PHILADELPHIA — After a one-game absence, Rangers rookie forward J.T. Miller returned to the lineup for Tuesday night’s 5-2 win over the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center.
Miller, 20, also was moved back to center, skating between Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan, finishing with 17:11 of ice time and two shots on goal.
“I wanted to put Miller in the middle of the ice,” coach John Tortorella said. “I thought he played very well.”
With Miller coming back in, Tortorella chose Darroll Powe as the healthy scratch up front. Powe has played in 20 games for the Rangers, including what was 14 straight after coming back from a concussion. He was acquired in an early February trade that sent Mike Rupp to the Wild, and is pointless on the season.
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Swedish winger Jesper Fast flew into New York yesterday and is set to see doctors to take care of his physical either today or tomorrow. He was given permission to come over from the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, and there will be no restrictions on how he can be used. He will not necessarily have to be sent back for the World Championships, taking place in early May.
It’s unlikely Fast be in Ottawa where the Rangers play tomorrow night, and the team will soon decide on his future. The 2010 sixth-round pick is on an entry-level contract that would carry a cap hit of $900,000.
* Diminutive Norwegian winger Mats Zuccarello is expected to join the team in Ottawa later today, and could dress for tomorrow night’s game. Having signed a one-year, $700,000 deal on Monday, Zuccarello will rejoin the Blueshirts after having spent the year with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian-based KHL.
* Tortorella won his 400th career game, and was humble in acknowledging the accomplishment.
“You know what that is? It’s just being in this damn business too long,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate to be allowed to coach in the league, and that doesn’t mean a whole hell of a lot to me. I’ve been surrounded by some really good people.”
Tortorella, 58, is the 30th coach in league history to reach the mark. His 161 wins for the Rangers is fourth all-time in franchise history, now three shy of Tom Renney, his predecessor.
* Midway through the first period, Tortorella broke up the Dan Girardi–Ryan McDonagh defensive pair, the odd man out was 38-year-old veteran Roman Harmlik.
Hamrlik played 4:19, with one shift in the second period and none in the third.