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The New York Rangers are back in action on Saturday afternoon, taking on the Los Angeles Kings at Madison Square Garden in a rematch of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
However, the Rangers will be shorthanded as they'll be without one of their key defensemen. K'Andre Miller, who was hurt during the middle frame of Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the in-state rival Buffalo Sabres, was placed on Injured Reserve.
He appeared to suffer the injury when he was hit along the half-wall by Buffalo's Jordan Greenway; the hit looked innocent enough, and while Miller continued playing in the second period, he didn't return to the bench for the third period.
According to head coach Peter Laviolette, this adversity is a chance for the Rangers to rely on their depth to carry them forward, via The New York Post.
“I think everybody goes through it over the course of the year, where they have to count on the depth within the organization,” head coach Peter Laviolette said after practice on Friday. “We feel like we have good pieces in place to come up when it’s their turn to step up.”
In Miller's stead, the Rangers have re-called Connor Mackey from the American Hockey League affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack; he's yet to appear in NHL action this season and played only a single game with New York in 2023-24.
The Rangers and Kings are scheduled to face off starting at 1:00 PM EST.
K'Andre Miller is the second major defensive loss the Rangers have suffered in the last two weeks
The Rangers have already removed one major piece of their blue line with last week's trade of captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks.
A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Miller was taken with the 22nd overall in the 2018 NHL Draft by the Rangers; he's played his entire NHL career with the club.
Beforehand, he played for both the U.S. National Development Team and the University of Wisconsin Badgers.
In 322 career NHL games, Miller has scored 31 goals with 80 assists.
