Rangers Roundup: K’Andre Miller, Dylan Garand, and Ryder Korczak
The New York Rangers will conclude their exhibition schedule on Thursday as they host the Boston Bruins at MSG. They’ll look to try to close out a dreadful preseason with a much needed win, as their record stands at 1-4-0.
Igor Shesterkin will be in between the pipes after Jonathan Quick has another rough outing, losing to the Devils 5-2 yesterday.
Head coach Peter Laviolette will address the media at 4:45 p.m. ET with lineup news and likely updates on injured players. Both Filip Chytil and Tyler Pitlick are day-to-day with upper-body injuries.
Here’s today’s latest buzz surrounding the Blueshirts.
Related: Rangers vs Bruins preview
K’Andre Miller
Despite the Rangers preseason struggles, defenseman K’Andre Miller looks primed and ready to start the regular season on October 12.
Through 3 preseason matches, Miller has registered 1 assist with a +1 rating. The young defender is also playing big minutes averaging 21:24 in preseason action. More importantly, he will have an increased roled for the upcoming season on the second power play unit.
“I know what’s expected (of me),” Miller said at the start of camp. “At the end of the day, everybody wants to be out there to help the team succeed. I’m just trying to push me and my teammates to be better every day.”
Miller, 23, recorded a career-high 43 points (9 goals, 34 assists) in 79 games this past season. It also earned him a new two-year contract worth $3.872M per year in the summer.
The young star will also be at the NHL Shop in Manahattan signing autographs on Saturday.
Rangers send Dylan Garand back to Wolf Pack
On Thursday, the Rangers sent goalie Dylan Garand back to the Hartford Wolf Pack after he played backup to Jonathan Quick last night in Jersey.
Garand, 21, didn’t play much in the preseason with just two relief appearances. However, when he was in net, the youngster was rock solid, making 18 saves on 19 shots. That was good enough for a .947 save percentage and a 1.28 goals against average.
Garand is expected to compete with veteran Louis Domingue to be the Pack’s number one goalie.
Wolf Pack win first preseason tilt
The Hartford Wolf Pack played their first preseason contest and posted a W, thanks to Ryder Korczak in the shootout.
On Wednesday, Hartford defeated the Springfield Thunderbirds at the Koeppel Community Sports Center on the campus of Trinity College by a 3-2 score.
Ryan McCleary got the Pack party started with a goal in the third assisted by promising prospect Adam Sykora. That was followed by a goal from defenseman Seth Barton with Brett Berard and Korczak notching helpers.
Hartford is currently facing the Bridgeport Islanders in their second preseason matchup.
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