K’Andre Miller returned to the ice after having been excused from one game and one practice for what the Rangers described as “personal reasons,” but the 23-year-old defenseman may not be ready to rejoin the lineup for Friday night’s match at the Garden against the Ducks.
“Obviously I missed the last couple of days due to a personal issue [I] don’t feel too comfortable talking about right now, but I’m doing better, I’m in a better headspace,” Miller said following Thursday’s practice. “I’m happy to be back with the guys and get back on the ice.”
Miller was a full participant in the club’s 50-minute practice, but he did not skate in pairs with joined-at-the-hip partner Jacob Trouba.
Erik Gustafsson formed the tandem with the captain, reprising the pair from Tuesday’s 7-3 defeat to the Maple Leafs.
Hence, the question first to Miller and then to head coach Peter Laviolette about Miller’s status for this upcoming match that kicks off a back-to-back that concludes in Boston on Saturday.
“I just tried to focus on getting back to the rink, having a good practice and getting my feet under me and just try and get moving out there,” Miller said. “Still, there are some things up in the air and obviously the coaches have the final say.”
Miller is second on the team in ice time, his 22:11 per game second to Trouba’s 22:33.
Miller has recorded five goals and seven assists (4-1 in his past eight matches) while on the ice for 22 goals for and 20 against at five-on-five. Factoring in empty-netters and shorthanded goals, he is a plus-five.
But Miller, who had missed just six games since joining the league in 2020-21 before Tuesday — two for an upper-body injury and one due to COVID protocol as a freshman; three serving a suspension last season for spitting at Drew Doughty — may be sidelined for a second straight contest.
“We’re working through the lineup, but it was great to have him out here right now,” Laviolette said. “Getting him back on the ice and having a great day of practice, that’s where he wanted to be and that was good.
‘We’re still making a decision [about Friday’s game].”
Perhaps someone should ask Dr. Fauci if getting hit in the mouth with the puck is contagious. Aaron Rodgers, maybe?
Regardless, it is catching on the Rangers. Jimmy Vesey took a puck to the face halfway through Thursday’s practice when a shot clanged off the crossbar and ricocheted off him in the corner.
The winger — among the club’s most productive and effective forwards the past three weeks — left the ice immediately and did not return.
This is just over a week from when Barclay Goodrow took an errant puck to the face in Ottawa on Dec. 7, a mishap that sidelined the center for one game before he returned wearing a full shield with enhanced protection for his jaw.
“That was not something you like to see happen,” Laviolette said of the Vesey mishap. “You’re just standing in the corner and the puck comes flying off the crossbar.
“I’m certainly hoping [Vesey is OK and will play Friday], but I don’t have a full report. He’s getting looked at.”
Friday night’s contest opens a back-to-back that concludes in Boston on Saturday. It is the fourth such back-to-back scenario of the season — the first three each began on the road and concluded at the Garden.
In each of those first three instances, Igor Shesterkin got the front end while Jonathan Quick started the second game.
The Blueshirts are 4-4 in their past eight games, outscored 33-23 with a .871 save percentage. Shesterkin is 2-4 with a 4.05 goals-against average and .879 save percentage with Quick logging in at 2-0 with a 3.01 GAA and .889 save percentage in this stretch that dates back to Nov. 27.