The Rangers are getting again a defenseman popping out of the vacation break.
Blueshirts defenseman Okay’Andre Miller was activated off of injured reserve Friday forward of the sport towards the Lightning on Saturday, in keeping with the NHL media web site.
Miller took half in his first observe Friday morning after struggling an upper-body harm that landed him on the IR on Dec. 13.
Head coach Peter Laviolette known as the observe “a good step in the right direction” for Miller.
“He looked good. It was his first practice,” Laviolette stated. “We haven’t had a lot of practice time inside of this schedule. That’s just where we’re at in the year. … It was a good practice for him, and it’s a good step in the right direction.”
Miller missed six consecutive video games because of the harm, and the Rangers went 1-5 in that stretch.
He had been harm after successful from Sabres ahead Jordan Greenway in a 3-2 win Dec. 11.
Chad Ruhwedel appeared in 4 video games instead of the injured Miller and registered a degree throughout the loss to the Hurricanes on Sunday at Madison Sq. Backyard.
Miller has struggled this season on the blue line, registering simply six factors in 28 video games whereas having a minus-five score and being on the ice for extra five-on-five targets than some other Blueshirts defenseman.
The vacation break for the Rangers got here with a larger significance, contemplating the place the crew sits via 34 video games this yr.
Laviolette defined after observe how the break can produce blended outcomes however believed it helped the Rangers clear their heads.
“You often ask me about a break, and I’ll say, ‘We’ll see,’ ” he stated. “When you haven’t won games like we have, you hope that that break can send you in a different direction, and often times, it does. … This is an opportunity for us to clear the deck. I do think from a mental and a physical standpoint to get away from it for a second, come back in. We have a good practice and head down to Tampa. Now, we have to follow it up with what we do on the ice versus Tampa Bay.”
The Rangers are popping out of the vacation break with the third-best penalty kill within the NHL, even after giving up three power-play targets to the Devils in Monday’s loss at Prudential Middle.
Their 85.3 % effectivity on the PK trails simply the Predators and Hurricanes.
“It’s been one of the more consistent things for us the entire year,” Laviolette stated.
