RALEIGH, N.C. — The Rangers don’t just have close to the best lineup information.
They’re throwing curveballs that they’ve shown in practice and games.
So the biggest reason to think Johnny Brodzinski might return for Thursday’s Game 6 against the Hurricanes is bigger than the fact that he slipped on the fourth line in front of Matt Lempe on Wednesday. .
That’s because Peter Laviolette was away from Rempe for this series while the Rangers were on the road in Games 3 and 4, and in the latter, Filip Sittil was out with an illness and Laviolette was unable to control the matchup.
Brodzinski appeared in the Game 4 loss and had a landing time of 8 minutes, 49 seconds, which is longer than Lempe has played in any game this postseason or except for the one regular season game in which he appeared. That was more than he had recorded in all games.
“It felt good,” Brodzinski told the Post after Wednesday’s Game 4 performance practice. “Keep it simple. We didn’t make any mistakes. I think that’s the biggest thing. We [the fourth line] He scored that goal, it was amazing. They were able to play against us right away. Other than that, it was a very good match. ”
It’s true that having Rempe in the lineup has an impact, but that impact was a little weaker in this series compared to the first round.
But it was clear throughout the series that the Rangers were reluctant to put him on the ice, especially late in games, and Lempe played just 6:01 on Monday night.
In the one game Brodzinski played, he had more third-period shifts (four) than the three games with Lempe in the lineup (two).
So, is Game 6 the right time to bring Brodzinski back into the lineup?
“I’ll accept whatever the coach puts out, whatever lineup comes out,” Brodzinski said. “That’s what I’ve been doing for a long time. When I go out, I’m prepared. When I come in, I do my job. I think the most important thing is to always be prepared.”
If Sitiru is available for Game 6, and you think Laviolette leaked that information a day ago, you haven’t been paying attention, but the Czech will likely be back in the lineup, no questions asked. .
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Rangers in the NHL playoffs
However, Sitil remained on the ice late Wednesday, indicating he would not normally play the next day.
If there’s any credibility, then Brodzinski’s name will be available again.
