Rangers look to find balance between winning and playoff preparation
St. Louis Blues' Sammy Blais (79) and Rangers' Jacob Trouba (8) chase after a loose puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 6, 2023, in St. Louis. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The question was put to Rangers captain Jacob Trouba in the moments after the Blueshirts’ low-intensity 3-2 loss to the Blues in St. Louis on Thursday: How can he and his teammates find the necessary motivation to play hard in these final three games before the playoffs begin on April 17?
“As individuals, you have to try to get your game where you want it,’’ Trouba said. “Not to state the obvious, but it’s obviously tough to go out there and lay it on the line when there isn’t a whole lot of movement in the standings. But you’ve got to be professionals. It’s your job to go out there and play, and perform, and be good. Take care of each other and play for your teammates.’’
The Rangers are going to have to dig deep to get motivated to play Saturday’s game against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets, who are tied with Chicago and Anaheim for the fewest points in the league. The Blue Jackets were blown out, 8-1, by the Devils on Thursday.
With the possibility of rising out of third place in the Metropolitan Division and earning home-ice advantage in their first-round playoff series a long shot, the Rangers’ priority is to make sure to stay healthy and be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs. Winning? That’s not a must anymore.
“I mean, it’s always weird this time of year, I guess, but I’d rather be on this side of it than the other side,’’ Trouba said. “I’ve been on both [sides], so it’s definitely more fun, more enjoyable, to be on the side gearing up for the playoffs.’’
The trick, according to coach Gerard Gallant, is to make sure that while trying to get through the games without injury, the players have to find a balance in which they can work on the things they need to tighten up to be at their peak at the beginning of the postseason.
“You want to play good, too,’’ he said. “I mean, there was some good there [Thursday] and were some signs . . . not enough, but we understand, [as] coaches, you try and push them as far as you can.’’
With forward Patrick Kane out of the lineup the last two games (the team said he is nursing a lower-body injury) Gallant was forced to play 11 forwards and seven defensemen. But against the Blues, in the second night of a back-to-back, he more or less rotated all seven defensemen for the first two periods, spreading out the ice time in an effort to lighten the load on the heavy-minutes guys such as Trouba, Adam Fox and K’Andre Miller.
Miller was the only defenseman to go over 20 minutes (20:16) on Thursday. Fox, the team’s leader in ice time for the season, played 19:08, more than five minutes below his season average of 24:24.
One thing that could provide motivation for players is potential individual goals or milestones within reach. Center Mika Zibanejad has 39 goals, one away from his second 40-goal season and three away from eclipsing his personal high of 41 set in the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season. He’s also two assists shy of 50.
Fox has 71 points and his career high is 74. Vladimir Tarasenko has 18 goals and Kaapo Kakko has a career-high 17. Miller has nine goals.
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.
