Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesJ.T. Miller is gearing up to make his return to the lineup on Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild, which will impact Gabe Perreault.
Miller has missed the past five games after landing on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury, but he fully practiced on Friday afternoon, a clear indication he’ll play on Saturday night.
“Barring any unforeseeable things, I would anticipate him playing,” Mike Sullivan said of Miller’s availability.
With Miller back in the fold at practice, Sullivan inserted the New York Rangers captain back onto the first power-play unit, where he replaced Gabe Perreault.
The Rangers’ power play, and specifically the first unit, was red hot during Miller’s absence, and Perreault’s presence played a big part in their special teams success.
The 20-year-old forward provided the Rangers’ man advantage with a smooth puck handler at the flank position and someone who facilitated the puck at an efficient rate.
While Sullivan emphasized that “nothing is etched in stone” regarding any lineup decisions, he articulated Miller’s importance to the power play after Friday’s practice.
“Well, our power play has had a fair amount of success throughout the last few months, and we know we have options on it. JT has been a big part of the success that this power play has enjoyed. I mean, it's top 10 in the league,” Sullivan said.
“The options that we have, I think, are obvious, but when you start talking about left shot, right shots, putting players in positions where we can set them up for success. We have certain combinations that we think help us. Gabe has got some looks there…So nothing's etched in stone. But, you know, we know what our options are.”
Perreault practiced on the Rangers’ second power-play unit on Friday in what many would consider to be a demotion.
Sullivan doesn't necessarily see it that way though.
“I don't think he would look at it as a demotion,” Sullivan said. “Gabe is playing extremely well right now, and so we'll continue to work with him and to try to continue to help him grow and develop his game. We’ll put him in situations where we think it sets him up for success.”
Coming out of the Olympic break, we’ve seen Sullivan both talk about giving the younger players more opportunity and put his words into action, as he’s given Noah Laba an increased role on the penalty kill, while Perreault was inserted onto the first power-play unit in Miller’s absence.
This move to yank Perreault off the first unit contradicts Sullivan’s shift in philosophy, especially given that Perreault hasn’t done anything to warrant a change; in fact, it’s been the opposite.
We’ll have to see if the Rangers could sustain their recent power-play success with Sullivan rolling the dice on making a change.