David Quinn wants Rangers to do the little things on offense
Rangers head coach David Quinn looks on during the third period of a game against the Flames at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Finding ways to score goals was the task for Rangers coach David Quinn at Monday’s practice. He was pretty loud a few times as he implored his team to do some things he believes they didn’t do enough in the first eight games of the season.
“The scoring chances are there,’’ Quinn told reporters after practice. “But within every scoring chance, as you watch the film, there’s something we don’t do that would allow a scoring chance to . . . be a better scoring chance. Or if it’s an ‘A’ chance, it could be a better ‘A’ chance, which would end up in the back of the net.’’
Sometimes it’s as simple as skating behind the net instead of stopping in front of it, Quinn said. Or stickhandling too long before shooting. Or being a step too slow. Or not being physical enough.
“Whatever it may be, there’s always something within the scoring chance that we need to do better to capitalize,’’ he said.
Besides yelling at practice, Quinn mixed up his forward lines again. Mats Zuccarello moved up to the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. Jesper Fast dropped to the third line with Jimmy Vesey and Brett Howden. Cody McLeod, who played well in Sunday night’s 4-1 loss to Calgary, looks as if he’ll be staying in for a second consecutive game, with Ryan Spooner — a healthy scratch Sunday — apparently coming back in to play with McLeod and Vlad Namestnikov on the fourth line. Vinni Lettieri seemed to be the extra forward in practice Monday.
Notes & quotes: Goalie Alexandar Georgiev, sent down to AHL Hartford on Thursday to get some ice time, was recalled Monday after playing a pair of games over the weekend. Quinn said he will start Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers. Georgiev, who had played in one of the Rangers’ first seven games (allowing seven goals in an 8-5 loss to Carolina on Oct. 7) went 1-1 for Hartford, with a 4-3 win Friday and a 3-2 loss Saturday. He stopped 57 of 63 shots for a .905 save percentage . . . Defenseman Fredrik Claesson, who sat out Sunday’s game because of an upper-body injury that initially was not considered serious, will miss two to three weeks, Quinn said. He said Claesson suffered the injury in Wednesday’s game in Washington “and then it just got worse and worse.’’ If the Rangers put Claesson on injured reserve, they could activate forward Matt Beleskey from IR. Beleskey, who has been out with a separated shoulder, has been practicing with the team and is “day-to-day,’’ according to Quinn . . . Forward Boo Nieves, who has been out with a concussion, practiced with the red no-contact jersey. He is day-to-day, Quinn said.
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.
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