K’Andre Miller returns to Rangers lineup after two-game absence: ‘Better headspace’
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BOSTON — K’Andre Miller returned to the Rangers lineup and was reunited with partner Jacob Trouba for Saturday’s 2-1 overtime victory over the Bruins here after having missed the previous two matches for personal reasons.
Miller skated with the team at Thursday’s practice and had ice on his own the past couple of days.
He missed Tuesday’s match against Toronto and Friday’s game against Anaheim.
After practicing Thursday, Miller said that he was in “a better headspace.”
Adam Edstrom did not get the rookie lap at Friday’s pregame warm-up at the Garden, though he would make his NHL debut in that one when Nick Bonino was sidelined with the flu after taking line rushes.
Saturday, Edstrom did get the rookie lap ahead of the match but became a healthy scratch when Bonino returned.
He was returned to Hartford after Saturday’s win.
Chris Kreider has recorded 281 career goals that represents the third-most in franchise history, trailing only Blueshirt icons Rod Gilbert (406) and Jean Ratelle (336) after surpassing Adam Graves (280) by scoring twice in Friday’s 5-1 victory over the Ducks at the Garden.
But one thing the native of Boxford, Mass. — about 25 miles from TD Garden — who strolled onto the Rangers varsity from the Boston College Chestnut Hill Campus for the 2012 playoffs, does not do is score goals in Boston.
Kreider has played 20 games in Boston as a Ranger, including three in the 2013 playoffs.
He has one goal, scored on May 13, 2021, in a building devoid of fans during the COVID-restricted season, and a sum of four assists.
Thus, Kreider has played 18 NHL games in front of fans at TD Garden in which he has zero goals and three assists.
Igor Shesterkin avoided the first four-game regular-season losing streak of the netminder’s five-year NHL career.
Shesterkin, who had allowed 15 goals on 93 shots over 177:14 in three defeats (5.07, .839) to Ottawa, Washington and Toronto, had lost three straight in regulation twice before, plus once losing two in regulation and one in overtime.
All three of those streaks took place in the 2020-21 season.
Alexis Lafreniere has no goals in his past 12 games while going minus-six in that span.
The winger endured a 19-game drought from Dec. 9-Jan. 19 last season.
After scoring the winner Friday, Jimmy Vesey has recorded four goals in his past 11 games and six (of his total of seven) within the past 15 contests.
The Blueshirts entered second in the league in power-play efficiency at 30.7 percent (27-for-88). The first unit has been on the ice for 25 of the club’s 27 power-play goals.
The Blueshirts will spend an off day here Sunday before practicing here Monday in advance of Tuesday’s match in Toronto.
The club will go back-to-back leading into the Christmas hiatus with matches at the Garden on Friday against Edmonton and Saturday against Washington.
The schedule resumes after the holiday with a back-to-back at Florida then at Tampa Bay on Dec. 29-30, respectively.
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