The way John Muckler saw it, Theo Fleury belonged on the power-play right point, not on its right wing. And he said so, rather emphatically, in Edmonton on the day before the season opener.
“”Theo and Petr [Nedved] both want to be the quarterback down low, and you can”t have two players at once trying to run things,”” Muckler said. “”So our first power-play unit will have Theo on the point. The things he can do with the puck, his vision, the way he can pass it, that”s where he belongs.””
The alignment with Fleury at the right point lasted one game, the 1-1, Oct. 1 draw against the Oilers in which the Rangers went 0-for-6 on the man advantage. Beginning the following night in Vancouver, Fleury was down low with Nedved and Adam Graves, as Kevin Hatcher inherited most of the time on the point opposite Brian Leetch.
Fleury”s move off the point coincided with the loss of Valeri Kamensky to a hairline fracture of the forearm, an injury that has kept the righthanded-shooting winger out of the lineup through six straight games, including last night”s Garden match against the Penguins. But after going five in a row with Fleury, another right-handed shot, up front on the power play, Muckler last night returned No. 14 to the point.
“”We just haven”t been very creative,”” Muckler said yesterday morning of a power play that entered last night”s match 3-for-33 on the season. “”We”re playing on the perimeter, we”re not exchanging positions, we”re not challenging the defense.
“”It seems as if we want to make the perfect play instead of grinding, or challenging. We”re standing, waiting and watching. So we”re going to get Theo back to the point, get some better puck movement, and get John MacLean and maybe Todd Harvey time up front.””
Last season the Rangers finished second in the NHL to Anaheim in power-play efficiency, recording a 20.4 percent success ratio. But that was with Wayne Gretzky running things from his now-vacated office, and with Mathieu Schneider getting most of the time at the right point. Indeed, Schneider got an average of 3:42 minutes per game on the power play last year; this season, he”s gotten 2:28.
Leetch, who has flipped at times from left point to right for offensive-zone draws, went into last night”s game leading the league in power-play time, averaging 8:27 per. Indeed, there was a stretch last week in which Leetch went through a sequence of 13 straight power plays during which he never left the ice. Fleury ranks sixth in PP time, averaging 6:37 a game, with Nedved ninth at 6:19.
“”We have to get going on the power play,”” Leetch said. “”Right now, it”s killing us.””
Kamensky, who missed 38 of 246 regular-season games the last three years with Colorado because of injury and now six of seven here, may be able to return Sunday night when the Thrashers visit the Garden. He had ruled himself out of last night”s game prior to the morning skate.
Muckler yesterday morning said that while it is still his plan to get Mike Richter back in nets for Sunday”s match, the decision will not be made until Richter undergoes another Ranger physical and thus receives clearance to play.
Richter seemed optimistic following yesterday”s morning workout.
“”The best I”ve felt by far,”” said the goaltender, who has been out with a protruding disc since the opening two matches of the season. “”[The back is] feeling great.””