Gerard Gallant didn’t mince words after the Rangers just barely pulled out a win over the basement-dwelling, expansion Kraken on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, calling out his team’s effort in a tone that the head coach hasn’t had to use much this season.
Watching the Rangers blow a 2-0 lead for a third straight game certainly added to his frustration, but Gallant sounded more than ready to move on after practice on Monday. All of the focus has shifted to Tuesday’s matchup with the Panthers, which will be the Rangers’ last game before a two-week hiatus that includes the All-Star weekend.
“I just felt disappointed,” Gallant said of his reaction after the 3-2 win on Sunday. “We win a hockey game and it’s great to get the two points, I feel a lot better today. But you got one more game to play, let’s be ready for arguably the best team in the league.
“We played [the Panthers] pretty good so far, we lost 4-3, won 4-3. So be ready to compete and battle hard and hopefully get a huge two points [Tuesday].”
Noting that the Rangers have recently suffered from a combination of both mental and physical mistakes, Gallant simply stated there are a lot of areas of their game that need to improve. The effort and battle level, however, seem to be the top two points of concern.
Forward Ryan Strome highlighted the Rangers’ need for more consistency, pointing out the lack of 60-minute efforts and how many back-and-forth games they’ve endured. After acknowledging that opponents are always going to push back, Strome noted that it’s how the Rangers respond to those obstacles that count.
The Rangers undoubtedly took notice of their coach’s postgame comments, but according to Strome, his teammates were already mindful of their recent performances.
“I would say if guys weren’t aware themselves without hearing those comments, they’re not in the right mindset,” Strome said. “I think everyone was aware of how we felt after the game, during the game, the last few games really, in my opinion. Obviously it’s a long season and there’s times like that and you know, you never want to get a coach to that point. That’s not the ideal situation, you want to nip it in the bud before.
“But I think there’s a great opportunity to learn from these times. I think things have been [going] so well for us this season that a little bit of this adversity and wanting to be better on a consistent basis is a good thing.”
Gallant continues to rearrange the Rangers’ lineup. While Kaapo Kakko and Adam Fox, who are both on injured reserve, aren’t expected to return until after the All-Star break, Filip Chytil skated with the Rangers for the first time on Monday since he sustained an undisclosed lower-body injury in the Arizona game on Jan. 22.
Chytil slotted back into the middle of the third line with Alexis Lafreniere on his left and Julien Gauthier on his right. With Lafreniere demoted from the top line, Barclay Goodrow took his place on the wing next to Mika Zibanejad. Dryden Hunt then flanked the second unit with Artemi Panarin and Strome in the middle.
“I’m just trying to get lines familiarity,” Gallant said. “Some of the guys have played with each other most of the year and we’ll see what happens [Tuesday]. That’s [Chytil’s] first practice with the team. He looked OK out there, he looks strong, but you know, until the medical guys tell me he’s good to go [he won’t play].”