Tyler Pitlick confident he’ll add more scoring to his game for Rangers

SUNRISE, Fla. — Tyler Pitlick has been around the NHL long enough, and in the same position with many other clubs before, to work through what was an unexpected start to his first season with the Rangers. 

The 32-year-old journeyman was in the opening-night lineup, but was then scratched in eight of the next nine games before Filip Chytil went down on Nov. 2.

This wasn’t unfamiliar territory for Pitlick, who has yet to play a full 82-game season — and hasn’t even come close since 2017-18 with Dallas — because of injuries and the depth roles he’s filled. 

“I guess it hasn’t gone exactly how I thought it would,” Pitlick told The Post of his short Rangers tenure before the team took on the Panthers Friday night in Florida. “With the seven-game break in the beginning there when I was out of the lineup. I didn’t expect that, but it is what it is. It was a learning experience. You figure out what you got to do. 

“Unfortunately, there was an injury and I got back in and I was ready to go. I feel like I’ve played well ever since. I haven’t gotten as many points as I would’ve liked in these 25 games or whatever it’s been. I feel like I’m playing and bringing an element to the team that’s important. 

“Sometimes, it doesn’t always show up on the score sheet, but I think it’s valuable and I feel good about it.” 

The early season scratches are behind him, but the lack of production is still at the forefront of Pitlick’s mind.

A player who has been lauded for his physicality and work ethic in bottom-six roles, Pitlick believes he has much more to give than the single goal and two assists he has posted through 25 games. 

His line with Jimmy Vesey and Barclay Goodrow has become more of a checking/matchup unit than a fourth line under head coach Peter Laviolette.

They’ve had a steady diet of opponent’s top lines, while Vesey has anchored the offensive contributions with seven goals. 

The chances have come for Pitlick, who has had more than a few looks that he was shocked didn’t go in. 

“If I wasn’t getting chances and I wasn’t playing well, then it’d be an issue,” he said. “It is what it is. Just stay positive, keep getting chances. It’s only a matter of time.” 

Laviolette said he feels Pitlick is noticeable when he plays a physical game, but noted that the whole line is effective when they are doing the right things defensively, moving pucks past the opposition in the neutral zone and generating in the offensive zone when they can. 

The Vesey-Goodrow-Pitlick line somewhat resembles the unit Pitlick skated on for the Stars with Antoine Roussel and Radek Faksa.

Coined as the defensive forward line, the Dallas trio were grinders down low, played the defensive zone starts and faced top units. 

The Minnesota native Pitlick recorded career-high numbers with the Stars, totaling 22 goals and 17 assists in 127 games through two seasons. 

Nevertheless, Pitlick sees his Rangers line as more of a scoring threat and expects that to become a bigger part of their game going forward. 

“Goody is really smart, good on the faceoff dots, similar to how Radek was,” Pitlick said. “I think Jim — I don’t think he’s like Roussel — but he’s making plays, he’s bringing that factor. We’re just all quick and playing fast and playing smart, playing north. Playing a simple game. Once we get in the offensive zone, we can start creating stuff and I feel like we’re creating more and more. 

“It’s going to start coming where we’re scoring in bunches and we’re going to start bringing that element as well.”