Rangers without Kevin Hayes for first time all season

DENVER — The Rangers were forced to go without Kevin Hayes for Friday night’s match against the Avalanche that opened a three-game trip which also includes contests at the Coyotes and Golden Knights.

Hayes, who has routinely missed practices to undergo “maintenance” after suffering what is believed a mid-body injury against the Coyotes on Dec. 14 when he crashed into the rear-wall late in regulation of the overtime defeat at the Garden, missed his first game of the year with lingering issues coach David Quinn said might have resulted from either the altitude or from Thursday’s cross-country flight.

The coach said he is confident Hayes, whose 33 points (11-22) are second on the club to Mika Zibanejad’s 34, is a “day-to-day” proposition and won’t turn into a “week-to-week” affair the way that Adam McQuaid’s core injury did earlier this season.

Hayes’ spot in the middle of the second line was filled by Filip Chytil, who returned to his natural position for the first time since Nov. 12. Chytil, who had shifted to the left side, has played 13 games at center.

“Defensively, Filip winds up playing low a lot of the time anyway,” Quinn said. “So I don’t think it will be much of an adjustment or change for him.”

Jimmy Vesey, who had been a healthy scratch for Wednesday’s 7-2 defeat to the Penguins at MSG, returned to the lineup to fill the hole created by Hayes’ absence.

Tony DeAngelo and Brendan Smith remained out of the lineup as scratches while Quinn stuck with the same six-man defense corps. DeAngelo has been scratched 15 times while Smith has sat out 11 of the Rangers’ first 40 games.