At the time, it worked like an unusual move.
Gabe Perreault, a former first-round pick and one of the Rangers’ most productive players since the Olympic break, dropped to the second base when JT Miller – the Blueshirts’ struggling captain – returned from injury rest last week.
Head coach Mike Sullivan insisted it wasn’t a layoff, even if the optics suggested it was.
Perreault said he wasn’t surprised by the decision, however, citing the power play unit’s previous success as a reason why.
“Not really,” Perreault told The Post on Monday when asked if he was surprised. “These guys have been good all year. They’re there for a reason, and when they’re out there, we have a lot of confidence in those guys. I mean, playing with intensity has been the best in the league for a long time.
Whenever I get my chance, I’m ready to go and try not to delay them too much.
Miller “has been a huge part of the success that this power play has had,” Sullivan said Friday, and included his name along with Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox as the mainstays on the power play team. Injuries and lack of production – just 14 goals and 38 points in 52 games – have not jeopardized that.
Perreault had a game-high four points in Monday night’s game against the Garden Kings, and his 10 points since March 7 ranks seventh in the NHL, according to the team.
The pick of the first round in 2023 finally started to play a consistent role in the first line, too, alongside Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière, too.
Still, even after going into the second half on the power play, Perreault found a way to set up the goal, driving down the left wing as Noah Laba crossed the floor before hooking the Blueshirts’ center and watching as they took a 1-0 lead against the Wild just minutes into the game.
“Obviously, any time you want to go out, especially on the power play, you want to score,” Perreault said of the team’s trailing goal, “so it was good for us to get one and help the team.”
Lafrenière was named the NHL’s first star of the week after collecting five goals and seven points in four games throughout the season.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations with him this year about going inside,” Sullivan said Monday morning. “If you want to score 30 goals in this league, you don’t get 30 from the perimeter. You don’t get 30 highlight-reel goals that end up on ESPN. You have to get the right amount of deflections, tips, rebounds. They come off your skates and go in because you’re fighting the blue paint. … That’s part of the game, and I think you get rewarded for it.”
Igor Shesterkin started his 42nd season for the Rangers and, like the Blueshirts, was going for his fifth straight win. He entered the night with a .936 save percentage during that span. … Juuso Parssinen, Vincent Iorio and Jonny Brodzinski were bruised against the Kings.
