Tag: k'andre miller

Gerard Gallant trying new options on Rangers’ second power play

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Rangers’ second power-play unit had undergone adjustments throughout the season, while the first unit had stayed exactly the same — until there was an injury and then a major trade.

The top group of Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Filip Chytil and Adam Fox appears primed to get a run of games to solidify its chemistry. The second unit, on the other hand, is providing coach Gerard Gallant with a couple of options he can toy with for the time being.

Jacob Trouba and K’Andre Miller have both seen time at the point of the second power-play unit lately, but Gallant isn’t married to sticking with one or the other.

“Interchangeable,” the coach said of the two defensemen after practice at Rogers Arena on Tuesday. “Sometimes they get too cute and then Troubs is out there with the big shot at times. Depends who we’re playing a little bit, but it more depends on the group, what they’re doing the first or second time through.

“Troubs had a lot of that power-play time early and now Key [Miller] is getting a little bit of it. We’ll see where it goes. Key has been a real good player for us, obviously.”


K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba
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It’s true, Trouba has seen a bulk of the power-play time this season with an average of 1:08 per game. Miller only started getting a look on the second unit later in the season, right around the time when the 23-year-old began stacking points. Miller currently has an average of just 24 seconds on the power play per game.

Both have a big shot in their arsenal to put pucks on net for others to tip in. Both have three power-play points, as well. Miller’s points are all assists, while Trouba has two power-play goals and one assist.

Because Trouba has received an extended look, however, it may be time to see what Miller can do with the same opportunity. That appears to be where Gallant is headed. Miller took the first rep with the second power-play unit at practice on Tuesday, so it’s likely he will get the first look against the Canucks on Wednesday.

If the Rangers notch at least one point Wednesday night against the Canucks, it would mark their first eight-game point streak since the 2015-16 season and their first time scoring at least a point in eight consecutive games on the road since the 2019-20 season.

This season has been just the ninth in franchise history in which the Rangers have posted more than 20 wins over a 27-game span.

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Rangers’ K’Andre Miller ends uneven night with go-ahead goal

After cycling the puck in the corner with the game tied at three-all in the third period, K’Andre Miller watched as Kaapo Kakko dished it out to Mika Zibanejad, who was covering for the defenseman at the top of the zone.

As Zibanejad wound up to unleash a shot, Miller went to screen Pyotr Kochetkov and ended up getting his stick on the puck to redirect it to the top shelf on Carolina’s goalie.

Miller’s goal was one of three that the Rangers scored in the final 20 minutes of their eventual 5-3 win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The game-winning goal capped a mixed bag of a night for Miller, who — along with his defensive partner Jacob Trouba — was also on the ice for all three of the Hurricanes’ goals.

Mika Zibanejad (right) congratulates K’Andre Miller on his go-ahead goal in the Rangers’ 5-3 win over the Hurricanes.
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“Obviously, you never want to go into a period minus-three, but that’s hockey, that happens sometimes,” Miller said after the win, which improved the Rangers to 21-12-6 on the season. “I think having a short memory and trying to put it in the past and look for good plays and being reliable again.”

The 22-year-old Miller, who was a forward in his earlier playing days, admitted it was weird to be the player tipping the puck in instead of his usual role of sending it into traffic. Nevertheless, the goal was Miller’s third of the season, all of which have come in the last 13 games.

“It was a big goal,” head coach Gerard Gallant said. “They were probably not too happy with being on for three goals, but I’m not blaming them for the three goals, it’s a five-man unit out there. They were unfortunate situations where the puck went in our net. It was a huge goal for K’Andre. I thought he made a couple of great offensive plays and played a good solid game again.”

With three goals in the third period Tuesday night, the Rangers have now totaled 52 in the final 20 minutes this season, which is the third-most in the NHL.

Igor Shesterkin earned the starting nod, marking his 29th start of the Rangers’ 39 games this season. After stopping 20 of the 23 shots he faced to pick up his 18th win of the season, the Russian netminder is now tied with the Golden Knights’ Logan Thomas and the Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck for the second-most in the NHL behind only the Bruins’ Linus Ullmark’s 21.

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Rangers’ growing playoff predicament is impossible to ignore

There comes a time when you just have to take a break from hitting your head against a wall. Does anyone today seriously need another rundown of what is going so wrong for the Rangers over a first 23 games in which so little has gone right?

The Blueshirts left the ice following Monday’s 5-3 defeat to the Devils in fifth place (by point percentages) in both the Metropolitan Division and the wild card race in a league in which both the loser’s point and the paucity of head-to-head divisional matches conspire against clubs coming from behind in the standings.

Still, it can be done. In 2018-19, the Blues charged from last place overall on Jan. 2 with a 15-18-4 record to go on a 17-4-1 run that extended to 30-10-5, boosting them not only into the playoffs but to a Stanley Cup. In 2014-15, the Senators, 10 points out of a playoff spot on Jan. 17 with a 22-23-10 mark, went an astounding 21-3-3 the rest of the way to make the playoffs before losing in the first round.

Both of those teams’ revivals were sparked by goaltenders who essentially came out of nowhere — Jordan Binnington for St. Louis and Andrew (Hamburglar) Hammond for Ottawa. Following that model, the Rangers perhaps should dip down into Hartford and promote Dylan Garand, the 20-year-old who recorded his first pro shutout Saturday in, of course, a 1-0 shootout defeat to Hershey.

The Devils’ comeback Monday night at Madison Square Garden left the Rangers 14 points behind New Jersey and buried deep in the Metro standings.
Robert Sabo

Falling fast

A look at the standings is sobering. The Rangers have lost contact with the Devils. They’re out of sight by 14 points and thus should be put out of your minds. The role reversal between these two clubs might make more sense if put this way:

Last season, Jimmy Vesey played on the fourth line for a New Jersey team that missed the playoffs by 37 points. On Monday, Jimmy Vesey was on the first line for a Rangers team went into the season fancying itself a Stanley Cup contender.

This is not a knock on Vesey, who earned a spot on the varsity after coming to camp on a PTO and has been one of a tiny faction of Rangers — Vesey, Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Filip Chytil, Julien Gauthier, Barclay Goodrow and maybe Braden Schneider — to meet expectations. (If you want to lobby for Ryan Carpenter in his role as fourth-line center, be my guest.) Early in camp, Vesey talked about having adopted a fourth-line mentality, how he modeled his game after Tyler Motte, so valuable in a fourth-line role for the Blueshirts last spring. And now No. 26 has played on the first line in eight of the club’s 23 games.

That hasn’t changed the situation Vesey and the Rangers find themselves in. Not only have the Blueshirts have lost contact with the Devils, but the Hurricanes are going to be long gone. The Rangers are going to have to be careful not to lose contact with the Islanders, whom they trail by six points while having only one game left against them.

After watching the Rangers reach the playoffs while playing with the Devils last season, Jimmy Vesey is now watching New Jersey steam toward a potential playoff spot while playing for the Rangers.
Jason Szenes

In order to qualify for the tournament, the Rangers will have to pass three teams they currently trail. Awarding spots to the Devils, ‘Canes, Bruins, Maple Leafs and Lightning, the teams to catch would be the Islanders, Penguins, Red Wings, Canadiens and Panthers.

Again, not one of them and not two of them. Three. Add to the equation that the Blueshirts will also have to stay in front of the Caps, who are three points back.

Strength of schedule

The schedule turns murderous next week, when the Blueshirts travel to Vegas and Colorado before home games against the Devils and Leafs. The Rangers — who have won four out of 12 (4-5-3) at the Garden — wouldn’t be expected to win any one of these.

But before the Rangers get from here to there, the schedule provides a silver lining. The next three games are against 29th-overall Ottawa and 31st-overall Chicago, teams that appear well on their way to Lotteryland. If there can be a soft spot for a team such as the Rangers, this is it. Of course, this is also the way the Senators and Blackhawks might look at it, preparing for a Blueshirts team that has won 10 of 23 overall (10-9-4) and is on a three-game regulation losing streak.

With an upcoming date against Jack Eichel and the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights, the Rangers’ path to getting back in the playoff hunt isn’t getting any easier.
NHLI via Getty Images

After Wednesday’s match in Ottawa, there is a back-to-back at the Garden on Friday and Saturday, respectively, against the Senators and Blackhawks. Yes, get ready for Jaro Halak in one or the other.

Quick hits

• Is it a coincidence that K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere have regressed in what is a contract year coming off entry-level deals for both?

• There are 37 defense pairs that have been on the ice for at least 200 minutes at five-on-five. Miller and Jacob Trouba, the tandem that went into this season as the club’s presumptive shutdown pair, ranks 37th and last in goals for/against percentage at 28.57 (8 for/20 against). How’s that?

The Lindgren-Fox duo is 26th at 52.17 percent (12 for/11 against).

K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba have struggled to be the defensive stoppers they were expected to be when the season began.
NHLI via Getty Images

• There are 187 forwards who have played at least 250 minutes at five-on-five. (Thanks, Natural Stat Trick.) Vincent Trocheck is tied for 163rd with 0.37 goals per 60:00.

Do you want to know with whom he is tied?

That would be Patrick Kane.

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