DENVER — Ever since Alain Vigneault began to regularly use his most talented goal-scorers to kill penalties, the Rangers have been more productive playing a man down than with a man advantage.
Perhaps the coach should consider using his best checkers on the power play. You know, the Costanza Theory.
The Blueshirts go into Thursday night’s match against the Avalanche having scored seven shorthanded goals and five on the power play over their last 15 games.
Much of the production is a function of the time Vigneault is giving guns such as Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis — who got his first goal in 15 games as a Ranger on Tuesday in Vancouver by converting a shorthanded two-on-one feed from No. 61 on the penalty-kill unit.
“I just feel our top guys are playing the kind of hockey that I can use them on the power play and penalty kill,” said Vigneault, who did not use the Sedin twins to kill during his seven-year tenure in Vancouver. “They do what it takes to kill penalties; get in the lanes, block shots, maintain good structure.”
Nash, who was on the Blue Jackets’ primary penalty-kill unit from 2007-08 through 2009-10, began killing for Vigneault shortly before the Olympics. His shorthanded ice time has increased since the trade deadline. St. Louis has killed penalties regularly throughout his career.
The Blueshirts’ 10 shorthanded goals ranks tied for second in the NHL behind the Flames, who have scored 12. The Rangers — whose other primary killers include Brian Boyle, Carl Hagelin, Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello — are sixth in penalty-kill efficiency at 84.7 percent.
The Rangers lead the NHL with a franchise record 25 road victories that include the pair at Yankee Stadium. The Blueshirts are 25-14 after starting the season 2-6 away from the Garden.
“I don’t know if I’ve been here long enough to detect the reason for being so successful on the road,” said St. Louis, with whom the club has gone 7-3 wearing visiting white. “I do know that this team is very resilient, tough to play against, and plays the style of hockey that we’re not going to have to turn on a switch and change for the playoffs.
“It’s felt like playoff hockey since I’ve been here.”
The Rangers are 18-16-4 at the Garden this season.
The Blueshirts’ magic number is three (points) to clinch a playoff berth. Any combination of three points the Rangers get or the Caps fail to get will put the club into the tournament for the eighth time in nine years. The Caps next two games are in New Jersey on Friday and at the Island on Sunday.
The Rangers lead the Flyers by three points in the battle for second place in the Metro Division and first-round home ice in what is shaping up to be the first New York-Philadelphia playoff series since the 1997 conference finals. The Flyers have seven games remaining, two more than the Rangers.
General manager Glen Sather announced the club assigned forward J.T. Miller to the Hartford Wolf Pack. He was scratched from the Rangers’ last two games.