Peter Laviolette looked at the schedule, smiled and exhaled.
The Rangers coach knew his team needed rest after a tough regular season heading into the playoffs, and that’s exactly what the schedule allowed.
The Rangers practiced for the second straight day Friday after taking some time off to prepare for Sunday’s playoff opener against the Capitals at The Garden.
“It was nice to have a few days off and it was almost different in a way,” Laviolette said Friday. “When you’re playing every other day for 30 days, it can get a little tiring. That means the players can take a few days off and still have three practices. [they’ll practice again Saturday]in front [the first playoff] Games are different.
“This gives us an opportunity to go back and re-work on a lot of the things that we think need to be addressed to make sure that we address a lot of the things that could be affected.” [in the series]. I like that I was able to rest and refresh for a few days. The players here have great energy. ”
One of the mysterious elements of these playoffs, especially this Washington series, is the status of Rangers center Filip Sitil.
He had been sidelined with an upper-body injury since the 10th game of the season in November, but was medically cleared to play.
Sitil has been on the ice for practice the past two days, but he looked especially fast and sharp on Friday.
Laviolette has remained mum on whether Sitil will be activated for Sunday’s game, declining to provide information on the status of specific players.
Another player on the ice Friday was winger Blake Wheeler, who has been sidelined since mid-February with a lower-body injury.
All Laviolette would say to Wheeler Friday was, “Blake skated by himself today.”
One of the key factors to note in this series is how good Washington is in close games.
The Capitals have an impressive record of 20-2-11 in games decided by one goal, despite the fact that they have allowed 37 more goals than they have scored overall.
“They did a good job defensively,” Laviolette said Friday. “It’s a little difficult to get through the neutral zone.” [against them]. Now we just have to play our game. It’s about them and their activities, but for us it’s about establishing our own game. ”
A day after Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau praised the Rangers’ season, Laviolette returned the compliment on Friday.
“It’s pretty cool to see both of us in the building,” Laviolette said of the team’s shared practice facility in Tarrytown. “I was able to have some conversations [Thibodeau] Because we’re both busy and we’re not always here at the same time. He’s a really great gentleman and has done a great job with the Knicks. “This is exciting for fans of the Knicks and Rangers, two teams that had great regular seasons.”
Laviolette couldn’t have been more complimentary of what full-strength forward Vincent Trocheck has given the team this season, with 25 goals, 52 assists and 77 points.
“You’re talking about a player that’s involved in every part of our game: faceoff, offense, defense, power play, penalty kill, 6-on-5, 5-on-6…He’s the first “He’s one of the guys that’s come out,” the coach said. “He’s played a lot of minutes and he’s reliable. He’s one of the best players in the league in terms of generating offensive power.” He’s the one we trust, and I trust him too.”
