Peter Laviolette spoke about the Rangers’ hiatus in a playoff game with the same trepidation as if he had been the team’s head coach since reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2022.
Of course he isn’t.
This is his first year with the club, and two years ago he was behind the bench for the Capitals, a team the Blueshirts had just eliminated in the first round of this year’s playoffs.
But Laviolette sees his team on the verge of a reset, as if he saw firsthand how the third-round matchup against the Lightning played out. Hurricane.
Tampa Bay then went on a four-game winning streak with legs fresh off the cold.
“It seemed like we had six days before the first game of the playoffs, but it was really good for our group,” Laviolette said after the Rangers’ series-clinching win Sunday night in Washington. “It was an every-day schedule for a month, so I was able to rest right away. I had enough time to prepare, and then it was time to actually work on the ice, so I could actually play against anyone. There’s some real value in that you can start considering both opponents until you know what’s going on. So I think there’s some value there and the rest is still important. There may be value in a series that is not finished, but may continue.
“But the flip side of the fact is that a team that has lost seven games and has to win in overtime in Game 7 to move on to the next series is going in the right direction with their game. There’s probably a lot of facts and evidence. It could go both ways.”
It remains to be seen whether the extra rest will be a plus or minus, but the Rangers had Monday and Tuesday off and were scheduled to return to practice on Wednesday.
The Rangers could begin a second-round series as early as this weekend.
They will get a second chance to face the winner of the Islanders and Hurricanes to finish the series Tuesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The way the Rangers have practiced all season should help them stay competitive in mind and body, but whoever their opponent ultimately is will have a higher challenge ahead.
“Of course it’s important,” Igor Shesterkin said. “we have [an] We have a few extra days left, which is always a good thing. This will give you more time to practice, [to] Boost your confidence and find out who you’ll be playing against in the next round. ”
