Steady Ben Harpur in lineup again for Rangers' defense
Ben Harpur #5 of the New York Rangers skates during the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022 in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Rangers coach Gerard Gallant stayed with the same lineup for the 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals in the Blueshirts’ return to action from the Christmas break Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
That meant defenseman Ben Harpur was in the lineup for a sixth consecutive game, which was something that was unexpected for the 6-6, 231-pounder, whom the Rangers called up from AHL Hartford on Dec. 3.
“When I first got called up, I thought it was more of an opportunity to get a younger guy (Zac Jones) to play some games down in Hartford instead of, you know, sitting in the press box here,’’ Harpur said after the Rangers’ morning skate Tuesday. “And me being a bit older now, I’d come up and be the seventh ‘D,’ and that’s what my impression was.’’
That was what Gallant said the plan was at the time. Jones was sent to Hartford, and Libor Hajek was going to get a run. But after the Dec. 12 win over the Devils, Gallant decided to put Harpur in the next game, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He hasn’t come out of the lineup since.
Harpur, who signed with the Rangers as a free agent on Oct. 27 and played 17 games at Hartford, entered Tuesday with one assist in his five games, a plus/minus rating of even, and two penalty minutes.
Notes & quotes: Hajek and LW Sammy Blais were the Rangers’ scratches . . . Gallant changed up his forward lines late in the second period, and kept mixing things up in the third. After starting with a top line of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Vitali Kravtsov, he ended with a top line of Chris Kreider, Zibanejad and Barclay Goodrow.
The second line, which had been Kreider, Vincent Trocheck and Jimmy Vesey, ended up being Panarin, Trocheck and Kaapo Kakko.
The third line ended up as Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Vesey.
“I didn’t know what to do,’’ Gallant said. “Disappointing. Really disappointing.’’
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.
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