By Brett Cyrgalis
November 19, 2015 | 2:56am
Ryan McDonagh Photo: NHLI via Getty Images
It probably wasn’t intended as a pat on the back, but
Alain Vigneault remembers the day his captain, Ryan McDonagh, had his
game turn around.
It was Nov. 3 against the Capitals, and Vigneault and his staff decided to put McDonagh back on the top power-play unit, at one point across from Derek Stepan.
“Ever since the day that we put him back with Step on the power play, he seems to have taken off,” Vigneault said after Wednesday’s practice, his team preparing to travel to Tampa to take on the Lightning at Amalie Arena on Thursday night. “He seems to have better jump, better decisions. And we need Ryan McDonagh playing like he is right now.”
McDonagh struggled to find his game early this season, his offseason training compromised by the broken foot he suffered in the Eastern Conference final last spring — which just so happened to be against this Lightning team. But now McDonagh is beginning to show the skating ability and offensive prowess that made him such a threat in the past.
“He’s been much better,” Vigneault said. “Much better decisions with the puck, seeing the offensive possibilities quicker and jumping when that possibility is there.”
Vigneault said his plan is to reinsert Dan Boyle into the lineup on defense, replacing Dylan McIlrath, who was a minus-2 in his fourth game of the season in Sunday night’s 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs at the Garden.
Up front, Emerson Etem will remain the healthy scratch as the fourth line will likely be Dominic Moore-Jarret Stoll-Jesper Fast.
Goalie Henrik Lundqvist is set to get his 15th start of the season’s first 19 games after backup Antti Raanta played Sunday.
With a couple days in between games, the Rangers held a “skills development” practice on Tuesday, but Vigneault said it’s something they often do before regular practices.
“A lot of times, for an 11 o’clock practice, we’ll have a few guys go on at 10 with [coach Mark Ciaccio] and work on their skills,” Vigneault said. “That’s a constant with our organization.”
Vigneault said he did the same thing when he was the coach in Vancouver.
The Blueshirts have gotten contributions from all depths of his roster during this nine-game winning streak, which they hoped to extend to 10 on Thursday and tie a franchise record.
“I think in today’s game, it’s a four-line game now, with six defensemen,” Vigneault said. “If you’re going to win on a consistent basis in this league, there is [very little] separating the teams, you need contribution throughout the lineup. Some nights it’s going to be guys on your third line, some nights it’s going to be guys on your fourth line, some other nights it’s going to be top-end players, top-end D’s. But you need contributions from everybody.”
It was Nov. 3 against the Capitals, and Vigneault and his staff decided to put McDonagh back on the top power-play unit, at one point across from Derek Stepan.
“Ever since the day that we put him back with Step on the power play, he seems to have taken off,” Vigneault said after Wednesday’s practice, his team preparing to travel to Tampa to take on the Lightning at Amalie Arena on Thursday night. “He seems to have better jump, better decisions. And we need Ryan McDonagh playing like he is right now.”
McDonagh struggled to find his game early this season, his offseason training compromised by the broken foot he suffered in the Eastern Conference final last spring — which just so happened to be against this Lightning team. But now McDonagh is beginning to show the skating ability and offensive prowess that made him such a threat in the past.
“He’s been much better,” Vigneault said. “Much better decisions with the puck, seeing the offensive possibilities quicker and jumping when that possibility is there.”
Vigneault said his plan is to reinsert Dan Boyle into the lineup on defense, replacing Dylan McIlrath, who was a minus-2 in his fourth game of the season in Sunday night’s 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs at the Garden.
Up front, Emerson Etem will remain the healthy scratch as the fourth line will likely be Dominic Moore-Jarret Stoll-Jesper Fast.
Goalie Henrik Lundqvist is set to get his 15th start of the season’s first 19 games after backup Antti Raanta played Sunday.
With a couple days in between games, the Rangers held a “skills development” practice on Tuesday, but Vigneault said it’s something they often do before regular practices.
“A lot of times, for an 11 o’clock practice, we’ll have a few guys go on at 10 with [coach Mark Ciaccio] and work on their skills,” Vigneault said. “That’s a constant with our organization.”
Vigneault said he did the same thing when he was the coach in Vancouver.
The Blueshirts have gotten contributions from all depths of his roster during this nine-game winning streak, which they hoped to extend to 10 on Thursday and tie a franchise record.
“I think in today’s game, it’s a four-line game now, with six defensemen,” Vigneault said. “If you’re going to win on a consistent basis in this league, there is [very little] separating the teams, you need contribution throughout the lineup. Some nights it’s going to be guys on your third line, some nights it’s going to be guys on your fourth line, some other nights it’s going to be top-end players, top-end D’s. But you need contributions from everybody.”
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