TARRYTOWN - All Braden Schneider wanted for Christmas was to have a good game before the NHL's three-day holiday pause.

Unfortunately for the Rangers' young defenseman, he was unable to check that item off his wish list.

"I was really trying to make sure that it was a good one so you can fully relax and feel content with how you played going into the break," he said following Tuesday's morning skate at the MSG Training Center. "But that obviously isn't how it went for me. It was quite the opposite."

Schneider had perhaps his roughest showing of the season in that Dec. 23 win over the Sabres. He was on ice for all three Buffalo goals and benched for the final 13:10 of regulation, plus overtime.

Having his family in town to celebrate Christmas helped, but the disappointment lingered throughout the break.

"I wouldn't say I was boiling," he added. "But I was sitting not too happy with myself for those few days off."

From there, the 22-year-old did the only thing he could − enjoy the holiday, then shift his focus to the next game.

"I really wanted to make sure that I responded," he said. "I feel like that's one of the big things in this league. Yeah, you're going have your (good) days, but it’s a matter of how you respond back to your bad ones."

In the three games since, he's done just that.

It began with a bang, with Schneider registering a goal and a plus-three rating in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals. He's followed that with a couple more steady performances.

In that short span, he leads the team with a 60% shot share (33-22) and leads all defensemen with a 69.43% xGF, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Rangers have outscored opponents 5-1 with him on the ice in those three games combined.

"I see a little bit everything," head coach Peter Laviolette said when asked about Schneider's recent play. "I see good defense. I see physicality. I see good movement out of our end. I see him attacking with speed through the neutral zone and looking to generate. ... He can contribute in a lot of different factors."

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The key, according to Schneider, is finding consistency within all of those areas.

That's how the third-year pro can fulfill the potential the Rangers saw when they traded up to select him with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2020 draft.

"That's been a thing for me this season. Some games have been good, and then (some) really bad," he said. "My first few years, it was kind of like, ‘Just come in and play hockey.' Now you realize that there is that next step. There’s a mental side of the game."

To get to the place he's striving for, Schneider finds himself gazing a couple lockers to his right at Jacob Trouba.

Like the captain, he takes pride in being reliable defensively and playing with a physical edge. Those are the pillars from which the rest of his game falls into place.

"I look at a guy like Troubs, and every night he's finishing the night with four or five hits and three or four blocks. You know this guy is bringing that every single night," he said. "Obviously, I don't play a role as big as he plays. But I think once you feel that and see that you can do it, you want to try and keep adding to that and growing confidence within that."

The 6-foot-3, 211-pounder has found that "open-ice hits are way harder to come by in this league because everyone's got their head up and the game flies by way quicker than it would at any other level." But there are other ways he can use his size and strength to deter opponents.

"There's the big open ice hits, and then there's just being-hard-to-play-against type of hits where you're getting in the way, slowing them down and making them think again before coming down," he explained.

When he's doing that and "using my feet" to close gaps and advance pucks, Schneider finds that the offensive side of his game opens up, as well.

It's an ongoing learning process for a player who's still trying to turn the corner, but his post-Christmas bounce back and willingness to reflect on his own development has the Rangers' brass feeling encouraged.

"It's a tough position to come in and figure out top lines and their skill and the reads," Laviolette said. "There's a lot that goes into that, and I think the more experience you get, the more growth you can have as a player. He's in that stage.

"He's played really well for us in a lot of games this year. His evaluation, I think that sometimes it's good to be honest about yourself and your game, and then try to grow off of that and build off of that."

NY Rangers (25-9-1) projected lineup: Game 36 vs. Carolina Hurricanes (20-13-4)

When: Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.

Where: Madison Square Garden

TV/Radio: MSG Network/98.7 FM

Forwards

Top line ⊳ Chris Kreider (LW) ⋄ Mika Zibanejad (C) ⋄ Blake Wheeler (RW)

Second line ⊳ Artemi Panarin (LW) ⋄ Vincent Trocheck (C) ⋄ Alexis Lafrenière (RW)

Third line ⊳ Will Cuylle (LW) ⋄ Nick Bonino (C) ⋄ Jonny Brodzinski (RW)

Fourth line ⊳ Jimmy Vesey (LW) ⋄ Barclay Goodrow (C) ⋄ Tyler Pitlick (RW)

Defensemen

Top pair ⊳ Ryan Lindgren (L) ⋄ Adam Fox (R)

Second pair ⊳ K'Andre Miller (L) ⋄ Jacob Trouba (R)

Third pair ⊳ Erik Gustafsson (L) ⋄ Braden Schneider (R)

Goalies

Starter ⊳ Igor Shesterkin

Backup ⊳ Jonathan Quick

Long-term injured reserve: F Filip Chytil (upper body) and F Kaapo Kakko (lower body)

Healthy scratch: D Zac Jones

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rangers projected lineup: Braden Schneider bounces back from benching