New York Rangers team captain JT Miller’s magic was on display again Thursday in St. Louis. Miller’s third overtime tally of the season gave New York a 2-1 win over the Blues in a contest where Gabe Perreault tallied his first NHL goal. The Blueshirts are home Saturday versus the Flyers and on the road Sunday against the Predators.
Game recap:
Rangers lineup in St. Louis:
Sheary-Trocheck-Miller
Cuylle-Zibanejad-Lafrenière
Perreault-Laba-Raddysh
Othmann-Carrick-Rempe
Gavrikov-Schneider
Soucy-Borgen
Robertson-Morrow
Shesterkin
Quick
Scratches: Panarin (under the weather), Vaakanainen, Brodzinski
LTIR: Fox (upper-body injury), Edström (lower-body injury)
A few thoughts
1) Lineup: Brennan Othmann and Perreault were in the lineup following their promotion. Now ask the better question: where were they deployed? Ah, glad you asked. In the bottom six. Even with Artemi Panarin sidelined due to illness, both players were not placed in the top six. Why would you want your skilled players to play in a position of possible success?
I get that coach Mike Sullivan is concerned about each defensively and wants to limit their exposure. But with nine players 25 years old or less and in a situation where experience is the best teacher, let’s see if they can swim or sink rather than consistently shelter them. Trust and see what happens, then correct the mistakes, and try again.
The ice time for each was brutal. Othmann, who is still waiting for his first NHL goal in 27 games, saw 7:14 of action. Perreault, whose goal resulted from going to the net on the man-advantage, was on for 13:09, though 6:20 of that came in the first period. Matt Rempe, who played just over eight minutes, and Othmann had the fewest shifts on the team at 12 apiece.
2) Miller admitted his success in the extra session is due to additional space created by the three-on-three. But, at 5-on-5, he has only 11 points, tied for 165th in the league. Not good enough. The 21 points in 34 games are a far cry from what the team needs and what’s expected of Miller. The three overtime goals are big as they directly result in wins but Miller has to find a way to be more effective and noticeable at even strength.
3) Game: New York was the better team in the first two periods. In the third, the ice was completely tilted in favor of St. Louis. Igor Shesterkin made 11 saves, a few of them top shelf, to keep the game knotted.
4) Adam Fox, sidelined with what is believed to be a separated shoulder, traveled with the team and skated for the first time since going on Long-Term Injured Reserve. Required to be out 10 games and 24 days, Fox is eligible to return after the Christmas break, December 27 versus the Islanders. No guarantee he is ready to go them but good to see him on the ice skating.
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Tagged: New York Rangers, nhl