RALEIGH, N.C. — The Rangers are not only holding lineup information close to the vest.
They are throwing curveballs in terms of what they are showing at practices versus games themselves.
So the best reason to think Jonny Brodzinski might be back in for Thursday’s Game 6 against the Hurricanes is not so much that he skated on the fourth line ahead of Matt Rempe on Wednesday.
It is that Peter Laviolette went away from Rempe in this series when the Rangers were on the road in Games 3 and 4 — the latter of which saw Filip Chytil out with illness — and Laviolette could not control the matchups.
Brodzinski featured in that Game 4 loss, seeing 8:49 of ice — more than Rempe has in any game this postseason or in all but one regular-season game in which he featured.
“Felt good,” Brodzinski told The Post following Wednesday’s practice of his Game 4 performance. “Kept it simple. Didn’t make any mistakes. I think that’s the biggest thing. We [the fourth line] scored that goal, which was great. Got one against us right away. Other than that, it was a pretty good game.”
To be sure, Rempe has an impact when he is out there, though that has been a little bit muted in this series compared to the first round.
But the Rangers’ reluctance to put him on the ice, especially late in games, has been obvious all series and Rempe featured for just 6:01 on Monday night.
In the one game Brodzinski played, he recorded more third-period shifts (four) than Rempe has in the three in which he’s been in the lineup (two).
So, does that make Game 6 the right time to slot Brodzinski back into the mix?
“Whatever the coaches put out there, I accept whatever lineup’s out,” Brodzinski said. “It’s something that I’ve done for such a long time. I stay ready when I’m out. When I’m in, I do my job. I think that’s the biggest thing is just staying ready all the time.”
If Chytil is available for Game 6 — and if you think Laviolette was giving away that information a day in advance, then you are not paying attention — it figures that the Czech will slot back into the lineup, no questions asked.
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But Chytil stayed out on the ice late Wednesday, usually an indicator that he would not be playing the following day.
That would land the wheel back onto Brodzinski’s name, if you can trust it at all.
