Rangers happy to finally get in a normal practice
Patrick Kane #88 of the Rangers skates during the first period against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Mar. 2, 2023. Credit: Jim McIsaac
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — As Rangers coach Gerard Gallant admitted Tuesday, “it’s been a nutty two weeks.’’
So the Blueshirts were happy to have a couple days off Sunday and Monday, and get an actual practice in on Tuesday, the first practice with the team for newcomer Patrick Kane, who was acquired from Chicago in a three-team trade last week. He played his first two games for his new club without so much as a morning skate to get to know his new teammates.
“It's definitely nice to get out there and practice,’’ Kane said after the team’s brisk hour-long skate Tuesday.
It had to be good, too, for Gallant to see the Rangers with a full team for practice. After playing the last three games with only five defensemen dressed — and playing two of those with only 11 forwards dressed — the Rangers were able to run the normal four forward lines and three defense pairs at practice Tuesday.
Defenseman K’Andre Miller, who was suspended three games for spitting at L.A. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty Feb. 26, practiced and will be eligible to play in the Rangers’ next game, Thursday in Montreal. And the team was able to call up forward Jonny Brodzinski from AHL Hartford to replace the injured Tyler Motte.
Though he kept together the forward lines he used in Boston in a 4-2 loss on Saturday, Gallant made some changes to his power play units, breaking up the No. 1 group that had featured Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Chris Kreider and had added Kane for the past two games. Zibanejad and Kreider stayed together and were joined by their 5-on-5 linemate, Vladimir Tarasenko, along with Filip Chytil and point man Jacob Trouba on one unit. Kane, Panarin and Fox were joined by Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière on the other unit.
The effect is to have two evenly balanced units, rather than having a clear No. 1 and No. 2.
“We'll hopefully get some chemistry and success,’’ Gallant said. “There's a lot of things you look at, and we go through different options.’’
The other thing the new power play alignment does is move Zibanejad back to his normal one-timer spot in the left circle. When Kane joined the first unit, he set up in his favored spot in the right circle, with Panarin moving to the left circle, and Zibanejad shifting inside, to the “bumper’’ position in the high crease.
But the coach said when he saw Zibanejad give up a shot from that spot Saturday to pass the puck, he decided to put Zibanejad back in the left circle.
“I wanted Mika in that spot, for sure,’’ Gallant said.
Kane admitted in his first two games he was guilty of “deferring a little bit, trying not to step on anyone's toes.’’ And he was well aware of the disruption his arrival had caused.
He said before the L.A. game he got a text from Ryan Carpenter, who had been called up that day from Hartford, but had been told by the team he was going to dress, but not play in the game. The plan was to keep Carpenter healthy so he could go back to Hartford to make room for Kane.
“He's like, ‘You better be worth it. I’ve got to sit on the bench the whole game,’’’ Kane said.
Notes & quotes: Motte, who missed the Boston game with a suspected concussion, skated wearing a yellow, non-contact jersey. D Ryan Lindgren (upper body injury) skated on his own before practice. Gallant said both players remain “day-to-day.’’
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.
