Losing Kevin Rooney for at least the next three games is not only a significant blow to Rangers' already weak forward group, but also to their strong penalty kills.
Special teams have been a strong point for the Rangers this season, in addition to a skilled penalty-killing group partially anchored by Rooney and Barkley Gudrow, along with a deadly first power-play unit headlined by Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider. reason. The Rangers are among the top 10 in the NHL in both categories.
Rooney, who was placed on injured reserve after suffering an undisclosed upper body injury against the Blues on Wednesday, has been a workhorse for Rangers since signing as a free agent with the club in October 2020 . There is only one penalty killing. Among their top skill-sets.
"He's a big part of this team," Goodrow said of Rooney after practice on Thursday. "He's playing really well. He'll need a few guys to fill his place. I think the chemistry on PK is important. Once you know the tendencies of the partner you're killing with, If he chooses to be on the F1 or F2 or the strong side or the weak side or whatever, you can kind of have a relationship.
"Even if you don't see him in the play, you know where he's headed on the ice. I've had some really good chemistry between him and me throughout this year."
Entering his matchup on Friday with the Devils at the Garden, Rangers finished seventh in the NHL on a penalty kill, 83 percent. During an average of 4:45 of shorthanded time on the ice per game, he has so far scored 26 power-play goals, the fifth-lowest in the league.
It's also worth noting that the Rangers logged the shortest time at 5-on-3 at just 20 seconds. Rangers have defeated two players only twice this season and have not conceded a single goal so far.
Goodrow leads the Rangers with a shorthanded ice time of just 2½ minutes per game, followed by Rooney and Ryan Lindgren, who are tied at 2:19. Fox isn't far behind at 2:12, while Patrick Nemeth rounds out the top five at 2:05.
In Rooney's absence, expect Greg McKeig to assume more penalty killing responsibilities. McCaig, who played the last 26 straight games before scratch on Friday night, has been at the top of Rangers' depth charts due to his experience level and the fact that he is another option on PK.
Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant is familiar with the 29-year-old, having coached McCaig during his stint with the Panthers and has shown a preference for him over some of the team's young forward options such as Morgan Barone. McCaig played 46 games for the Panthers from 2015 to 2017, but the Gallants were dismissed in just 22 games in the 2016-17 season.