Rangers may have lost a 3-1 lead and had to settle for a point in the 4-3 loss to the Penguins on Friday night, but it was a game full of moments that confirmed the franchise’s future is over. on an upward trajectory.
The Rangers’ three top scorers were 22 (Adam Fox), 21 (Filip Chytil) and 19 (Kaapo Kakko). Meanwhile, newcomer K’Andre Miller, who turned 21 on Thursday, took on the workload of a veteran defender – and flourished.
Miller’s career in the NHL has four games, but there is a serenity about him that quickly won the trust of coach David Quinn.
Back in the team’s defensive duel with Jacob Trouba on Friday night, Miller recorded a record of his 21:17 career time on the ice. He scored his first point in the NHL, assisting Kakko in the second period, which put Rangers ahead 3-1. Oh, and five hits, two shots, one out and one blocked.
“Obviously, he is a beginner,” said Miller of his first point after defeat. “I’ve been dreaming about it my whole life. You really can’t put all of your hard work as a child growing up, watching the NHL, watching all these guys and then finally going out and playing with them, playing against them. It really means a lot. It was a good experience and happy to have won one. “
For a young player who made the immediate leap to the NHL after two seasons of the NCAA, a learning curve was expected, which he definitely experienced on the Rangers opening flop against the Islanders. But it seems that the fast pace of the NHL slowed for Miller with every shift he did.
“I wouldn’t say it easier, I would just say the game is getting more natural,” he said. “The guys are usually in the right position, so it’s making my game a lot easier. In breakouts, neutral zone, whatever the case may be, the crowd is always prepared and always open and it seems that I always have a way out.
“The guys are making it a lot easier for me and, obviously, working with Troubs, I’m kind of having that older mentor who went through the game, who recorded many minutes, many games in the NHL. It helped me a lot in the last four games. “
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Miller’s early career in the NHL is the defensive struggles entrusted to him.
In the second game against the Islands, Miller was deployed mainly against his third heavyweight line Ross Johnston, Jean-Gabriel Pageau with a soft hand and Kieffer Bellows. Against Devils, he was on the ice for 6:57 against Miles Wood, who scored a point in each of his last three games for New Jersey.
On Friday, Miller faced Sidney Crosby at 7:48 and Evgeni Malkin at 6:14.
“I think that just going against some of [our] the best guys in practice prepared me to face some of those other top NHL lines, ”said Miller. “Obviously, there are good lines in all the teams. Just getting prepared and knowing that you will battle each game is the kind of thing that I have tried to focus on and improve with each game. “
Miller may have drawn attention when he was ineligible during the pre-playoff training camp over the summer, but he proved to be a no-brainer to make the official list, despite an abbreviated camp earlier this month. Now, he is already playing a bigger role, with heavier responsibilities.
“Four games on my resume,” he said, “just trying to be as consistent as possible and help the team in every way I can.”