The Rangers’ power play has gone silent at the worst possible time, with no goals in eight opportunities over the previous two games, both losses, in their first-round playoff series against the Devils.
Despite that lack of production, head coach Gerard Gallant said he isn’t going to make any personnel changes to the unit before the best-of-seven series, which is tied 2-2, resumes in Newark on Thursday night.
Gallant said the power play wasn’t the reason the listless Rangers lost a second straight game at a raucous Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
“Special teams weren’t involved,’’ Gallant said on a Zoom call Tuesday, with the Rangers off before they return to practice on Wednesday. “They were 0-for-2 [on the power play] and we were 0-for-3. So we’ll just continue to do it. It goes in streaks and hopefully we’ll go out and score some big goals for us.”
He’s hoping the group that scored four goals in 10 opportunities in the first two games of the series returns to form and sparks the Rangers as it did during their lopsided victories at Prudential Center.
“We’re not gonna make [many] adjustments,’’ Gallant said. “We had some looks in the other games and we’ll try the same personnel and see where it goes.”
But there may be subtle changes within the same group, as there were during the Game 4 loss. Mika Zibanejad may receive time on the left, from where he can utilize his effective one-timer. Gallant noted the Rangers tried that at times in Game 4, but were unable to set anything up.
“You put them in different spots at different times,’’ Gallant said. “I’m not gonna say if we get three power plays, he’s gonna be in that spot the whole time.”
The Rangers may switch Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin or use Chris Kreider in various spots, but Gallant said he still had faith in the power-play unit.
“They’re talented players,’’ Gallant said. “And it wasn’t the special teams [Monday] night that was the problem. It was the effort of our team. It wasn’t just the power play or the penalty kill. It was the total game. We played 60 minutes and I didn’t like our work ethic.”