David Quinn sets expectations for slumping Brendan Smith

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It was already a short leash for Brendan Smith. But another difficult performance Friday night in Detroit hardly helped.

So the veteran defenseman was made a healthy scratch for the second leg of this road back-to-back, a 5-4 shootout win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday night. It was the first time this season head coach David Quinn scratched Smith after the two had talked about his slipping game before Friday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Red Wings in Detroit.

“Listen, he’s a really good player. Got off to a great start. He’s hit a little bit of a rough patch,” Quinn said. “We’ve got defensemen — as I’ve talked about — we feel confident with all eight. Sometimes it’s not an indictment on their play as much as the fact that we have other guys doing a good job and want to get guys in. That’s just the situation we’re in.

“Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to sit and watch, recollect yourself and get going again. Just press the restart button. I fully expect him to come back and be the player he’s capable of being.”

The 29-year-old Smith, who signed a four-year, $17.4 million deal in the summer of 2017 with an annual salary-cap hit of $4.35 million, spent last year’s final two months with AHL Hartford after clearing waivers. He did start this season in good shape and with more jump in his game, but his ghastly turnover early in the third period that led to Detroit’s first goal was a sign of his disintegrating game.

Replacing Smith was lefty-shot Fredrik Claesson, who had been out with a lower-body injury since getting hurt on Oct. 17 in Washington. Claesson played a steady 17:12 paired mostly with Kevin Shattenkirk.

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Quinn delivered on his pregame guarantee that rookie Lias Andersson would play more than the 6:23 of total ice time he got in Detroit. The coach moved the 20-year-old Swede to the right wing on a line with Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes, and Andersson finished the game with 15:22.

Winger Cody McLeod returned to the lineup after he had been a healthy scratch on Friday night, replacing Vinni Lettieri. Before that, McLeod had played eight straight.

Quinn put McLeod back on the left side of a line with rookie Filip Chytil — with Ryan Spooner on the right — and they didn’t get off the bench for the final seven minutes of regulation. Surprisingly, Spooner did get a long shift in the 3-on-3 overtime, and was the team’s third shooter in the skills competition, failing to score.

Quinn sounded hopeful Mats Zuccarello could re-enter the lineup for Monday night’s Garden match against the Canucks after he missed this two-game trip with a groin strain.