NEW YORK -- Dan Boyle signed with the Rangers in part because he wanted to play at Madison Square Garden.
Thursday night, he finally did.
Boyle, who broke his hand in the second period of the Rangers' opening game Oct. 9 in St. Louis, was healthy enough to return to the lineup for the Rangers' 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Colorado Avalanche. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault had confirmed after the team's morning skate that Boyle would play.
That was good news for the Rangers, who signed the veteran defenseman with the idea that he could quarterback their power play. It also was good news for Boyle, who had played at the Garden 15 times as a visitor with the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and San Jose Sharks, but played there for the first time as a Ranger on Thursday night.
"Better late than never," Boyle said before the game. "This is the most exciting rink to play in as a visiting team, and it'll be nice to get the experience on the home side. It's a special building, not just for the hockey. I'm a big music lover, and there have been a lot of concerts here.
"A pretty special building."
Boyle had 22:14 of ice time in his return, with 2:24 on the power play.
The Rangers are hoping for a continuation of what Boyle did in his first 16 NHL seasons. Since the 2009-10 season, Boyle leads all NHL defensemen in power-play points.
"I think we have to be smart in our expectations," Vigneault said, noting that Boyle had missed 15 games and had participated in only four practices (two of them limited) since rejoining the team.
"I have to be realistic," said Boyle, who admitted there is still some pain in his hand. "But I don't want to come out and float through it. I want to make a difference."
The Rangers can use the help, especially on the power play. Although it has been a little better lately -- the return of center Derek Stepan from injury has helped -- the Rangers entered Thursday ranked 21st in the NHL with a 14.3 percent success rate this season.
Boyle's return meant that Michael Kostka was a healthy scratch Thursday night. Anthony Duclair, 19, was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game and the fourth time overall this season.
The Rangers might reach the point that they need to make a decision on Duclair, but if they send him back to his junior team in Quebec, they can't bring him back for the rest of the season.