Rangers’ Jaroslav Halak in search of first win in Anaheim

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Rangers coach Gerard Gallant dressed the same lineup for the third straight game as the Blueshirts closed out their four-game West Coast trip against the Anaheim Ducks, who have the fewest points in the NHL. The trade of forward Ryan Reaves earlier in the day meant rookie Vitali Kravtsov and defenseman Libor Hajek were the two healthy scratches.

Kravtsov sat out for the sixth straight game, though the first two of those were due to a problem with his tooth that required surgery. He’s been a healthy scratch for four straight. Hajek sat again as his competitor for the sixth defenseman spot, Zac Jones, played his third game in a row.

Gallant did make one change, starting backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak on the second night of the back-to-back set after the Rangers beat the Los Angeles Kings, 5-3, on Tuesday.

Halak was in search of his first win of the season — he was 0-4-1, with a goals-against average of 3.22 and a save percentage of .883. He last started Nov. 12 in the 2-1 loss to the Predators in Nashville. The Rangers had scored only five goals in Halak’s five starts.

Kravtsov, meanwhile, continues to wait his turn after struggling all season with various injuries. He has missed two separate four-game stints with upper-body injuries, and missed the Oct. 26 game against the Islanders at UBS Arena with an upper-body injury before this latest stint.

He last played Nov. 10, in the 8-2 win over the Red Wings in Detroit. He had an assist in that game, his first point of the season. Overall, he has played in six games with the one point, two penalty minutes and a plus-2 rating.

The Rangers were scheduled to fly home Thursday morning. They play on Saturday afternoon against the Edmonton Oilers at the Garden.