Head coach Peter Laviolette reinserted Zac Jones into the Rangers lineup after the 24-year-old defenseman served as a healthy scratch in the previous three games.

As a result, rookie Victor Mancini was left off the roster and became a healthy scratch for the first time this season. Rangers defeated Ducks 2-1 In the garden.

“I would love to have Zac there,” Laviolette said Friday after practice at the MSG Training Center. “You can only dress six defenders. Someone doesn’t have to play badly to be removed from the squad. Sometimes it happens. But sometimes you just get caught up in the numbers, your team is winning or someone is stepping up their game. Different things happen every day.

“There are talks. I talked to him about it. I’m sure he doesn’t like it. The players aren’t supposed to like it. They want to play and I don’t blame them for that. It’s a good thing, a positive thing. He’ll get back out there and we have a lot of confidence in him when he does that.”

Ryan Lindgren coming off injured reserve forced the Rangers to reshuffle their defensive pairing, but Jones, who played 14:38 in the Anaheim win, left the lineup before Lindgren’s return.

Chad Ruhwedel, who was waived earlier this week and assigned to AHL Hartford, left Jones out of the lineup against the Maple Leafs.

Lindgren later skated with Mancini on his return, but the pair were defeated by the Panthers.

During Friday’s practice, Lindgren skated with captain Jacob Trouba while Jones lined up to the left of Braden Schneider.

This allowed Schneider to return to his strong side on the right, rather than playing to Trouba’s left as he had in the first seven games.

“I thought he played well,” Laviolette said of Jones. “There were some ups and downs. We talked about it. We showed it to him. That happens with all the players too. He’s doing a lot of good things there. It wouldn’t have been a problem if he was in the squad, but there are decisions to be made. We’re constantly working with the young players, coaching and training them.”

Jonathan Quick made his second start of the season, making his debut against the Ducks on Saturday. Quick made 32 saves and scored one goal.

Ryan Lindgren, who scored at 4:13 of the third period in the win over the Ducks, continues to play with a full face shield after undergoing preseason jaw surgery.

“A lot of playing time is lost when you go out for a long period of time like he did,” Laviolette said after practice on Friday. “He’s dealing with the whole bubble on his face, he’s dealing with the vision of it, and he’s working on it. This is a big adjustment. I think it will continue to come after a while.

“He’s an important part of the team and to get him reps and minutes and continue to get opportunities, the only way to step up when you miss time is to get in there and play the game.”

Brennan Othmann is expected to miss 4-6 weeks in Hartford due to a lower-body injury.