Adding Vladimir Tarasenko sparks both Rangers' power-play units
Vladimir Tarasenko of the Rangers skates against the Seattle Kraken at Madison Square Garden on Friday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
After the Rangers’ 6-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, Mika Zibanejad was asked what had worked so well for the Rangers’ power play, which was successful in two of its three opportunities.
“We scored goals,’’ Zibanejad said with a sheepish grin. “We scored goals. We’ve had chances before, and [we made] a couple of adjustments in the units and we got a little spark. We’re just trying to keep it going and create chances, and eventually, it will go in.’’
The Rangers, who kicked off a four-game road trip Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina, against the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes, were boosted Friday by the addition of sniper Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola, who were acquired on Thursday in a trade with the St. Louis Blues.
Tarasenko scored his first goal for his new team just 2:39 into the game, electrifying the Garden crowd and his new teammates.
The addition of Tarasenko, who debuted on the Rangers’ first line with longtime friend Artemi Panarin and Zibanejad, prompted coach Gerard Gallant to make some changes to his two power-play units, something he had avoided doing for the season’s first 51 games. He put Tarasenko on the second unit and moved the red-hot Filip Chytil up to the first unit. Vincent Trocheck dropped to the second group.
The result of the changes was to create two more even groups rather than having a first unit that was so much better than the second. The old first unit, with Zibanejad, Panarin, Trocheck, point man Adam Fox and net front man Chris Kreider, often played the first minute-and-a-half or more of each two-minute power play. The second unit of Chytil, Alexis Lafrenière, Kaapo Kakko, Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller got relatively little ice time.
The Rangers’ power play, which had been such a devastating weapon last season and early this season, had slipped to 17th in the league. It had looked a little stale for a while, scoring three goals in its last 30 opportunities in the 11 games before Friday.
Some complained that the unit had become too predictable, with teams well aware of the threat of Zibanejad’s dangerous one-timer from the left circle being the primary scoring option.
Replacing Trocheck, a righthanded shot, with Chytil, a lefthander, balances out the top unit, which formerly featured four righthanded shots, with Kreider the only lefty. Likewise, putting Trocheck on the second unit balances that group a little better. It previously was all lefties, with the exception of Trouba.
“Before we even did the trade, we were talking about different things,’’ Gallant said after Friday’s morning skate. “What you’re looking at right now . . . there’s two pretty good units out there. And we talk about being a team and playing together as a team. And I think that’ll give the other [second-unit] guys more of an opportunity. It won’t be one unit for a minute, 45 seconds. We’ll give it a test run and see how it goes.’’
It worked out Friday, as each of the two units scored in the victory. Trouba, who rotated in with Tarasenko, scored for the second unit 1:03 into the second period and Zibanejad scored for the first unit at 3:19 of the third period.
“Overall, it went really well,’’ Gallant said. “I thought both units were moving the puck well and had some scoring chances . . . Trouba’s [goal] was a little bit lucky, but it’s a good power-play goal. We’ll take it.’’
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.
