Rick Nash should be one of the happiest Rangers to see Alain Vigneault join the club. Vigneault is known as a coach who gets the most out of his star players, as evidenced by the success enjoyed by Daniel and Henrik Sedin during his tenure in Vancouver."I believe that your top skill players have to be given a little bit more latitude," Vigneault said at his introductory press conference in New York. "They have to understand the game. They have to understand the time in the game when you need to play maybe higher percentage, but they also have to be given that latitude to make something out of nothing. That's why those guys have the high-end skill, and you've got to give them that leeway." This should come as music to the ears of Nash, who has yet to play under an NHL coach who gave him such freedom.

New York Rangers president and GM Glen Sather confirmed to the New York Post that Rick Nash suffered a concussion on a hit from Milan Lucic in February. Nash missed four games in February with an undisclosed ailment after his head was pushed into the glass by Lucic during a Feb. 12 game. The Rangers and then-coach John Tortorella were tight-lipped as to the nature of the injury but many suspected a concussion. Nash had 21 goals and 42 points in 44 regular-season games in his first season in New York, but struggled mightily in the postseason. We expect he'll be much better next season under new coach Alain Vigneault, who should bring a much more offensive-minded gameplan to MSG.

Rick Nash enjoyed his first season with the New York Rangers. Nash called it "one of the most fun seasons of my career by far." Although the Rangers failed to live up to the high expectations put on them, their performance was still a big step up for Nash. The Columbus Blue Jackets have never won a playoff game despite spending nine seasons trying to change that. Nash had 21 goals and 42 points in 44 regular season games, but had just a single goal and five points in 12 playoff contests.

Rick Nash threaded a picture-perfect setup on Chris Kreider's game-winning overtime deflection in Thursday's Game 4. Kreider was asked after the game how it felt to have the Rangers' season on his stick and his response was near perfect. "It wasn't on my stick a very long time," Kreider said. "Nash kind of used me as a backstop, and that's what great players do." Although Nash didn't score for the 10th time in the Rangers' 11 postseason games, the pass to Kreider was about as perfect as the rookie could ask for. The puck landed just beyond the stick of defender Dougie Hamilton and the pass was hard enough to create a deflection that was really difficult for Tuukka Rask to stop in time. The Rangers need Nash to score, but assists like the one Thursday night certainly help.

Rick Nash played on three different lines in Sunday's loss to Boston and John Tortorella plans to play him "a lot" as the series shifts to New York for Games 3 and 4. Armed with the last change it should make it easier to get Nash away from Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, who always draws the assignment to shut down the opposition's best. Nash scored his first goal of the playoffs on Sunday and the Rangers are hoping he can get on a bit of a roll now.

Rick Nash finally broke through and scored his first playoff goal in the 2013 playoffs, but it wasn't enough as the New York Rangers lost to the Boston Bruins 5-2 in Game 2 on Sunday. He now has a single tally on 32 shots in this postseason, giving him a 3.1 shooting percentage. He had 21 goals in 44 games during the regular season. Ryan Callahan scored a beauty for New York's other tally today.

Rick Nash is learning on the fly during the playoffs, but he feels that it's only a matter of time before he breaks out. "I've got to stick with it, keep working," he said after going without a goal in the first round. "Any time you're in a bit of a funk, you want to work your way out of it, and by doing that you keep things simple, keep shooting. The chances are there. I've just got to work harder to get them in." This is only his second year in the postseason and his first since 2009 when he was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. That series ended in a four-game sweep by Detroit. With another series under his belt, he should be better prepared and hungrier to perform in the semifinals. "I haven't been in many playoff games, so this is definitely new to me," Nash said. "Any time you get experience, it helps."

Rick Nash isn't feeling discouraged that he hasn't scored yet in the playoffs. "I think the offense will come," said Nash, who scored 21 goals during the regular season. "I was getting a few chances [Monday], got a few chances [Sunday]. That's my main goal, trying to help the team win. It's unfortunate that I can't do it right now by bringing the offense. I'm just trying to make good defensive plays, try to set guys up, bring some momentum swings." He had two assists and 22 shots in seven games against Washington in the first round and will look to get one in the goal column when the Rangers begin their semifinal series in Boston on Thursday.

According to Chris Botta, the NHL will confirm the outdoor game scheduled for next season between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils at Yankee Stadium later this week. The game will reportedly take place on the Sunday before the Super Bowl, which is also taking place in New York next year. The NHL has also planned four other outdoor games next season, highlighted by the Winter Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings.

Rangers forward Rick Nash led his team in goals with 21 during the regular season but he's been frustrated in the post-season by the Washington Capitals, who take a 3-2 lead into New York today in their first-round series. "We're trying to play him hard," Washington defenseman Karl Alzner said of Nash, who has no goals on 19 shots, one assist and is a minus-2 in the series. "When he's in the corner, we're trying to give him a few shots because he is such a big guy. He's a good player and we've been fortunate to keep him in check."