NEW YORK, N.Y. — It’s only the preseason. In evaluating this early slate of New York Rangers exhibition games, which have included a 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday and a 5-4 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday — after the Rangers blew a 4-1 third-period lead — the focus should be on the players.
A three-goal collapse in a game the Rangers dominated through the first two periods rightfully bothers coach Mike Sullivan. From day one, he’s set a standard of excellence. Living up to that, he said, is most important.
He told his players that much after Tuesday’s loss: “It’s not about the loss. It’s about how we lost.”
Let’s look past the final period and overtime of Tuesday’s game. The Rangers did a lot of things well. Standout performances from prospects Gabe Perreault and Noah Laba carried the storyline beyond the final score.
Gabe Perreault and the Rangers’ de-facto first line
The Rangers’ starting forward line Tuesday, composed of Perreault, Will Cuylle and Jusso Parssinen was excellent through the first two periods.
Perreault used his elite hockey sense to generate chances and score his second goal of the preseason. After a Bruins’ neutral zone turnover in the second period, Cuylle found him just outside the blue line. Perreault took a couple hard strides in. He beat Joonas Korpisalo underneath his glove.
Perreault finished with four shots — tied with Laba for second on the Rangers. He had prime opportunities late in the first and second periods.
Perreault has impressed his coach. Sullivan said after the game that for young players like Perreault, the “thankless jobs” are paramount: knowing when to get pucks deep, playing responsible defense, being aware in the offensive zone and being strong in puck battles. One such example came with just over four minutes left in the second period. Perreault was sandwiched by Nikita Zadorov, but stayed in the play and later found Brennan Othmann for a scoring chance.
Sullivan complimented Perreault’s willingness to play with courage and go to the battle areas. He said he’d like to see the forward get a little bit stronger.
In Perreault, Sullivan sees an NHL player in the making. He hasn’t yet decided whether Perreault will start the season in the NHL or with AHL Hartford. What’s most important is that Perreault gets minutes. That doesn’t necessarily mean in the top six, either.
“That’s always going to be the question with young players is, ‘What’s the best formula for that player to help him ultimately become the impact player that we all foresee him to be?’” Sullivan said. “Is it playing lots of minutes at the American League level, or is it playing at the NHL level? And I don’t know that there’s an exact formula for that.”
The Perreault line dominated in expected goals for in the first two periods, but some combination of the trio was on the ice for all four of the Bruins’ goals in the comeback.
“That third period wasn’t good enough from myself and then the team in general,” Perreault said. “So I think a lot of things to learn from, but did a lot of good things well in the first two periods.”
Noah Laba
Laba led the Rangers with two points — both assists — and tied Perreault for second on the team in shots.
“I feel good,” he said. “Obviously, it’s an adjustment for sure. So, kind of getting the last game under my belt, kind of feeling a little more comfortable this game than I did last game.”
He recorded a secondary assist on Trey Fix-Wolansky’s goal midway through the first period. In the second period, while killing a penalty, he stripped Matěj Blümel of the puck near the blue line and led a shorthanded rush the other way. Vladislav Gavrikov jumped up in the play and gave Laba an easy passing option in the slot. Gavrikov beat Korpisalo to put New York up 4-1.
With less than three minutes to play in the second, Laba showed off his drive by taking a puck to the net hard from the corner to create a quality scoring chance.
“A 200 foot game,” Laba said he felt he’s shown through the preseason so far. “Playing both sides of the puck, trying to create space for my teammates and help the team win.”
Sullivan said Wednesday after practice that Laba had performed “extremely well” through training camp so far — though it’s still too early to make a roster decision on the 22-year-old.
“We feel like he’s getting better with every game that he plays,” Sullivan said. “His physical stature sets him up for an opportunity to compete in the NHL. He’s big and he’s strong and he can skate. For some players that are making the jump, that’s the first hurdle. … There’s a lot of other elements that go into playing in the NHL, but we’re certainly really encouraged with what we’ve seen so far.”
The Othmann versus Perreault narrative
Coaches use different criteria to evaluate different players. Othmann, considered to be in competition with Perreault for a roster spot, has made noise for his physical play. Perreault, meanwhile, has excelled offensively.
Othmann blocked a hard Zadorov slap shot early in the first period Tuesday. On Sunday, Othmann received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a high hit on the Devils’ Calen Addison. Othmann threw four hits Tuesday; Perreault registered none.
“Part of our job as a coaching staff is to define those criteria for guys,” Sullivan explained. “What are the expectations and what’s the pathway for you to help the New York Rangers have success? And we started to do that with some of the young guys, and some of the other guys that are established, quite honestly, is just trying to build some expectations around everybody’s game so they understand what their contribution is to helping us become the best team we can become.”
