The Rangers return to action Friday, facing the Red Wings at MSG. Today's game kicks off a stretch of four straight home contests, with games against Vancouver, Florida and Carolina to follow. After a rough start at home, New York has won six straight at MSG, improving their mark to 8-4-2 on the season. Following this three-game, mini-homestand, the Blueshirts will have played 18 of their first 26 games of the season. The road component of the schedule really kicks in starting January 20 running through February 22, when New York plays 11 of 15 games away from MSG.
Today is another Original Six matchup. Detroit surprisingly sits third in the Atlantic, as many of us expected a second straight down season in Hockeytown. The Red Wings struggled a bit on their recent homestand, hurt by poor goaltending and spotty offense. As Bob Duff pointed out in a recent blog, Detroit coach Jeff Blashill has recently opted to suit up 11 forwards and seven defenseman, as opposed to the traditional formula of 12 and 6, partially due to injuries, so this is something to watch today. Dylan Larkin looks back to his rookie form, supported up front by Justin Abdelkader, Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Mantha and Henrik Zetterberg and on the blue line by Mike Green.
For New York, the same 18 we saw Wednesday night will be on the ice tonight in the same deployments. Ryan McDonagh will miss his second straight game with a mild ab strain, replaced by Steven Kampfer. David Desharnais is to be a healthy scratch again, as Paul Carey played a solid game Wednesday meshing well with Jimmy Vesey and Boo Nieves on the fourth line,
J.T. Miller, despite his own belief that he is better at wing, will be the third line center again. Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes are the first and second pivotmen with Nieves as the fourth line center. As pointed out by the NY Post, Miller, who has 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) overall, is tied with Zibanejad for second on the club with nine five-on-five points (one goal, eight assists), one behind club leader Hayes (further evidencing just how good Hayes has quietly been). Miller is third among forwards and is seventh on the club with 12:34 of five-on-five ice time per game. His quotes, in the NY Post today, are interesting.
“I think the coaching staff and I agree that I’m more effective offensively when I’m on the wing because playing there it’s easier for me to get to my strengths of skating, shooting and forechecking,” Miller said following his team’s Thanksgiving practice. “But if the coaches believe that I can help the team more by playing center, I’m more than fine with that.
“I’ve said it before, but you still have to play the 200 feet whether in the middle or at wing. And while there are some differences, I don’t think playing either position has all that much of an impact on my play. Or at least it shouldn’t.”
“A lot has come with experience,” said Miller, who will be in for a serious pay hike as a restricted free agent this July coming off his two-year bridge deal at $2.75 million per. “I’ve learned a lot about how to be more responsible in my own end and more consistent with my decisions with the puck. You have to make the right reads and the right plays.
“Everyone wants to be counted on in key spots. I think the way I’ve been used shows that I do have more trust from the coaches. The only way to get responsibility is to earn it. That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
Until New York acquires a third-line center or promotes Filip Chytil - more on that below, as that looks like it will be far off in the distance, if it happens at all - Miller will likely fill that role. His comments clearly show he would rather be at wing but he now has the maturity to not let the role change impacts his play on the ice. Miller's view is in direct contract to Steve Valiquette's, who as i noted yesterday feels that JT is more engaged when playing the pivot. As long as Miller plays as he did Wednesday, leave him at center and move on.
Between the pipes, Henrik Lundqvist is expected to get his 11th straight start Friday against the Red Wings. As Larry Brooks' noted, the King, who is in the midst of his best extended run since his brilliance carried the Blueshirts to a 14-2-2 getaway in 2015-16, has a .932 save pct. and 2.17 goals-against average over his last nine starts. With the breaks between games, don't like for Ondrej Pavelec to play until December 8 or 9 versus either Washington (unlikely) or New Jersey (probable). New York has a day off before facing Vancouver and Florida and then two days before taking on Carolina. Following the game versus the 'Canes, it's three days before taking on the Penguins on the road and two more prior to the December 8 contest against the Capitals.
Chytil:
The Rangers haven’t yet officially responded to Team Czech Republic’s request to make Chytil available for the upcoming World Junior Tournament in Buffalo, but sources have indicated that management will allow the 18-year-old center to leave the AHL Wolf Pack for the event.
The 21st-overall selection in last June’s Entry Draft, who played in the first two games of the season for the Rangers after unexpectedly earning a lineup spot with a head-turning training camp, has recorded 11 points (5-6) in nine games since his Oct. 10 assignment to the AHL.
It is believed that the plan would be for Chytil to return to Hartford immediately following the tournament that will be contested between Dec. 26 and Jan. 5 — rather than join HC Zlin in the Czech League — so that the Blueshirts would retain the option to recall the teen if warranted.
If New York continues to play well and Miller is more than handling his own as the 3C, then I understand this move. Allow Chytil to hopefully dominate on that stage, further boosting his confidence, before maybe bringing him back to NHL. But, if Chytil continues to play as he has lately and the Rangers hit a rough patch, don't be shocked if they reach down to Hartford and give the kid a real chance, before possibly allowing him to play in the WJC. His progressive growth is most important, and if that is either in Hartford or the WJC, especially since it's in Buffalo, making the move easier, so be it, but that also shouldn't preclude a possible promotion if warranted and especially needed.
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New York Rangers Blogger • 
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