Gabe Perreault earns promotion, makes impact in Rangers’ win over Flyers
Mike Sullivan’s plan for promising rookie forward Gabe Perreault looks like it’s working out better than even the New York Rangers coach expected, so far.
Before a Saturday matinee against the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden, Sullivan spelled out for the media why the promising 20-year-old forward is best suited to play a third-line role right now. However, Sullivan also noted Perreault may be elevated in the lineup at any point.
In his second game since the Rangers recalled him from Hartford of the American Hockey League earlier this week, Perreault made his coach look prescient.
Perreault was a key contributor Saturday, helping the Rangers rally from two goals down in the third period to stun the Flyers 5-4 in a shootout victory on home ice. His most important moment came midway through the third, when he made a nifty move off a broken play to gain zone entry and get the puck to J.T. Miller, who set up Vincent Trocheck’s goal with 9:13 remaining that cut their deficit to 4-3.
Being in position to make that play was a testament to Perreault earning his way onto the ice in crunch time of a crucial game against a Metropolitan Division opponent. The kid now has three points (one goal, two assists) in five games with the Rangers this season, including points in consecutive games following his recall to the NHL.
Rangers coach didn’t wait long to move Gabe Perreault into top 6 against Flyers
Perreault began the contest Saturday on the third line with Will Cuylle and Noah Laba, He also played on the third line in the 2-1 overtime win against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, when he scored his first NHL goal, a power-play deflection assisted by Cuylle and Laba.
The bottom-six role was a departure from his three-game stint with the Rangers in November, when Perreault played in the top six. But Sullivan sought to tamp down the pressure and expectations on the youngster initially — but left the door open a crack.
“Our observation when we had him up the last time was, it was a really difficult task,” Sullivan said Saturday morning. “And our thought process was, when we put him right up into the top six, is we understand the type of player that he is, and we’re trying to put him in a position to be successful. He’s an offensive player with good offensive instincts, and so our intention was to put him with our best offensive people, and that’s what we did.
“The flip side of that is you’re going to play against the opponent’s top players. You’re going to get the top defense players. You’re going to get the very best players that you’re playing against. And so, this time around, we thought more in terms of, ‘Would it make sense for Gabe if we put him around some different people, and maybe he doesn’t get the top defense pair?’ It gives him an opportunity to act on his instincts and do his thing that way, and then we’ll watch him and we’ll see. If there’s an opportunity to move him up, we’ll move him up.”
It was as if Perreault listened — and then followed his coach’s blueprint for him to a tee.
Perreault played a strong first period for the Rangers, helping to drive play with Laba and Cuylle. The trio established a strong forecheck and generally dominated possession and chances when they were out there 5v5. Perreault hit a wide-open Laba with a perfect pass from behind the net for a point-blank chance that was stopped by Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson in the first period. He also fearlessly went to the front of the net and had several chances on loose pucks and shots from the point.
With the line also getting regular time on the second power-play unit, Perreault’s shot toward the net during a man advantage was knocked down in front, and nearly led to a goal by first Cuylle and then Laba.
Gabe Perreault’s importance to Rangers increases if J.T. Miller misses time with injury
Perreault was engaged and on the puck through the period, and Sullivan liked what he saw. Keeping to his word in the pregame news conference, the coach moved Perreault up to replace Conor Sheary on the Miller-Trocheck line to start the second period – where he stayed for the rest of the game.
“We liked Gabe’s game, we thought he was playing really well, we thought we’d give it a shot,” Sullivan said afterward, looking very much like the cat who ate the canary. “I had this conversation with you guys before the game, so it’s probably nothing that you didn’t expect, so when you saw it, I hope that’s proof that I’m speaking the truth to you guys.”
Perreault was a plus-1 and posted a 73.3 expected goal share when playing 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick. He logged a season-high 15:31 TOI.
Time will tell if Sullivan decides that Perreault did enough to remain in the top six on a regular basis. Based on his pregame comments, it seems likely that the coach will be cautious with Perreault’s assignments and make decisions about his role on a game-by-game, situational basis.
But with Miller leaving midway through the third period with an upper-body injury, that could sideline him, the Rangers will need all the help they can get.
Perreault’s elite hands, vision and hockey sense probably meant that he wasn’t going to stay in the minors for long. Yet his effectiveness and confidence on the ice against the Flyers, even when tasked with tough matchups and creating offense in big moments, must have Sullivan thinking his prized rookie is ready for more responsibility going forward.
One of Sullivan’s responsibilities is developing the younger players on the roster — particularly Perreault, the organization’s top prospect. It’s looking like Perreault is more than ready to make his coach’s task much easier.
