The sight was a welcome one for the Rangers, with Adam Fox out of a red noncontact jersey and manning the point on the first power-play unit for the first time since late November.
There even was one 10-second sequence during Sunday’s practice in which the 5-on-4 setup scored twice on goalie Igor Shesterkin.
Fox is eligible to return from long-term injured reserve at any time and is considered day-to-day, although Rangers coach Mike Sullivan stopped short of pronouncing the offensive defenseman ready to rejoin the lineup Monday night in Carolina.
“Great. It’s great. It obviously suggests he’s that much closer,” Sullivan said in Tarrytown about Fox’s return to practice without limitations. “He was [at] full capacity today. We worked him on the power play. He took full contact and we’ll see how he responds, and make decisions.”
Asked about Monday’s game against the Hurricanes, Sullivan added, “I would consider him day-to-day at this point.”
When told that’s “not a no,” Sullivan smiled and repeated, “I would consider him day-to-day at this point.”
Either way, the pending comeback of the former Norris Trophy winner should boost a flailing man-advantage unit that mostly has been forced to use forwards Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad or occasionally rookie defenseman Scott Morrow at the blue line during the 13 games Fox has missed.
The power play went 0-for-3 in Saturday’s 2-0 road loss to the Islanders, marking the eighth time the Rangers have been shut out in 40 games (19-17-4). Two of those opportunities came in the final five minutes of regulation with the Blueshirts trailing by one goal before the Isles sealed it with an empty-netter.
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“Obviously, it gives you energy, it gives you a little bit of a spark seeing him close, and seeing him in a regular jersey and seeing him getting reps on the power play, so yeah, definitely a boost for us,” said Zibanejad, who registered zero shots against the Isles. ”He’s one of the best defensemen in the world, one of the best offensively, as well, so the way he can play, the poise he has, the decision-making, the way he sees the ice, and obviously just being a defenseman and being comfortable on the blue line, it makes a big difference, especially when you compare that to myself or Bread [Panarin].
“It’s just the feel for where everything is, it’s completely different. I think he has the skills and the poise that very few in the world have. It’s a huge boost for us to have him out there.”
The Rangers have gone 6-5-2 since Fox suffered what is believed to be a shoulder injury Nov. 29 against the Lightning, with the power play only managing five goals on 37 tries (13.5 percent).
“Any time we’re missing players, but especially a player of his caliber and what he means to the team, not just on the ice but off the ice, too, that’s obviously an opportunity for other people to step in and help in a different way,” Zibanejad said. “But it would be unfair to say that we haven’t missed him and we’re happy to have him back soon.”
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If not Monday night in Raleigh, then perhaps Wednesday afternoon in Washington. Fox’s return will enable players such as Zibanejad and Panarin to get back to manning roles they are more accustomed to playing.
“I think we all, but especially for me and Bread playing on the flanks most of the time, you end up [on the blue line] sometimes,” Zibanejad said. “It’s nothing, like, crazy, but still it’s just the pivoting and moving and to be able to do that stuff without, I guess, thinking about it. But just the control and how it’s a completely different motion for a defenseman on the blue line would be unlike what we’ve ever experienced.
“We were joking around that it’s not as easy as it looks sometimes, being up there after trying it out. But obviously it’s a big difference when [Fox] does it, compared to most of the guys in the league.”
