PHILADELPHIA — Shots, puck possession, creating scoring opportunities — all of that is on the early-postseason résumé of Rangers star forward Rick Nash.
Yet heading into Game 6 of their first-round playoff series against the Flyers on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center, the most glaring aspect of his performance is the absence of a goal.
“He’s due,” coach Alain Vigneault said after Monday’s optional practice at the Garden, his team up in this best-of-seven contest 3-2 despite the fact Nash is still goal-less on 23 shots, tying him with teammate Martin St. Louis for the series lead. “He’s had some great looks and is working real hard. I have, and his teammates have, a lot of confidence in him. He’s doing a lot of the right things, and sooner or later those are going to go in.”
Nash led the Rangers in the regular season with 26 goals, and had a respectable 10.1 shooting percentage. Yet last season’s one goal in 12 postseason games — his first as a Ranger — is a fact that’s becoming increasingly difficult to forget.
“Rick is going to find a way to find the back of the net,” said Nash’s center, Derek Stepan, who has been a terrific facilitator thus far, allowing for his right-wing, St. Louis, to match Nash in shots and lead the team with six points (two goals).
“He’s an elite player,” Stepan said of Nash.
The Rangers’ power play has continued to be a point of contention, as the unit has gone 15 consecutive chances without a goal, and hasn’t scored since Benoit Pouliot’s goal — which came on a rush — in Game 2. The power play is 3-for-23 (13 percent) in the series, the first two coming at the end of Game 1, and helping the Rangers win that contest.
“The power play, we’d like to get more shots,” said Brad Richards, the seemingly omnipresent quarterback, playing a team-high 29:32 of the total 39:09 of man-advantage time. “I’d like to see more go in, but we’ll keep battling out there. It’s hard to score in the playoffs.”
Chris Kreider (left hand) skated before his team’s optional practice, and was being timed while doing conditioning drills. He did not stickhandle, and is almost assuredly not available for Games 6 or 7, the latter on Wednesday night at the Garden, if necessary.
Kreider had surgery on the hand on March 28, and has missed 14 straight games going back to the final nine of the regular season.
According to reports, Flyers coach Craig Berube was indecisive on whether Hal Gill would remain in the lineup after the 39-year-old veteran had an atrocious Game 5, or if he would be replaced by inexperienced 25-year-old Erik Gustafsson. Gill came in for top-four blueliner Nicklas Grossman, who left Game 4 with a lower-body injury and remains out.
Gill has 111 games of playoff experience, while Gustafsson has 91 NHL games total, none in the postseason.