J.T. Miller providing ‘real positive impact’ on Rangers top power-play unit since trade
It’s been an up-and-down season for the once dominant New York Rangers power play, converting at a below-average rate as they approach the 4 Nations Face-off break. But perhaps they’ve unlocked the key to improved success with the acquisition of J.T. Miller.
A blockbuster trade last Friday brought the 31-year-old back to the Big Apple and saw him immediately thrust into a pivotal role, centering Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin on the Rangers top line.
While Miller has already drawn praise from coach Peter Laviolette for his intense and physical play, arguably his biggest impact so far has come on the power play, bolstering an ultra-talented yet underperforming top-unit.
It’s a small two-game sample size, but the Rangers are 3-for-5 on the man advantage since adding Miller to the mix. He’s played an integral role in all three power-play goals, finding the back of the net against the Boston Bruins on Saturday for his second of the day before dishing out assists to Zibanejad and Panarin in the 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
It’s all the more impressive considering he’d yet to practice with a Rangers squad that looks far different from the 2017-18 team he left as a 24-year-old.
“I’m used to having lefties on the unit and they got righties now,” Miller told Forever Blueshirts following the comeback victory Sunday, fueled by a pair of third period power-play goals.
“So I’m trying to get out of the way sometimes and also try to make myself available. And that’s just gonna come — I haven’t even had a practice yet so I’m looking forward to practicing with them.”
From the outside looking in, that adjustment has been seamless.
In Miller’s return to the Rangers, a Saturday afternoon affair against the Bruins, ESPN’s lead hockey analyst praised the Rangers move to reunite with their former first-round pick (2011).
“J.T. Miller is everything that the Rangers do not have,” Ray Ferraro chimed in after Miller tied the game early in the first period. “He’s mean, he’s physical, he is a power forward. Miller’s a really great fit here.”
It’s clearly displayed when the Rangers go on the man-advantage. Like Panarin and Zibanejad, Miller is talented enough to snipe from the wing. In that sense, he fits in on a unit filled to the brim with offensive talent and manned by one of the best power-play quarterbacks in the NHL, former Norris Trophy-winner Adam Fox.
But Miller’s willingness to go to the dirty areas and park himself in the crease provides a different wrinkle on a unit overflowing with skill and finesse. That’s how he netted his first power-play goal of his second New York stint, setting up shop in front of the crease and tipping in a Zibanejad shot early in the third.
“He’s been a real positive impact for us since he’s gotten here,” Laviolette told the media postgame on Sunday. “I know it’s early, but that’s exactly what we were looking for — exactly what we needed.”
The Rangers certainly have forwards who can score from the wings. They’ve also got players with a solid netfront presence, largely thanks to Chris Kreider. But the Rangers don’t have a dominant player who can do both.
Or, should we say, they didn’t — Miller gives them an offensive versatility they didn’t have before, and it comes in the form of a three-time 30-goal scorer.
Miller’s sparked a power play that’s struggled to find its footing finally with over half the season in the books. Now that they’ll have some time to practice as a unit, it could mean the start of a resurgence from a special teams unit that’s not far removed from being a dominant force .
“I think we’re just trying to get to know the tendencies a little bit,” Miller explained. “I’ve played with ‘Kreids’ and Mika so I kinda know what they’re doing. I know ‘Bread’s’ very special and ‘Foxy’s’ a very special player.”
There’s no question the Rangers have surplus of top-notch talent on their first power-play unit. Miller just might bring the edge that gets the unit back to the top of the League.
Related: Rangers trade targets to round out bottom 6, including Brandon Tanev and Nick Bjugstad
Rangers power-play inconsistency underlines disappointing season
Despite a more inspired effort in January, the Rangers are still feeling the effects of an extended skid that spanned late November through December. Even after the triumph over Vegas, the Rangers (25-23-4) enter play Wednesday six points out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference with 54 points.
It’s a significant dropoff for a group that won the Presidents’ Trophy last season and dominated their way to the best regular season in franchise history with 55 wins and 114 points.
Defensive woes have no doubt played a critical role in their fall from grace, but the year-to-year decline from the power play, particularly the top unit, should not be understated.
Fifty-two games into the 2024-25 season, the Rangers power-play ranks 18th in the NHL with a 21.3 percent success rate.
That’s noteworthy for a team that, at least in recent years, has been heavily reliant on power-play success. They were fairly average at even strength last season, but absolutely dominant on special teams, boasting the third-best power play (26.4 percent) and penalty kill (84.5 percent) in the NHL.
This current era of Rangers squads has been synonymous with success on the power play. Since the 2021-22 regular season, the Rangers have finished no lower than seventh-best in power-play percentage, finishing in the top five in both 2021-22 and 2023-24, the two seasons they reached the Eastern Conference Final.
Despite many of the same faces responsible for that success still manning key roles on New York’s top unit, this season has been marked by inconsistency and lengthy droughts.
From Nov. 14-29, the Rangers went a season-long eight straight games without a power-play goal. They’re just a few weeks removed from a month-long drought that saw them muster just two power-play goals on 36 opportunities (a staggering 5.5 percent clip) from Dec. 9 to Jan. 5.
Zibanejad and Kreider, long-time staples on the man-advantage have both been bumped down to the second-unit this season, a move that would have seemed unfathomable in prior seasons.
Kreider’s in the midst of a 12-game power-play goal drought and has converted just once on the man advantage in 23 games dating back to Dec. 6. Zibanejad, meanwhile, is on track to record single-digit power-play goals for the first time since 2016-17, his first season with the Rangers.
One can’t just chalk it up to a decline in talent. Zibanejad shined in the 4-2 win over Vegas, recording a goal and two assists, his first multi-point performance since Nov. 30. And despite battling a back injury earlier in the season, Kreider is still tied with Vincent Trocheck for second on the Rangers with 15 goals.
For what it’s worth, Laviolette spoke highly of both after the Rangers power-play success on Sunday.
“I thought ‘Kreids’ did a great job in front of the net. Mika’s goal was great — just the way he got in there with his nose first,” Laviolette commended “Certainly the way they moved it around the outside, moved for each other, found the seams. Delivering pucks and crashing nets. Just really goof stuff.”
The Rangers still have a window to get back into the playoff mix, and an inspired effort from the power play would certainly aid that quest.
Early assessments of the new Panarin-Miller-Zibanejad line at even strength have been overwhelmingly positive, and with that trio leading the charge on the power play, perhaps the infusion of a familiar face and a power forward is enough to spark the unit back to dominance.
More About:New York Rangers News
Read This Next
