Vigneault happy Andersson doesn’t settle for 2nd

GLENDALE, Ariz. — It was an act Rangers coach Alain Vigneault thought was both good and bad.

Lias Andersson, the team’s 19year-old prospect and No. 7-overall pick in this year’s draft, threw his silver medal to a fan in the stands Friday night in Buffalo after the Swedish team he captained lost to Canada in the World Junior Championship final.

“You want your players to compete, to be competitive, to not like to lose. So, all that part I like about it,” Vigneault said before his Rang- ers beat the Coyotes, 2-1 in a shootout, on Saturday night at Gila River Arena. “[But] there’s behavior and conduct. But he’s a young man, and he wants to win. So that’s real positive.”

Andersson had a terrific tournament, beating the Americans in the semifinal and finishing the seven games with six goals and an assist. But Canada scored with just under two minutes remaining in the final, adding an empty-netter to make it a 3-1 victory.

After the medal ceremony, Andersson went over the glass and tossed his medal to a fan in the front row wearing a Rochester Americans jersey — as well as two jerseys underneath, the last one being the Tre Kronor of Sweden.

“I don’t want it,” Andersson, who eventually got the medal back, told reporters. “The guy in the stands wanted it more than me, so I gave it to him. I’m just going to have it home in some box or whatever so he wanted it more than me.” Winger Mats Zuccarello missed Saturday night’s game after Vigneault said he “fell ill.” Coming into the lineup was rookie Vinni Lettieri, who scored a goal in his NHL debut last Friday in Detroit and was scratched for the two games after.

Lettieri started on the fourth line with Boo Nieves and Paul Carey, but moved around throughout the game and finished with three shots on goal and five attempts over 14:22.

Winger Pavel Buchnevich was demoted to the fourth line in the second period, Vigneault not happy with the way his unit along- side J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad was playing.

“It had more to do with that line. That line was continually in our end,” Vigneault said. “I just decided to make a few subtle changes.”

Henrik Lundqvist made his fourth straight start and the 35 starts of the first 41 games. Vigneault would not rule him out to get the second leg of the back-toback, Sunday night in the team’s first-ever trip to Las Vegas against the Western Conference-leading Golden Knights.