If you watched the Rangers in the preseason, it’s no surprise that rookie defensemen Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy have experienced immediate success.
Del Zotto has already proven that he’s a mobile and capable distributor from the point and earned power play duties. This paid off with his first career goal against Ottawa on Saturday. He followed that up by tallying a goal and assist (both on the power play) against New Jersey last night. Del Zotto looks like he could be the real deal and might be the offensive spark the Rangers have desperately needed on the blue line.
Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy also experienced success on Tuesday. The 25 -year-old rookie notched his first career goal against Devils. Gilroy has excellent skating ability, but I think he ends up out of position too often. He also has slightly less upside compared to Del Zotto since he’s already 25.
Ales Kotalik scored the other goal for the Rangers. It’s extremely encouraging that the Rangers power play has been successful and that the defensemen are producing.
Another interesting wrinkle to the power play situation is that Chris Drury is absent from the two units. Rangers coach John Tortorella said that Drury was not currently in the top six forwards. On the flip side, he-still-has-a-lot-to-learn-about-being-a-pro Brandon Dubinsky, who held out most of camp, is on the power play along with recent acquisition Enver Lisin. I don’t disagree with Tortorella’s reasoning — but I can see this getting ugly in a hurry.
Tags: Brandon Dubinsky, Chris Drury, enver lisin, hockey, john tortorella, matt gilroy, michael del zotto, new york rangers, NHL
