A small change to the breakout, and the Rangers’ power play broke out.
After going 1-for-15 on the man-advantage over their previous six games, the Rangers got the game-winner on a power-play tally from Jimmy Vesey en route to a 3-2 victory over the Hurricanes on Tuesday night at the Garden.
“We changed the breakout in the third period, definitely trying to chip it in,” said Vesey, who now has eight goals in his rookie season, three of them on the power play. “We’ve been talking a lot about shooting the puck more on the power play, because that’s what breaks down penalty kills.”
The goal came when Brady Skjei let loose a slap shot from the point, Rick Nash got the rebound and put the puck back on net, and it came to Vesey, all alone at the far post. It wasn’t a tic-tac-toe play, but it was just as effective.
“It’s clear that special teams can be the difference between winning games and losing games, so it’s something that we have to get clicking,” Nash said before the game. “We’re working on it every day.”
Coach Alain Vigneault worked his team hard on the power play during Monday’s practice, hoping to find a way to fill the void of right-handed shooter Mika Zibanejad, out six-to-eight weeks with a broken fibula. Vigneault’s team is now at 21.1 percent, good for eighth in the league.
“There is no doubt that having that right-handed shot on both units is something that we would prefer,” Vigneault said. “We don’t have it, we won’t have it for a while, so we have to find another way to make it work.”
J.T. Miller was able to play after missing Monday’s practice with stitches in his knee, the result of taking a shot from teammate Mats Zuccarello during Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Senators. Miller played the first two periods out of position at center, but switched back to wing for the third, on the left with Derek Stepan and Zuccarello.
Miller had played center on Sunday, as well, in an effort to fill for Zibanejad’s absence. Vigneault’s lukewarm evaluation of Miller’s play in the middle on Sunday was, “I didn’t mind him.”
It’s hard to think Vigneault will keep him there for Thursday’s matchup in Buffalo.
Oscar Lindberg drew in as the fourth-line pivot for Josh Jooris, who was scratched. Lindberg had been out for the previous two games, and had played only five of the past 14 games.
“He got fourth-line minutes,” Vigneault said of Lindberg’s 8:07, “and I thought he had some good shifts for us.”
Michael Grabner was a game-time decision with an illness, and seemed out of it all night, getting only 9:00 of ice time. He is still leading the team with 12 goals.