‘Undertaker’ set to dig into playoff debut
PITTSBURGH − Dylan McIlrath is hungry. Saturday afternoon, the Undertaker will get a seat at the table. Struggling veteran defenseman Dan Girardi is out for Game 2 against the Penguins with injuries to “the whole thing,” as coach Alain Vigneault said Friday. So McIlrath, 23, will become the second Rangers rookie blue liner to make his NHL playoff debut in two games, following Brady Skjei’s Game 1 lead.
“I feel ready,” said the 6-5, 220-pound McIlrath, nicknamed “The Undertaker” while playing junior hockey for the Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) for burying opponents in fights. “I’m hungry. I’m very excited … I’m just ready.”
McIlrath, the 10th pick in the 2010 draft, proved he could play and not just intimidate in the NHL in 34 appearances this season, his best an 11-game December stretch replacing an injured Kevin Klein.
J.T. Miller, McIlrath’s AHL teammate for parts of three seasons, said McIlrath is managing the puck and skating well. He bounced back from a March 6 right knee cap injury to play in the final three games. His presence, though, distinguishes him. “No forward wants to go get a puck in the corner against him,” Miller said. “If you want to test someone and challenge someone, he puts that feeling of fear in the other team, for sure.”
ON THE SPLITS
Alain Vigneault moved Mats Zuccarello off Derick Brassard’s line and onto Derek Stepan’s unit after 40 minutes in Game 1, as the coach did often this season, and that is how the Rangers will start Game 2 since the go-to Brassard-Zuccarello connection of previous years mystifyingly continues to misfire.
“I need more from Stepan’s line. I need more from Brassard’s line. There’s no doubt there,” Vigneault said.
Brassard (58 points) and Zuccarello (team-high 61 points) struggle defensively together and have not recorded a primary assist on the other’s even-strength goal in ages (Nov. 12 the last Brassard-to-Zuccarello, Feb. 18 the last Zuccarello-to-Brassard).
“It doesn’t matter who you’re playing with,” Zuccarello said. “There are plenty of good players in this room to play with when you get the call. What we have to do is find a way to get the win.”