Vinni Lettieri is giving Rangers’ rookies a run for their money

Lias Andersson had a big first game in New Jersey and Neal Pionk has been the same steadying and creative presence in two preseason outings as he was during his Broadway run late last season. But none of the young Rangers has taken a bolder step forward toward earning a spot on the opening roster than Vinni Lettieri did on Monday at the Garden against the Devils.

Lettieri took advantage of a precautionary second-period shutdown of Jesper Fast to move up to the first line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider and produced an overall 20:21 of typically feisty hockey before redirecting Kevin Hayes’ beauty of a setup for the 4-3 overtime winner.

His jagged-edged work, in which he contested pucks and used his speed to drive to the net with regularity, was reminiscent of his play during last year’s camp, when he just fell short of making the squad as a long-shot undrafted free agent out of Minnesota. Paul Carey claimed the final spot up-front as the Rangers chose not to carry a spare forward while Fast opened on injured reserve.

Lettieri made it back on Dec. 28 for his first of four brief trial NHL runs and scored in his debut in Detroit the following night. But the shoot-first-ask-questions-later winger didn’t get another goal, finishing 1-4=5 in 19 games with diminishing impact. He arrived at this camp down on the perhaps inappropriately named depth chart on the wing, behind summer European free-agent signees Ville Meskanen and Michael Lindqvist.

But neither Meskanen nor Lindqvist has displayed NHL qualities through the early stages of their North American hockey careers. Lettieri, 5-foot-11, has — and he has the straight-line approach new coach David Quinn covets.

“I have to be pretty fierce in the O-zone and D-zone,” said Lettieri, who went to the front and took an extra swat at the puck after it had been gloved by goaltender Eddie Lack to spark a tussle in front with 41 seconds remaining in regulation. “I have to get in the dirty areas.

“[I] might take a blocker to the face like I did from the goalie there — that didn’t feel too good — but that’s what it’s going to take to either get the guys going or get a rebound. That’s just what you have to do as a smaller guy.”

That’s an approach appreciated not only by Quinn, but by the citizens of Rangerstown who clamor for in-your-face types like Lettieri. There was a reason, after all, that Todd (Heartbeat) Harvey became a folk hero here, even if for a few fleeting moments. And that Sean Avery still will never have to buy a drink for himself at any of the fine eateries in the Garden’s vicinity.

“The coaching staff and the players have to be on the same page for your team to go anywhere,” the 23-year-old Lettieri said. “If there’s not a connection there, you’re not going to go too far. All of the guys are buying in a lot. We like what’s going on here.”

Quinn said on Monday that he is not married to either keeping eight defensemen and 13 forwards or seven and 14. Unless the Rangers are willing to take the risk of moving on from free-agent signee Fredrik Claesson by placing the defenseman on waivers, however, the club seems locked into beginning with eight on the back end.

That means opening with 13 forwards. If we count 11 as locks — Kreider, Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Hayes, Mats Zuccarello, Jesper Fast, Filip Chytil, Ryan Spooner, Jimmy Vesey, Vlad Namestnikov and Cody McLeod — that leaves two spots open up-front.

It would be stunning if Andersson — who shines more brightly when skating with high-caliber linemates — does not open in New York. So that makes 12 while leaving one spot open for competition between Lettieri and Brett Howden, with perhaps fourth-line center types Peter Holland and Steven Fogarty looming on the outside.

But Lettieri seems a natural fit, a guy who can skate, goes north-south, thinks shot first and who loves to get his nose dirty. He has outplayed not only would-be competitors Meskanen and Lindqvist during camp, but Vesey and Namestnikov, as well.

see also

Analyzing the Rangers crucial roster decisions

David Quinn’s lineup philosophy of “[Having] the top nine forwards…

“I’ve been focused on getting better in the D-zone and O-zone just so I can help my teammates out,” Lettieri said. “I think that’s what [the coaching staff] is harping on.”

There was no update on the status of Matt Beleskey, who was forced from Monday’s game after suffering a shoulder injury fighting Eric Gryba at 15:44 of the first period. … The Rangers are at the Garden against the Islanders on Wednesday before playing the preseason finale the following night in Philadelphia. Henrik Lundqvist is expected to go the distance against the Isles.