Rangers' Brandon Pirri: Still seeking consistent role

With the Rangers' forward group getting healthier, Pirri needs to prove himself to avoid being a healthy scratch, the New York Daily News reports.

Analysis:

He was looking like an incredible offseason bargain ($1.1 million for one year) when he potted nine points in the first 13 games this year and established himself as a member of the Rangers' power play, but Pirri now has only five points in his last 27 contests. With Rick Nash and Pavel Buchnevich both returning from injuries Friday, he'll need to step up his game, and he knows it. "I think there's certainly some areas to improve," he said. "I think I've got to get back to being a shoot-first type player. I'm here to score goals, and I've been a little snakebitten. Obviously with a couple of bounces here and there it's different, but I can't control that. Just gonna work that much harder and create more shots."