Rangers likely to keep Lias around

The kid is here to play, and likely to stay.

After shaking off the disappointment of not making the team out of camp and instead forcing the Rangers’ hand with a strong 14-game stint at AHL Hartford, Lias Andersson made his season debut Tuesday in a 5-3 win over the Canadiens at the Garden.

“I’ve been playing a lot of minutes down there and I feel like it helps to get a lot of ice time and come into this game having some confidence,” said Andersson, who committed a pair of high-sticking penalties in 12:17. “I feel like I had a pretty good game. Can always be better and build from it.”

The Rangers’ excess of centers has not disappeared, though the door did creak open for Andersson’s promotion when Brett Howden took a scary spill into the boards Sunday against the Sabres and was scratched against the Canadiens. Coach David Quinn hinted Tuesday that the promising young center should miss just one game with the upper-body injury, but also that Andersson could stick around even when Howden does return.

“We’ve been talking about it for a little while,” Quinn said. “Obviously he’s been playing really well down in Hartford, he’s done all the things we’ve asked him to do. Obviously with Howden’s situation, we thought it would be a good time to get him up. We’re short of centers. So it just was a perfect time. But we’ve been talking about it for a little while. He’s earned this opportunity.”

Andersson slid into Howden’s spot as the third-line center between Jimmy Vesey and Jesper Fast.

In 14 games with the Wolf Pack, after being one of the final cuts out of camp, Andersson tallied four goals and eight assists and came back Tuesday picking up some extra minutes on the penalty kill.

“I liked his game a lot tonight,” Quinn said.

Ryan Spooner returned to the lineup at right wing on the fourth line after missing Sunday’s game with a lower-body injury. Young center Filip Chytil and physical veteran Cody McLeod rounded out the line at left wing while Vinni Lettieri was a healthy scratch.

“It’s not your traditional fourth line, for sure,” Quinn said. “We’re certainly aware of that. But that’s our roster and we’re excited about these guys.”