PHILADELPHIA — The Rangers are the fourth-highest scoring team in the conference as they head into today’s showdown with the Eastern leading Flyers, the Blueshirts’ production of 3.0 goals per game (discounting shootout winners) exceeded by only Philadelphia (3.39), Pittsburgh (3.09) and Tampa Bay (3.06).
That’s surprising enough on its face, but it’s almost a shock given the relatively quiet start of the face of the offense, Marian Gaborik, who does have nine goals in his 21 games, but has scored in just five of those matches, with hat tricks in two.
Some of that, as coach John Tortorella has taken to reminding the press on an almost daily basis, is on Gaborik, who doesn’t seem to be finding holes and open ice to the same degree he did last year. Last season, he scored in 28 of his first 57 games and 34 of 76 overall en route to 42 goals, fifth in the NHL.
But surely the inability of the Rangers to find a center who can mesh consistently with Gaborik has been a significant factor in his muffled start. Gaborik has started 10 games with Erik Christensen as his pivot, 10 with Derek Stepan in the middle and one with Chris Drury at center, that the Oct. 15 home opener in which both players sustained injuries.
Gaborik opened with Stepan the last five games, but played just two of his nine shifts with the rookie in the third period of Thursday’s 4-3 shootout victory over the Coyotes, getting five turns with Artem Anisimov and a pair with Erik Christensen as the coach shuffled his personnel.
Tortorella admitted the obvious yesterday, saying that that he does know which center fits best with Gaborik. Maybe it’s Vinny Prospal, who won’t be available for another month.
“No, I don’t, but some of the onus for that belongs on Gabby,” the coach said. “We spend a lot of time finding people for him, but that’s part of the responsibility of an elite player like Gabby.
“But no, I’m still not sure [of the best fit].”
Stepan, according to Tortorella, “is our best playmaking center, at least that’s what I believe right now. But is it a fit with Gabby? I’m not sure.”
If Stepan has not quite clicked with Gaborik, the rookie center believes the onus falls on no one but himself.
“We’ve had moments where we’ve been really good together but haven’t been able to keep it consistently,” Stepan told The Post. “The chemistry we had in training camp, that was kind of new energy, new-season energy.
“I don’t want to say that it’s gone now, because I still find him more than anyone else I, with, but the problems we’ve had are more a matter of me losing confidence a little bit, and then having our chemistry fall apart because of that.
“If I don’t succeed in making a play, or if I miss an opportunity to get him the puck, that lowers my confidence and it lowers Gabby’s confidence in me,” Stepan said. “I know I have to come up with a play for him when it’s there.
“Me coming through for him, seeing a play and connecting on it, that’s the way we’re going to get back our chemistry. And that’s up to me.”
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Physical winger Dale Weise, promoted from the AHL Whale in a “situational” recall, will replace Todd White on the fourth line.