Via the New York Rangers public YouTube channel, New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette discussed defenseman Zac Jones' play and line combinations ahead of Friday’s high-stakes matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Here's what we learned.
Significant 2/28/25 Quotes from Peter Laviolette
When asked about the status update of K'Andre Miller among others, Laviolette expectedly remained pretty tight lipped.
"So, we've got some game time decisions we're going to be making today," Laviolette said. "Anybody that we were [previously] talking about remain game time decisions ... no updates really."
Laviolette had much more to say when it comes to what his defensive expectations are ahead of going up against Toronto, who as of presstime are favored by 1.5 goals versus the Rangers.
"We'll probably play [the defensive pairings] the same way we always do," Laviolette said. "Some get different zone starts, some get different opponents but I don't think that'll change. Vaakanainen on the right hand side I think is a change for him tonight but we're pretty confident he'll be able to handle that and be fine there."
[Toronto] is an offensive team. They've got high-end skill and firepower. We're going to have to make sure that we're playing well defensively. But the teams that we've played recently as well are capable of scoring a lot of goals; Buffalo scored a lot of goals and the Islanders' offensive has been pretty good lately. It seems like every night you get an opponent and they've got some players you've got to be mindful of. Toronto certainly fits that situation so I think it's just making sure we're doing the right things defensively."
As a result of defenseman Adam Fox being placed on injured reserve, Matthew Robertson has been recalled from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack. As Blue Line Station has previously reported, Robertson was selected in the second round, 49th overall, of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Rangers. The former 49th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft has been impressive for the Wolf Pack this year scoring one goal and 18 points in 47 contests with a +2 rating. The Rangers still carry six healthy defensemen on the roster outside of Fox but Robertson should likely debut given the length of Fox’s recovery timeline. Not to mention, this is the sixth time Robertson has been recalled over last two seasons — with Laviolette detailing his particular reasons for calling up Robertson against Toronto as well during his presser.
"He's a guy that's coming up here just for me to steady a two-way game. He's a big guy and he can skate, close quick and be hard on bodies and physical in the battles. If he get's that opportunity it's a great chance for him to show what he can do."