Rangers Return from Break With Stretch Run Ahead

With the final break of the regular season in the rearview mirror, the Rangers returned to practice on Tuesday staring down the final 32 games of the regular season and in a dead heat with several teams for spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs..
"It's our push to the playoffs. That's really what it is," said J.T. Miller, who entered the All-Star break with a bang with a goal and two assists in the team's 6-5 victory over the Sharks in San Jose on Thursday. "It's going to be tight and it's not going to be easy to get in. We know that every year. We have a lot of good teams fighting for a couple of spots in the playoffs. You can't try and get in in one game; you've got to worry about this week and go from there."

The break allowed some bumps and bruises to heal and for the others, including Brendan Smith, to step away from the game and "recharge" before that begins Thursday against Toronto to open a February schedule that includes 14 games in 28 days for the Blueshirts, who are currently one point behind the Flyers and Devils for the second and final Wild Card spot in the East.
"It's good to get that win before the break and kind of get away from the game, recharge and come back and start playing our best hockey," said Smith.
While the days away from hockey are beneficial physically, Smith said they can also help mentally, especially for a team like the Rangers, who had dropped three straight before edging the Sharks in their final game out west.
"Sometimes you get in that groove that it's hard to get out of when you're losing or things aren't going your way and you just need that break," Smith said. "That's where a timeout comes in handy in a game, and that's kind of our timeout. It's good timing. I know we're good in here and I know we can win and we're competitive, so that's what we're going to be looking forward to here with this playoff push."
Coach Alain Vigneault said for the final two and a half months of the year, it's all about the points.
"You know I've had enough time off," he said. "Two, three-day breaks in between tons of games. It's time to play. We've got 32 games left here. Time to focus on playing well and getting points. That's what our focus is going to be come Toronto."