Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant seemingly deployed his four lines differently than he has all season in a decisive 3-1 victory over the Maple Leafs on Thursday night at the Garden.
The ice time was much more evenly distributed, with the Kid Line of Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko logging a team-high 12:45 together. Part of that can be traced back to how the Rangers only had one power play and were on the penalty kill for six minutes, but it was still a noticeable change for a coach who has largely preferred to ride the team’s star players whenever he can.
Who could blame Gallant for that when the Rangers lineup is as top-heavy as it is? The sustainability of the approach, however, is what’s worth questioning. When the Rangers have so many players who contribute in all situations, it’ll be important to be wary of burning them out. Plus, more balanced playing time will give the young core an opportunity to further develop and potentially prove they are capable of assuming more responsibility in the process.
“I don’t worry about the ice time being balanced, I worry about the team,” Gallant said after practice Friday in Tarrytown. “Some games I check it between every period, and some games I don’t bother. It just depends what the score is and where we’re going. Sometimes you want to balance ice time and you shouldn’t. I just go with the feel and where it goes.
“I want to play [Artemi] Panarin 21-22 minutes a night some nights. But the way the feel of the game is and when you’re coaching the game, you’re worried about the score and trying to get the best guys on the ice at those times.”
The Rangers practiced Friday in the same lines they skated in on Thursday night. Lafreniere, Chytil and Kakko donned grey jerseys, which has typically been worn by the second unit. If Gallant opts to continue charging those three with the workload of a top-six unit, it’ll alleviate some of the responsibility from Chris Kreider, who contributes on both special teams, Vincent Trocheck and Jimmy Vesey, who are also key members of the power play and PK, respectively.
Gallant said he wouldn’t go as far to say that he’s still searching for the right lineup combination. In fact, he declared otherwise. But the Rangers will carry a five-game winning streak into Saturday’s matchup with the Flyers and Gallant has been pleased with their play as of late.
“I know what our perfect lines are,” he said. “Are they there today? Maybe not. They might get switched a little bit again. Right now, I’m happy with the way things are going. We’ve got new players added to our team, Trocheck. Has it been a perfect mix with Panarin? No. Has Kreider and Mika [Zibanejad] been a perfect fit? Well, they’ve been together for a long time. You might get back to that. We’ll see, but I like the way things are going right now.”
One lineup change you can probably bank on is Vitali Kravtsov moving back up into at least the top nine at some point. Kravtsov, who Gallant reinserted into the lineup Thursday night after scratching him for three straight games, skated on the fourth line with Julien Gauthier and Jonny Brodzinski. The Russian winger was there again in practice Friday, but Gallant likely wants to ease Kravtsov back into the game.
Gallant noted that he sees Kravtsov as a player he can swap into the top six mid-game. Kravtsov’s talents aren’t suited for a fourth-line role, which evidently isn’t lost on Gallant.
“We know where he fits,” Gallant said of Kravtsov. “So we’ll see where it goes.”