Hayes gets back on the ice despite ‘50 percent’ comment

OTTAWA — Kevin Hayes came here with the full intention of playing.

Despite coach Alain Vigneault saying his secondline center was “less than 50 percent” for going against the Senators with a lower-body ailment, Hayes was able to play during his team’s difficult 6-3 loss Saturday afternoon at Canadian Tire Center.

Hayes said he had not heard what Vigneault said to the media after he missed practice Friday in New York and that the reason he needed a maintenance day was not because of the same leg contusion that had held him out of six straight in late January.

He started the game on the fourth-line wing next to Peter Holland and Paul Carey, but with the team down 4-2 at the start of the third, he played most of the final frame as a center between Michael Grabner and Jesper Fast.

“I wasn’t quite sure. He said he was fine, but I wasn’t quite sure exactly how much he was going to be able to push,” said Vigneault, who ended up giving Hayes 16:53 of ice time. “Seemed to be fine as the game went on.”

Pavel Buchnevich rejoined the lineup after he missed the previous seven games following a concussion suffered Feb. 1. Buchnevich bumped Cody McLeod from the lineup and started on a line with Grabner and J.T. Miller, collecting an assist on Grabner’s first-period goal. But Buchnevich finished where he had left off before the injury — on the top line next to Rick Nash and Mika Zibanejad.

“Thought he had some good energy,” Vigneault said. “Had a couple real good looks, and hopefully he can bring that [Sunday].”

Vigneault was distinctly disappointed with the line of Jimmy Vesey, David Desharnais and Fast, which he thought played a solid game against the Islanders on Thursday. They came out in this one and were on for both of Ot- tawa’s first-period goals that put the Rangers in an early 2-0 hole.

After the second one at 12:07, they didn’t play again in the first period.

“For me, what might have been more disappointing was that in the last game, Davey’s line had such a strong game. They were a great example of the right way to play,” Vigneault said. “And tonight, they had a real tough time. Have to find a way to refocus.”