Rangers' J.T. Miller out week-to-week with upper-body injury, source says
New York Rangers center J.T. Miller is down on the ice against the Philadelphia Flyers in the third period at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
NASHVILLE — The Rangers are now less than a week away from getting Adam Fox back from the upper-body injury that he suffered at the end of November. But just as Fox is getting ready to return, the Blueshirts are looking at an extended period without their captain, J.T. Miller.
Miller, who left Saturday’s 5-4 shootout win over the Flyers in the third period with an upper-body injury, did not make the trip here for the Rangers’ game Sunday night against the Predators. Coach Mike Sullivan said at Sunday’s morning skate that Miller remained in New York and was “still being evaluated.’’
A league source said Miller will be out of action on a week-to-week basis but added the Ohio native’s chances of making the U.S. Olympic team won’t be affected by the injury. Rosters for the Olympic tournament are due Dec. 31.
Miller will miss Tuesday’s game in Washington and probably also Saturday’s visit to UBS Arena against the Islanders after the NHL’s Christmas break.
Miller's absence is bad news for a Rangers team that has had so much trouble all season scoring goals. Their 2.54 goals scored per game entering Sunday was tied with St. Louis for second fewest in the league. The Rangers' 94 goals scored is fewest in the Eastern Conference.
“You don’t want to lose any teammates,’’ forward Mika Zibanejad said after the game Saturday. “But when you see your captain go down and you don’t see him come back . . . It becomes [imperative] for us to step up and everyone has to do a little bit more when a guy like that leaves.’’
Miller stayed down for a while after Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler hit him directly on his right shoulder midway through the third period. He left the game and did not return.
Miller has been banged up this season. He was slowed at the start by a lower-body injury suffered in training camp, and then missed two games in November with an upper-body injury. But he seemed to be producing more offensively of late and had the primary assist on Vincent Trocheck’s goal in the third period Saturday that started the Rangers’ comeback from a 4-2 deficit after two periods. He also scored the overtime goal that gave them a 2-1 win over St. Louis last Thursday. That was his team-leading third OT goal of the season.
Miller has 10 goals — third-most on the team — and 22 points (fourth most) in 35 games. He also leads the Rangers and is seventh in the league with a 59.9% faceoff win rate, among players who have taken more than 100 faceoffs. He’s the Rangers’ only lefthanded-shooting faceoff man, which is key for left-circle draws in the defensive zone.
“He just means so much to this team,’’ Sullivan said. “He's the leader of this group in so many ways. Emotionally, with how he plays the game. I think his game was really starting to come, especially at the offensive side. He was around the puck so much more. He was more of a threat consistently. I talked to him, I know he was feeling better and better with every game that he played.
“And it seems like this early part of the season, every time he starts to build his game, he gets banged up, and we're just going to have to work through that,’’ Sullivan continued. “But J.T. is not an easy guy to replace. He's a terrific player, first and foremost, but he impacts this team in so many other ways.’’s
Othmann's heavyweight bout
Young forward Brennan Othmann didn’t think when he got slammed into the boards headfirst from behind in the second period Saturday. He got up and started throwing punches. He didn’t realize who he was tangling with — Flyers enforcer Nicolas Deslauriers.
The 6-foot, 192-pound Othmann, 22, took a beating in his first NHL fight from the 6-1, 218-pound Deslauriers, a 13-year veteran who has 785 penalty minutes in 693 games.
“I always stick up for myself, and I'll try not to back down from anybody,’’ Othmann said. “And, you know, maybe I should probably look to see who hit me next time. To be honest, I didn't see who hit me. I was just pretty fired up.
“As soon as I saw he hit me with the first [punch], and then I saw the ‘tatted’ knuckles pull away, I knew it was Deslauriers,’’ he said. “I'll try not to back down from anybody. But next time, I'll probably definitely take a look.’’
Blue notes
Forwards Matt Rempe and Gabe Perreault were out of the lineup Sunday night with illnesses, so Sullivan was forced to use an 11-forward, 7-defensemen alignment as F Jonny Brodzinski and D Urho Vaakanainen replaced them . . . Jonathan Quick started in goal after Igor Shesterkin played Saturday . . . Sullivan said there’s no update on forward Adam Edstrom (lower-body injury), who is on long-term injured reserve. Edstrom has yet to skate since leaving practice on Dec. 1.
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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