Gerard Gallant met with the media following the win over Seattle and said (NYR, MSG):
On the line and PP changes, “good tonight. It went well tonight, good to see him come out early and score that goal early in the game. Played well, it was a good hockey game. That’s a real good team over there, they skate and put a lot of pressure on you, happy with our effort.”
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Did you do a lot of talking with Tarasenko before the game, “no, we showed him a few things, couple of systems things, but nothing really. Obviously the PP, showed him the set up and all that, but let him go play, he’s an experienced guy with a lot of experience. Systems aren’t a huge thing, they play pretty much the same thing we do in St. Louis. Go play and use your skill and talent and that is what is best for him.”
On how the lines shake out with Tarasenko, “Yea, the lines got a little mixed up because of PP time and different PP units, but overall it went real well and I thought both units were moving the puck well and we had scoring chances. What did we get? Two tonight, I think. We’ll, Trouba’s was a bit lucky, but it’s a good PP goal and we’ll take it.”
On Tarasenko, “he was really excited. Just from meeting him this morning, he’s really excited and it’s a great way for him to start his career here with the Rangers, scoring on his second shift on a great play. He’s excited to play, he’s a good hockey player and he’s going to help our team be a real good team.”
On Mikkola, “I thought overall he was good. He’s a big man and it’s not easy coming to a new team without a practice. They had the morning skate, but I thought he was good. He’s exactly what we wanted, a big strong guy and I think he’s going to be real good for our group.”