Brad Richards will be a healthy scratch Thursday night when the Rangers face elimination from the playoffs in Game 4. "I'm surprised, I guess," said Richards, who was told about the decision by coach John Tortorella this morning. "I'm disappointed." He has played most of the playoffs on the fourth line and has one goal, along with a minus-3 rating, in 10 games. Richards was given just 8:10 of ice time in Game 3. He is still owed $36 million through 2020, but this decision has led to plenty of speculation about his future with the organization. The Rangers may decide to use an amnesty buyout on Richards in the off-season, but for now he'll have to watch his teammate try to stay alive against Boston.

Brad Richards may have reached rock bottom. Not only has he been demoted to the Rangers' fourth line, he was on the ice for only 9:59 at even strength Thursday night, the least amount of any Ranger skater. It is difficult to determine how Richards has fallen from star to marginal player so quickly. Some believe it has to do with the fact that the 33-year-old pivot did not play during the lockout. Whatever the reason, Richards is not currently relevant from a fantasy perspective.

Brad Richards has had to make some adjustments to his game while playing the past two playoff contests on New York's fourth line. "I'm not going to bash my linemates like that, but it's a little more simple, a little more straightforward than some other ways to play," said Richards, who has been skating between Arron Asham and Chris Kreider. "But this time of season, a lot of that other stuff doesn't work anyway. It's got to be straightforward, it's got to be to get shots when you can and drive to the net and try to just create more." He had one goal and 14 shots in seven games against Washington in Round 1, but he's confident that he can rebound.

Brad Richards was demoted to the fourth line in Game 6. He's slated to start Game 7 on the fourth unit as well. Richards didn't speak to the media after taking part in the team's optional skate. He has one goal in six games against Washington in the series and logged just 9:34 of ice time in Game 6.

Brad Richards is hoping a return to New York ice today will help the Rangers even their playoff series with the Washington Capitals. "We didn't have the same forechecking (in D.C.) we had at the Garden for some reason," Richards said. "We were on the puck better at home." The Caps lead the opening-round series 3-2 and a loss today would eliminate the Rangers.

Brad Richards and Rick Nash did not play well in a Game 6 loss to the Capitals Friday night. The two star linemates were in trouble virtually every even-strength shift and did not create many scoring chances. It's hard to win a series when your two top forwards are non-exsistent but that is what Ranger coach John Tortorella is facing. It is surprising that Richards has struggled so mightily. Up unitl this post-season he has been a pretty clutch playoff performer. If the Rangers are to avoid elimination Sunday, Richards and Nash are going to have to step up.

Brad Richards got his first point of the 2013 playoffs when he scored the opening goal of the contest in Wednesday's win over Washington. He played a postseason low of 14:51 of ice time, while recording four shots and winning 55.56 percent of his draws. Richards was red hot down the stretch for the Rangers, but he has cooled down considerably in the playoffs.

Brad Richards played in his 900th career game in the final contest of the 2013 regular season. He collected two assists against New Jersey Saturday afternoon to stretch his season-ending point streak to six games. Richards wasn't at his best for most of the year, but he did finish strong en route to an 11-goal, 32-point campaign.

Brad Richards is the NHL's second star of the week. Richards has four goals and seven points his last four games. He had a hat trick in the Rangers' 8-4 victory over Buffalo on Friday.

Brad Richards recorded two assists on Sunday. Richards has now reached the 30-point milestone. From a production standpoint, Richards has declined since joining the New York Rangers. He had 66 points in 2011-12 and would be on pace to miss the 60-point mark this season if this wasn't a shortened campaign.