Rangers have a new look on power play with Chris Kreider placed on IR
Rangers left wing Chris Kreider sets before a face-off against the Boston Bruins in the third period of an NHL game at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
GREENBURGH – After Chris Kreider missed Sunday’s game with what the Rangers described as an upper-body injury, the team placed the 33-year-old forward on injured reserve Tuesday, retroactive to Sunday, the day after he last played.
With Kreider out for Tuesday’s home game against the Dallas Stars, and at least two more games after that, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette took the opportunity to shuffle the pieces on the team’s top power-play unit. The result was a new look for a group that has been struggling badly (one goal in its last 33 opportunities entering Tuesday) for almost a month.
At the morning skate Tuesday, Vincent Trocheck moved into Kreider’s spot at net-front on the first unit, with Mika Zibanejad taking Trocheck’s usual spot in the slot, or “bumper’’ position. Artemi Panarin moved into Zibanejad’s regular position on the left half-wall. Alexis Lafreniere, who has mostly played on the second unit, stepped into Panarin’s regular spot on the right half-wall, and that was new for him, too, since he normally plays on the left on the second unit. Only point man Adam Fox remained in his normal position.
“It's a different look, obviously, and I guess mostly because Kreids is out right now,’’ Zibanejad said. “But [there are] still good players on the power play.’’
Laviolette downplayed the idea that shifting people around on the power play is all that big a deal.
“They move around during the game when they're on the power play,’’ he said. “Kreids is one of the best of what he does on the power play ln front of the net, so you don't want to lose that, and that piece wouldn't have changed. And so it does move other pieces around.’’
Zibanejad, who’s struggled all season, but took a three-game point streak into Tuesday, said he was comfortable in the slot. He had played there for a time, after Panarin joined the team for the 2019-20 season and temporarily bumped him from his spot on the left side.
“I liked it,’’ Zibanejad said of the middle. “If I get an opportunity to shoot, I'm a lot closer to the net [and have] maybe a higher probability to score, even though there are a lot of bodies. So I think I don't mind it.’’
The power play has been the Rangers' strength for years, and last season it was third-best in the league, with a success rate of 26.4%. It was up near the top of the league earlier this season, but its struggles the last month – the unit had an 0-for-25 drought that Kreider snapped with his third-period goal against Florida on Dec. 30 – have dropped the group down to 26th in the NHL with a success rate of 17.1%.
Meanwhile, the Rangers’ other special team, the penalty kill, has been going through some recent struggles of its own. After coming up huge in the last game against Dallas Dec. 20 – killing all seven Dallas power plays, including a five-minute major late in the third period of an eventual 3-1 win – the man-down unit has allowed eight power-play goals in its last 24 times shorthanded. It’s tumbled from best in the league to No. 4 going into Tuesday.
“The penalty kill has been pretty consistent,’’ Laviolette said. “Through the course of the year. There's some ups and downs, but that penalty kill has been really good for a lot of games this year.’’
Kaliyev skates with new team
Arthur Kaliyev, who the Rangers claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings Monday, took part in the morning skate, but did not play, as Laviolette stayed with the same lineup that beat Chicago Sunday.
Kaliyev, who was born in Uzbekistan, but grew up on Staten Island, said he was surprised to be claimed by the Rangers, but he said it was “kind of like dream come true. We grew up watching [the Rangers] living down here for a long time. I didn't expect [to get claimed], but I was so excited and little bit nervous. So it was awesome.’’
Jonathan Quick, his teammate with the Kings, was the first to text him, he said. He also played with K’Andre Miller and Brett Berard on the U.S. team at the World Junior Championships.
Blue notes
Goaltender Igor Shesterkin practiced at the morning skate, but remained on IR with an upper-body injury. Jonathan Quick started in net against Dallas and Louis Domingue backed him up … After Kreider was placed on IR, Matt Rempe, who’d been sent to AHL Hartford when the Rangers claimed Kaliyev, was recalled to take Kreider’s spot on the roster. Rempe served the final game of his eight-game suspension.
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.
