Gerard Gallant's tweak of Rangers' lines could remain vs. Islanders
Rangers left wing Chris Kreider looks on against the Red Wings in the second period of an NHL game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — That radical shakeup of the Rangers’ forward lines in the third period of Sunday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings wasn’t a one-night thing. When the Blueshirts reconvened for practice Monday, coach Gerard Gallant tweaked the combinations he finished Sunday’s game with, but kept the duo of Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin together on the top line and kept Chris Kreider off the top two lines.
“Yeah, there were new lines,’’ Gallant said. “We’ll see what’s going to happen.’’
Gallant took pains Monday to explain that moving Kreider down in the lineup was more of a reaction to the team not playing well than to Kreider not playing well. And assuming he stays with the lines that practiced together Monday, the lineup Tuesday against the Islanders may be the most balanced it has been all season.
The big move is putting Panarin and Zibanejad, the Rangers’ top two scorers, on the same line, with Kaapo Kakko. The dicey move is dropping Kreider, who scored a career-high 52 goals last season, to the third line with Filip Chytil and rookie Vitali Kravtsov.
When he switched up the lines Sunday, Gallant actually had Kreider on the fourth line, but putting him on the third line would give the Rangers the most potent third line they’ve had this season. The second line Monday had Vincent Trocheck centering for wingers Jimmy Vesey and Alexis Lafreniere. Barclay Goodrow dropped to the fourth line, which rotated four players: Goodrow, Sammy Blais, Ryan Carpenter and Ryan Reaves.
Kreider said he was not surprised at his demotion from the first line because “personally, I’m obviously not playing well.’’
Kreider scored the winning goal in overtime to beat the Philadelphia Flyers last Tuesday, but his four goals and six assists in the first 13 games project to 25.2 goals and 63.1 points over a full 82 games. That’s a far cry from the 52 goals and 77 points he had in 2021-22.
Kreider insisted he’s getting the same opportunities as he did last season.
“They’re just not going in,’’ he said. “They will, if I keep on doing those things. And I’m going to score. I’m going to score a lot. But for me, it’s the details. It’s skating. It’s hitting. It’s establishing that forecheck and getting my nose over pucks. And those are things that I can do consistently whether or not the puck is going in.’’
At least one person was thrilled to see Kreider on the third line Monday.
“I didn’t expect to have him on the third line with me,’’ Chytil said. “I don’t remember last time I played with somebody from the top two lines on the third line. So yeah, that’s good for me. I’m excited about it.’’
Notes & quotes: Kravtsov, out since banging his head into the boards Oct. 29 in Dallas, wore a regular jersey (he’d worn a non-contact jersey in Saturday’s practice), and Gallant said he’s a possibility for Tuesday . . . Defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who missed Sunday’s game with an upper-body injury, skated and remains day-to-day, though Gallant said he is unlikely to be available Tuesday . . . Right wing Julien Gauthier missed practice with an upper-body injury and defenseman Adam Fox sat out for maintenance reasons.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
