The New York Rangers lost 5-4 to the New York Islanders on Thursday night in their third preseason game, but that wasnâ€t the main story.
Mike Sullivan played many of his veteran players while slipping the young prospects into the mix.
Gabe Perreault was featured on the first line alongside J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad, which was a big test for him.
Through the first two preseason games, Perreault scored two goals, and heâ€s had a strong performance through training camp thus far.
It was no different for Perreault on Thursday night. The 20-year-old forward stood out playing with Miller and Zibanejad, as he did not shy away from this big opportunity he was given.
“Weâ€ve talked a lot about Gabe. He’s a real exciting player for us,†Sullivan said. “I said the other day that heâ€s an NHL player in the making and I still believe that. I think heâ€s a real talented guy. I think heâ€s going to have a really successful career in this league. I think there are areas where he can improve and get better. Thatâ€s going to set himself up for success. Weâ€ve got to help him get stronger, but thatâ€s just a matter of time. Heâ€s a really exciting player for us.â€
Brennan Othmann is a player whoâ€s had an up-and-down training camp, but was able to bounce back in a big way in the Rangers†third preseason game.
Sullivan entrusted Othmann to play with Alexis Lafrenière and Vincent Trocheck. On that line, Othmann definitely appeared to look more confident and generated some offensive chances.
The highlight of the night for Othmann came when he ripped a shot on the power play for a goal, giving him a much-needed confidence booster.
“Otter has shown glimpses of brilliance,†Sullivan said. “He can really shoot the puck, you saw it tonight. We would like to see him get into the battles a little bit more, play in traffic, going toward the traffic as opposed to maybe moving away from it. We think heâ€s capable of playing that game, but thatâ€s a conversation that weâ€ve had with him here through the first part of the training camp, just trying to define expectations.â€
Arguably, the biggest surprise of this training camp and preseason has been the play of Noah Laba.
The 6-foot-2 center has a lot of potential, and heâ€s really shown it over these past few weeks.
Labaâ€s physical style of play, on top of his sneaky offensive skillsets, makes him a player who can really play up and down the lineup.
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The 22-year-old forward continued his impressive play on Thursday night, and even caught the attention of the already established veteran players.
“Labs has kind of come out of nowhere and really stood out, in my opinion,†Vincent Trocheck said. “Heâ€s making it tough on these guys to make decisions on the roster for opening night.â€
Brett Berard has also built on the progress he made last season for the Rangers, showing promise both through training camp and the preseason.
The 23-year-old forward scored a goal in the first period of this preseason game and he continues to make it harder and harder for the Rangers to send him down to the American Hockey League.
On the defensive side, Scott Morrow has played in every preseason game so far and heâ€s been given a major responsibility, quarterbacking the second-unit of the power play.
Morrowâ€s speed and offensive attributes continue to look impressive. He is certainly a defenseman who has a lot of upside as shown since the start of rookie camp.
While not all of these young prospects will ultimately make the Rangers†opening-night roster, itâ€s a positive sign to see them thriving in these sorts of situations, a possible good omen for the future.
“We’re excited about some of these players, some of these young players that are potentially knocking on the door, that could break through,†Sullivan said. That’s what this preseason is all about, just trying to find out what we have. We’ll try to make the best decisions for the team as we go here.â€
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