Add general manager Glen Sather to the cast of thousands who share the belief that Chris Drury is often his own worst enemy.
“Chris puts too much pressure on himself,” Sather told The Post last night when asked if the captain’s steep decline in production was a concern. “He wants it so much. He wants to do well for the team so much that sometimes that gets in the way.
“That’s my only concern about Chris.”
Drury, who opened last night’s match at the Coliseum on the fourth line with Brian Boyle and Donald Brashear and who shuffled throughout the lineup during the Rangers’ 5-2 victory over the Islanders at the Coliseum, snapped a 19-game scoreless streak. He went to the net to bury a Sean Avery rebound to give his team a 2-0 lead in the first.
It was the captain’s third goal of the season and first since Oct. 19, a span of nearly two months during which he missed five games after suffering a concussion on Nov. 7.
“It just feels good to contribute,” said Drury, who excelled on the 7-for-7 penalty-kill unit while playing a season-low of 14:58.
Drury was told of Sather’s comments. He was then asked how he can reduce the burden and pressure he puts on himself so that it is not a detriment to his game.
“The first thing is that I can’t be dragging the game around with me away from the rink, but that’s not always easy to do,” No. 23 told The Post. “But that’s the first step.
“And then when I’m on the ice, I have to make it as simple as I can by just taking it shift by shift and period by period without worrying about more than that.”
Drury said the coaching staff has also advised him to, “¤‘Try and slow it down out there.’
“But that’s not easy either, because it’s an emotional game, and I’m always telling myself to move my feet so I’m in position to make a play or block a shot,” he said.
“I’m trying to listen to all the advice. I’m trying.”
***
In assessing the Rangers, Sather told The Post that, “We’ve been playing four or five rookies a night, and they’re going through growing pains. When we got off to that [7-1] start, people might have thought they wouldn’t have to, but that’s not the case.”
The Blueshirts, 3-for-6 on the power play, are 7-for-19 in their last four games after suffering through 1-for-16 and 5-for-39 stretches. Michal Rozsival replaced the scratched Ales Kotalik on the first unit point and looked sharp throughout the match, moving the puck crisply and quickly. Rozsival led the Rangers with 26:37 of ice time.
***
Erik Christensen played 10:20 primarily skating between Christopher Higgins and Ryan Callahan on the second line. .¤.¤. Callahan, making a late push for deserved consideration for the U.S. Olympic team, scored twice, giving him four in his last four matches and five in the last seven.