“Making this move allows us to show a number of different looks.” JOHN MUCKLER
Introducing the Rangers’ newest left wing – No. 99, Wayne Gretzky.
“I talked to Gretz, and he was all for it,” coach John Muckler, who was constructing a Gretzky-Petr Nedved-John MacLean unit forlast night’s Garden match against the Islanders, said. “It’s obvious that we have to do something in order to create some offense, and making this move allows us to show a number of different looks.”
Gretzky two years ago played a number of shifts on Mark Messier’s right wing, and he has taken the occasional shift on the flank throughout his career. But it’s believed that last night marked the first time No. 99 had ever opened and played a full game on the wing.
“Obviously there’s going to be an adjustment, but both Wayne and Petr are smart enough that they should be able to read off one another so that make each other better and not get in each other’s way,” said Muckler. “The most difficult assignment probably is going to fall on Johnny Mac; he’s going to have to read and be the defensive guy on the line.”
The Rangers, 1-3-2 in the six games immediately preceding last night’s match, had scored more than two goals in only one of those half-dozen. That was the game in Tampa Bay a week ago last night when their third goal narrowed the Lightning lead to 6-3 midway through the third period. Otherwise, they’ve scored one, two, two, two and one, respectively.
Gretzky, who centered Niklas Sundstrom and Mike Knuble the previous two games, has been stuck on 1,071 major-league goals since Feb. 4, a span that includes 11 games. Bothered for months by the neck problem that forced him out of the lineup for 12 games from Feb. 26 through Mar. 21, Gretzky had scored just one goal in his last 21 games and two in his last 31.
Marc Savard, who had been skating between Kevin Stevens and a variety of right wingers, hadn’t scored in 16 games, since Feb. 21. MacLean had gone seven straight games without a goal. Knuble had scored in just three of the team’s last 33 games. Sundstrom had scored once in 10 matches before last night. Manny Malhotra had one goal in his last 14 games.
Nedved, who had registered 14 points (8-6) in the last 14 games while centering MacLean and Adam Graves, and Kevin Stevens, who had scored six goals in the previous 11 matches, had pretty much been carrying the Ranger offense.
“Maybe we’ve grown a bit stale. Maybe we just took it as far as we could with our combinations,” said Muckler.
Savard last night centered Graves, with whom he enjoyed success and chemistry early in the season, and Sundstrom. Malhotra, a fourth-line pivot the previous two games, received a regular shift against the Islanders while skating between Stevens and Knuble.
“Adam should be a boost for Savvy,” said Muckler. “And getting Manny more ice time should be good for our energy level. That [Malhotra] line should give us strong forecheck and puck possession.” *We don’t have a clue whether Bob Clarke actually believes anything that he tells the Philadelphia media, but this is how the Flyer GM responded on Sunday to Neil Smith’s comments the previous day regarding Eric Lindros after No. 88 cut Petr Nedved with a high stick with 3:30 to go.
“Neil has got a lot to say all of a sudden. He should keep his bloody mouth shut about our players,” Clarke said after the NHL suspended Lindros for two games. “He’s got enough problems with his own team than to worry about ours.”
Clarke then had this to say regarding Nedved, who went down to the ice with three separate cuts around his right eye, but returned to play the final 1:05: “It would have been nice to see him get up and play instead of lying there on the ice like a big baby. … I don’t think that represents hockey players very well.”