Shattenkirk back in lineup and may have new defensive partner

The Rangers have invested a lot in Brady Skjei to be a top-tier defenseman, and that comes with quite a bit of responsibility. It also might include being a partner for Kevin Shattenkirk, as the veteran is set to return from his one-game scratch with Saturday’s matinee at the Garden against the Oilers.

The two were paired together for Friday’s practice in Tarrytown as first-year coach David Quinn continues to try to find the right combination for his eight-man blue line. Quinn had already declared Shattenkirk was going to return for Saturday’s match even before the team picked up its first victory in the opening four games with a 3-2 overtime win against the Sharks on Thursday night.

Of course, the win came when Skjei scored 37 seconds into the extra frame, helping his Rangers get off the schneid and giving them at least a little bit of confidence going forward under Quinn.

“It’s not hard coming to the rink, but it was a different mood and different atmosphere, for sure,” Skjei told The Post after Friday’s practice. “Getting that win [Thursday] night was huge, and everyone in here has a little weight off their shoulders and we’re ready to keep getting better and hopefully get a lot more wins.”

Now they’re going to try to get a win with Shattenkirk in the lineup, and Skjei has no hesitation that it’s only a matter of time before the veteran finds his game. Skjei should know because he was Shattenkirk’s main partner last year — playing 459:10 of 5-on-5 ice time together before Shattenkirk went for his left-knee surgery on Jan. 18.

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“I have full trust in Shatty,” Skjei said. “He’s an elite defenseman in this league. He’s great offensively, he’s got great mind for the game. I think both of us like to get up in the play, it’s just that reading off each other which shouldn’t be that difficult because we played with each other last year. He’s obviously very smart and moves the puck really well. You just have to get open and he’ll find you.”

What the Rangers need most from Shattenkirk is for him to find his confidence. Both Quinn and Shattenkirk himself say he is physically 100 percent, but it’s the mental side of the return from injury that has kept him from reaching his previous high level of play.

“He’s an established player and this is probably the evolution of him getting through the injury and coming back,” Quinn said. “You come back from an injury like that, miss half a season, and there are two pieces to it — there’s the physical piece and the mental piece.”

Having viewed the San Jose game from the press box, Shattenkirk said it was good “to take a step back and watch the game.” He said he was able to project himself into different situations, and see how the actions of his teammates were either successful or not.

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“More than anything, it’s just been slow for me,” Shattenkirk said. “I think I just need to play with a little more urgency, get pucks on my stick and get them off my stick with jump. Those are quick, simple things I do well and drive my game.”

It could also help that Skjei is next to him, often driving the play himself with his superior skating ability. So the 24-year-old who is in the first year of a six-year, $31.5 million deal — at $5.25 million per — is going to try to help the 29-year-old Shattenkirk, who himself is trying to play up to the four-year, $26.6 million deal ($6.65 million per) he signed to play for his hometown team.

“I’ll try to talk to him as much as I can, get him feeling good about himself,” Skjei said. “He knows that he’s a really, really good player in this league. I feel like once he makes one play that’s like, ‘Wow,’ that’s when he’ll feel like he’s got it back. He’ll be just fine. He’s going to be a huge part of this team. I feel like once he gets his confidence going, it’s going to be huge.”