Following Rangers practice on Saturday, David Quinn said (NYR):
- Brady Skjei will be a game-time decision tomorrow. He did not practice today
- Freddy Claesson has been cleared to play and things for tomorrow are still unclear with the lineup
- On Brendan Smith, “He’s played well. He had a really good stretch coming back from the break, played well and did a good job up front last night.”
- He wanted to get more of a four-line rotation during Friday’s game which is why Smith played up front until Skjei got hurt
- On Chytil, “there is a lot of uncertainty for tomorrow’s lineup. I do not want him sitting, I want him in the lineup. I need to wrestle with if one more game is the right message or do I get him right back in.”
- Is Chytil dealing with fatigue, “I don’t think it’s fatigue, I think it’s the natural growth and development of a 19-year old in this league. There are a lot of things he is being asked to do or this league demands him to do to have success that he has never had to do before. That comes and goes. When you are not used to doing something before you need to make it a habit and part of your hockey DNA. It’s not there yet but he has shown signs of doing things he needs to do to be the player he is capable of being.”
- How has Chytil dealt with it, “I think he has handled situations well. He is a very stoic guy, he doesn’t show much emotion. He is pretty even-keeled and I think he handles these situations just like that.”
- Namestnikov has played in a different role this season than last, has played in all situations and on all lines, added a bit of an edge to his game and has had a lot of chances.
- On expectations he had for Chytil, “I think he has exceeded them. I’m not a big goal guy from a statistic standpoint because I think they take care of themselves if you take care of the process and play the way that you should. I think he has shown a lot of development and growth, taken a little bit of a step back. I’m not surprised he has 10, he is going to score in this league. I’m focused on him getting better daily.”
- He liked Connor Brickley’s game and how he played in a straight line and went to the net.
Alex Georgiev will start tomorrow and play his third game in the Rangers last four. Henrik Lundqvist will play on Tuesday. (Stephenson)
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