[ad_1]
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — At the beginning of training camp, Ryan Strome pointed out that new Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant’s system is “a lot simpler.”
There is more freedom to just play, which deters players from thinking too much. Gallant emphasizes execution, supporting the puck and policing themselves. The 58-year-old is also much less hands-on and has more of an old-school approach than his predecessor, David Quinn.
“I think when I say simplicity, it’s more or less: ‘Let’s just not beat ourselves. Let’s not shoot ourselves in the foot,’ ” Strome said Friday after practice when asked to elaborate on Gallant’s system. “We know we have the skill to do it. But I think in these first few preseason games, you’ve seen guys chip the puck in more than we probably did in the last little while.
“Even in practice [Friday], we did the drill and you’re allowed to go two-on-two and beat a guy, but I think guys are recognizing, ‘Listen, if we don’t have anything, let’s get it in and rely on our forecheck and our structure to make turnovers and get the puck back.’
“We can talk about it all we want, [but] it’s about executing it. I think its simplicity is just more or less just not beating ourselves and I think sometimes we’ve been a victim of getting out there and thinking too much versus just reacting to the game, using our feet and our instincts. And turning pucks over as a result.”
Like many NHL coaches, Gallant doesn’t get into the specifics of his system. Strome revealed Gallant has zeroed in on play around the blue line, instructing the Rangers to get “in and out, don’t mess around with it, especially at key times in the game.”
But Gallant has repeatedly noted his system won’t work unless all 23 players buy into it. The message evidently has made an impression on the Rangers.
“The buy-in level has got to start from Day 1, I think that everyone is seeing that,” Strome said. “I keep repeating myself, but I think guys have said too, that there’s a real feeling of team above self this year. Not that it was ever about individual stuff beforehand, but I just feel a real sense that everyone wants to win, everyone wants to be in those big games.”
The 28-year-old Strome, who is entering his fourth season with the Rangers, added that the third and fourth lines — featuring a few offseason additions — have been able to provide a new boost of energy so far in the preseason. Between the revamped bottom six’s impact and Gallant’s emphasis on defined roles, the Rangers seemingly have a much clearer picture of their team identity, and that’s something that has been missing for quite some time.
“Lines one to four are so valuable,” Strome said. “I think that the more those guys provide that energy and that spark, it’s just going to lift everybody else up. I think that’s going to be a huge thing for our team.
“From one to 23, first line, fourth line, first-pair D, third-pair D, two goalies, it’s literally going to take everybody. I think we have a team that can do that.”
[ad_2]