Drew Stafford, a freshly pressed No. 19 Black-and-Gold sweater awaiting him, arrived in town late Thursday afternoon, just in time to be a spectator for the Bruins’ 2-1 loss to the Rangers at the Garden.

Stafford, acquired Wednesday from the Jets for a conditional draft pick, was held out of the lineup, in part because the Bruins had gone 7-1-0 under new coach Bruce Cassidy and also had won their last four games on home ice. The reviews will begin on Friday.

“We’re going to look at him in practice,’’ said Cassidy, who noted Stafford, a right wing, also might be able to adapt to the left side. “We know about him. He’s a veteran player in the league. Skilled guy. He’ll get a chance to play to his strength. Right now I don’t want to get ahead of myself. But assuming he is healthy, ready to go — and those are things we’ll find out — he’ll practice with us, be available Saturday, and most likely play [vs. the Devils].’’

Stafford, 31, will join Matt Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes among the choices Cassidy has to plug into the lineup on a game-to-game basis. Beleskey (left wing) and Hayes (right) have been among the club’s most underperforming forwards (a combined 4-8—12) all season. Both suited up against the Blueshirts. One, possibly both, will be in the press box come Saturday night.

“[Beleskey’s] a guy we’ve tried to find minutes for, get his game up to speed,’’ said Cassidy, noting Beleskey’s need to improve. “He’s a good, productive player. We’ve just got to get him [there] again. And that’s our challenge as a coaching staff, to make sure the players are playing to their ability.’’

Stafford, 4-9—13 in 40 games this season, also was an underwhelming presence this season with the Jets, in part because of the emergence of prime young forwards Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine, the latter among the top candidates for Rookie of the Year honors.

“Maybe situational opportunities were a little different for him,’’ said general manager Don Sweeney, noting specifically the impact of Laine’s emergence could have had on Stafford. “Drew’s had a pretty consistent scoring record up until this year. Hopefully he’ll jump right back in and be somewhat invigorated.’’

“He’s got size,’’ added Cassidy. “He’s a guy who’s scored goals in this league. He is experienced and can add offense, play a 200-foot game. We’ve got to find out . . . talk to him first . . . he may be a guy who’s comfortable on his off side [left wing]. Those are things we have to find out. Until we do, it’s not fair to say exactly where he’ll play. But he’s a skilled guy who can score goals and we’ll find a spot for him.’’

David Backes, a pal of Stafford’s from their days playing Minnesota high school hockey, said he communicated via text Wednesday night with his fellow Minnesotan. Stafford’s wife, said Backes, is expecting twins.

“Other than that little logistical hiccup,’’ said Backes, “he’s excited to join the group and we’re excited to have him. Another piece of the puzzle who can come and bring all his skills and talents and help us win more games.’’

Bergeron appears OK

With about 12:45 gone in the second period, Bruins center Patrice Bergeron exited for the dressing room, after getting caught around a hand by a shot by Kevin Hayes, brother of Bruins winger Jimmy.

Bergeron came back at the 16:38 mark and made little of the injury when talking to the media in a postgame scrum. He said he will play Saturday.

“It didn’t feel good,’’ said Bergeron, standing with both arms tucked behind his back as he chatted. “I tried to get my body in there. You hope it hits the padding, but that wasn’t the case.’’

Going on offensive No surprise, defensemen would rather play at the opposition’s end of the ice, where they aren’t constantly facing the pressure of a tiny mistake equating to a puck ending up in their own net.

Lately, Bruins defensemen have been all smiles. Prior to facing the Rangers, the Black-and-Gold group of blue liners carried a collective line of 7-15—22 and plus-26 in eight games under Cassidy’s tutelage.

“It’s fun any time you are playing in the offensive zone, we call it the ‘Fun Zone,’ ’’ said Torey Krug, the club’s top blueline offensive producer (5-36—41 heading into Thursday). It’s a lot more fun than playing defense.’’

In the 55 games prior to Claude Julien being fired Feb. 7, the backliners amassed 84 points, or 1.53 points per game. In the first eight games under Cassidy, they delivered at 2.75 points per game.

Cassidy, a puck-pushing, scoring defenseman in his junior days with the Ottawa 67s, said he is pleased that his defensemen are jumping into plays, while at the same time maintaining their defensive responsibilities.

“I don’t think they’re ahead of themselves,’’ said Cassidy, who upon taking the job said he wanted his defensemen more engaged in goal scoring. “I really don’t think we’re caught up the ice all night. We have had a few games, here or there, we got a little maybe ahead of ourselves. But for the most part, no, I think they have been very responsible in picking their spots. That has not been a complaint. They’re accountable to both ends of the ice. They’ve done a good job, made good reads.’’

Tricky player Included in Stafford’s 179 career goals: a pair of hat tricks, less than three weeks apart, against the Bruins in the 2010-11 season. The first came Dec. 15, 2010, when he lit up Tuukka Rask for all three goals. He followed that with another three-spot on Jan. 1, 2011, scoring two against Tim Thomas and the other vs. Rask. Over the next six-plus calendar years, only 10 other players have connected for a hat trick against the Bruins, including: Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia; Mathieu Perreault, Washington; Marian Gaborik, Rangers; Thomas Vanek, Buffalo; Shawn Matthias, Vancouver; Tyler Seguin, Dallas; Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary; Patrick Kane, Chicago; Patrick Maroon, Edmonton; and William Nylander, Toronto . . . Before Thursday night loss, the Bruins under Cassidy had amassed a staggering advantage in lead time: 333:57 to 29:34. Overall, that meant the Bruins held the advantage 68.6 percent of the time, compared with 6.1 percent for their opponents. The Bruins also scored the first goal in seven of eight games, allowing only the Canucks (Feb. 11) to strike first before the Rangers turned the trick.