Rangers' Adam Fox isn't hanging his head over two-month goal drought

As the Rangers played their first game of 2024 Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden, Adam Fox found himself looking for his first goal since October.

Except, he wasn’t actually looking for it. The 25-year-old defenseman, who was a finalist last season for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman, laughed when asked at the Rangers’ morning skate Tuesday if he was bothered by having gone 17 straight games without a goal.

“No, it doesn’t bother me,’’ he said. “It’s a nice feeling to score goals, but, you know, that’s never been my main focus or main job. Obviously, you want to help produce, but playing good defense, creating chances, getting assists . . . an assist is just as important as a goal for a lot of times.

“I’ve never been a huge goal scorer,’’ he continued. “Obviously you go on streaks where you feel like they’re never going to come, and then you get hot and you feel like they’re never going to stop coming. Maybe early in the year it felt like you’re going to score this many goals, and then they don’t come for a bit.

“But I think as long as you’re getting chances . . . especially for ‘D’-men, you’re going to get a bounce in front, or a chance off a rebound or whatever — a point shot that the goalie doesn’t see. So I think they kind of come in spurts. So it’s not something I’m actively thinking about.’’

Fox had three goals in the first 10 games of the season, the last coming Oct. 28 against Vancouver. But he suffered a knee injury Nov. 2, in the first game the Rangers played against Carolina this season, and missed 10 games before returning Nov. 29 against Detroit. He had 13 assists in the 15 games he played since returning, and entered Tuesday with three goals and 21 assists in 25 games.

“He’s making a lot of plays,’’ Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said, scoffing at any concern about Fox’s goal drought. “I think he is a look-first, pass-first type of defenseman, and so he’s probably playing to his strengths.’’

Fox entered Tuesday night with 14 power-play assists, which was tied for seventh in the NHL (with Connor McDavid, Cale Makar and four others) which means he still is producing. Still, Fox admitted that missing those 10 games early in the season did set his game back somewhat.

“You miss a month of a hockey season, it feels like five months in regular time,’’ he said. “I just tried to come back and play simple early, and just ‘feel’ my way back in. Obviously, that early in the season, guys are kind of getting rolling. We were rolling, so you don’t want to throw off anything when you come back in.

“But yeah, I feel like just from when I first got back, you’re just kind of slowly finding your way, in terms of ‘reads,’ and instincts.’’

As far as playing against Carolina for the first time since the Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho struck him with a knee-to-knee hit that forced him out of the game, Fox said that wasn’t something he was apprehensive about.

“That was a long time ago,’’ he said. “This is not a personal game for me. It’s just a team in our division that we’re trying to get two points.’’

After winning the Metropolitan Division the last two seasons, the Hurricanes have not quite lived up to expectations this season, but Fox insisted neither he nor his teammates were about to look past Carolina as a threat. Carolina entered Tuesday on a three-game winning streak and 6-1-3 in its last 10.

The Rangers held a seven-point lead over the Hurricanes and Fox saw the game as a big one as far as the race for the division.

“I think they’re still a top team in our division,’’ he said. “I think these points . . . mean extra. It’s almost like four-point games, because you could steal two points from a team trying to catch you, and we get a little bit of separation here.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

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.