New York Rangers Daily: J.T. Miller returns home to MSG, Stars land Mikael Granlund in Sharks trade
J.T. Miller’s whirlwind past two days continues Sunday, when he’s sure to receive a hero’s welcome at Madison Square Garden as the New York Rangers host the Vegas Golden Knights.
Miller was traded to the Rangers by the Vancouver Canucks on Friday night, made the flight from Dallas, where the Canucks were playing, to meet the Rangers in Boston. He arrived just in time to play against the Bruins, where he scored two goals, albeit in a 6-3 loss. Then back on a plane, this time with his new team, a short flight to New York, check into a hotel Saturday night and right back on the ice Sunday at MSG.
Yup, you can bet Miller’s head is spinning. But he is happy.
“Obviously, New York is a special place and I couldn’t be happier to be here now,” Miller told reporters postgame. “Just for my family, even outside of hockey, there, there were 1,000 reasons to want to come here with the hockey team that has been one of the best teams in the League for three or four years in a row. I’m excited to be a part of it, trying to get back into the playoff picture.”
He’ll receive a massive ovation from the MSG faithful on Sunday, returning to the Rangers nearly seven years after they traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Funny thing is, Miller was never a hugely popular player in his first go-round in New York, after he was selected in the first round (No. 15 overall) in the 2011 draft. It’s not that he was disliked at all, but he wasn’t super popular. Now he’s seen by many as a savior, a three-time 30+-goal scorer who reached 103 points last season with the Canucks who will be expected to add skill and grit to a team in need of both. Oh, and carry a big responsibility moving forward in helping the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That loss Saturday? It was the third straight for the Rangers (24-23-4), who are 13th in the Eastern Conference, now six points out of the second wild card and seven from the top wild card.
There are 31 games left for the Rangers, with Miller’s help, to figure out a path to the postseason.
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New York Rangers news
Our three Rangers takeaways from the 6-3 loss up in Boston included Miller’s impact in his first game after the big trade, plus a surprisingly bad game from the penalty killers.
General manager Chris Drury expressed his excitement about adding Miller to the Rangers mix, and said that the 31-year-old forward is now a “key part of our core moving forward.”
We broke down the complete trade from Friday and handed out grades for the Rangers and Canucks.
February is an odd month with an extended break for the 4 Nations Face-off. But no matter the schedule, this is an important month for the Rangers, and we break down what to expect.
If for some reason you need all the details on the Miller trade, here’s our expanded story about the Rangers big acquisition.
NHL news
The Rangers and Canucks aren’t the only teams wheeling and dealing five weeks before the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline. The Dallas Stars made a major move, acquiring forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci for a pair of draft picks, including a first-rounder.
The Stars also placed Tyler Seguin on long-term injured reserve following hip surgery earlier in the season and announced that former Rangers defenseman Nils Lundkvist is out for the season following shoulder surgery.
Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman is in hot water after he received a match penalty for an attempt to injure Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle, who left the ice bleeding from a cut above his eye after the incident.
The Senators got the last laugh, winning their fourth straight, 6-0 against the Wild.
Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov had a setback in his recovery and is now out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. He hasn’t played since Nov. 29. Third-string goalie Marcus Hogberg is out a month with an upper-body injury, so Ilya Sorokin will continue to carry the red-hot Islanders.
Injuries do not slow down the Islanders, though. Mathew Barzal and Scott Mayfield got dinged up Saturday, but the Islanders still found a way to win their seventh game in a row, 3-2 in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning on a goal by — wait for it — former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
Like the Islanders, the Detroit Red Wings are also red hot. They won their fifth straight and improved to 13-4-1 under new coach Todd McLellan after a 3-1 road win against the Calgary Flames.
Alex Ovechkin scored again and is now 18 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goals record (894). Despite the game-tying goal by Ovechkin in the third period, the Washington Capitals lost to the Winnipeg Jets 5-4 in overtime, in a battle between the top two teams in the NHL.
Watch Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey score the game-winner against Washington.
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is day to day with a lower-body injury that forced him out of their game against the Edmonton Oilers in the second period Saturday.
The Maple Leafs hung on for an exciting 4-3 win against the Oilers.
Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-0 victory against the Nashville Predators.
Paul Maurice became the fourth coach in NHL history to win 900 games when the Florida Panthers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1.
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