centering Glass and Kovacs, who notched an assist Monday night.
The auditions continue on the back end, as Adam Clendening and Dylan McIlrath will skate in tonight's game after appearing in last night's game. Tuesday marks the fourth game of the preseason for both defenders.
Brady Skjei will be paired with Clendening, while rookie John Gilmour, who has two goals in two games this preseason, is slated to be partnered with McIlrath. The top pair Tuesday is expected to be Marc Staal and Kevin Klein.
Antti Raanta is expected to play all of tonight's game against the Islanders, with Magnus Hellberg serving as the backup.
The Rangers made eight cuts Monday night, including Adam Tambellini, Ryan Gropp and Michael Paliotta. All those cut will be reporting to Hartford (AHL).
Rangers at Islanders
7 PM at Barclays Center
Watch on MSG Network
