LIGHTNING STRIKES
Ex-Rangers McDonagh, Miller do in Islanders
The return of Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to New York was delayed, and shortened, by Wednesday’s Nor’easter, but when they finally landed in Newark on Thursday afternoon and drove through Manhattan to get to Brooklyn, it all started to sink in for the ex-Rangers.
“Coming out of the Holland Tunnel and being two blocks away from where my apartment was in the city, it’s a weird feeling,” McDonagh said.
“It was kind of weird, coming from Newark, seeing the city and being on a different bus,” Miller added.
The Lightning’s new duo were back in town for the first time since they were traded away, both making an impact in a wild 7-6 win over the Islanders at Barclays Center. They’ll have an off-day in New Jersey on Friday before meeting the Devils on Saturday night at Prudential Center.
Their return to the Garden is still a week away (March 30), but McDonagh and Miller have been welcome additions to the Eastern Conference leaders with the playoffs on the horizon.
“A little bit before the deadline we were a little bit of a stagnant team — we were winning, but it didn’t feel like we were winning,” another former Ranger, and McDonagh’s new defensive partner, Dan Girardi said. “I think when you make a really big change like that, you know that the GM[Steve Yzerman] and owner [Jeff Vinik] have faith in you. They’re giving you the best chance to win.”
The Lightning are 9-2-1 since acquiring McDonagh and Miller in exchange for Vladislav Namestnikov, prospects Brett Howden and Libor Hajek and a 2018 firstround pick and 2019 conditional second-round pick.
In six games with the Lightning since returning from a hand injury that held him out in his final weeks with the Rangers, McDonagh already has two goals — the same amount he had in 49 games this season with the Blueshirts.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper called McDonagh a “stabilizing force” after the for- mer Rangers captain recorded an assist and three blocked shots in 21:34.
“It’s just great to be able to play again,” McDonagh said. “You get traded, it’s a lot of excitement and trying to fit in with a new group. But fortunately they didn’t need to rush me back.”
Miller, meanwhile, has been bumped up recently to join Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov as the left wing on the Lightning’s first line — quite a change after spending some time in his final games with the Rangers on the fourth line. The 25year-old scored his sixth and seventh goals (and 11th and 12th points) Thursday in his 11th game with the Lightning.
“The guys I’m playing with make my job really easy,” said Miller, who finished off a pair of one-timers from Stamkos and Kucherov.
Miller’s second goal ended up being the winner for the Lightning. The Islanders scored three unanswered goals in the third period, but fell short, wasting two-goal games from Anders Lee, Ryan Pulock and Anthony Beauvillier.
Neither McDonagh nor Miller still has his apartment in the city — though McDonagh is still trying to sell his house in Rye — but along with Girardi, they are anxious for the first return to the Garden for all three next week.
“Maybe it’s a good thing that I get to come in here and get to play a couple games around the Garden area before we actually make that visit back,” McDonagh said. “It’ll take some of the emotions and whatnot away from when that game comes.”