Rangers Get Much-Needed Break After Grueling Stretch

The New York Rangers have been granted a five-day break, including two full days without practice, to allow the team to "recharge" after a demanding period of play. The team entered Tuesday having played 14 games in less than four weeks, a pace matched by only one other team in the league. This respite comes after a three-game losing streak, the latest a Monday night loss to the Kings.

"The physical grind takes its toll, but the mental grind is real," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "To give them an opportunity to get away from the game a little bit, get away from the rink a little bit, recharge your batteries so you can come back with a certain level of enthusiasm, is an important element. I think that’ll be good for all of us."

The Rangers, who hold a 6-1 record at Madison Square Garden, will return to action for a three-game homestand against the Oilers on Sunday, followed by games against the Blues and Flyers. "We’ve been good at home, so coming out of the break having those games at home is gonna be huge," forward Gabe Perreault commented. "We know the fans are gonna be ready to go."

During their recent three-game skid, the Rangers have allowed 18 goals and have surrendered multiple goals in the first period of each contest. "We’re gonna try and reinforce our team game and it starts with our compete level," Sullivan stated. "Other aspects of it is bringing more structure to what we do so that we’re harder to play against."

Sullivan also indicated he had made changes to defensive pairings, splitting up Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson. Durzi played with Alberts Smits, while Pettersson skated with Braden Schneider. The coach has not yet determined if these pairings will remain once the team returns from their break. "We just felt like the last few games or so it’s been a bit of a struggle so we chose to split them up," Sullivan said. "We might experiment other looks, but we’re having those discussions right now. I haven’t made decisions yet on that."

Additionally, goaltender James Reimer was absent from Tuesday's practice due to an upper-body injury, described as being for "precautionary reasons." Reimer allowed three goals on eight shots in his Rangers debut on Monday before being pulled after the first period. Durzi (maintenance) and Eeli Tolvanen (personal) also missed practice.