The Rangers are getting closer to having their captain back.
J.T. Miller, on injured reserve since March 3 with an upper-body injury, participated in the Blueshirts’ optional morning skate Tuesday while wearing a red non-contact jersey ahead of their game against the Flames — marking his first time practicing in a team capacity since landing on IR for a second time this season.
While head coach Mike Sullivan said the Rangers will take each day as it comes in regards to Miller being able to eventually shed the non-contact jersey, he anticipated it being “sooner than later.” Miller, who participated in the morning skate alongside defenseman Vincent Iorio and forward Jaroslav Chmelar, is eligible to return from injured reserve at any point, as he has already missed the minimum of seven days.
“He’s had a few number of skates on his own,” Sullivan said at the Garden. “… He joined the group today. Obviously suggests progress.”
When Miller returns, it’ll provide a jolt to a suddenly surging Rangers group that has picked up at least a point in five of six games since the Olympic break, creating a bit of a bright spot in a lost season where they still sit in the Eastern Conference basement. The last three games — two wins, including a 6-2 victory against the Flyers on Monday, and a regulation loss — have occurred with Miller sidelined while the 32-year-old recovered from a new upper-body injury. He also missed nine games across two separate stretches earlier this year.
Miller, in his first full season since returning to the Blueshirts and earning their captaincy, has collected 14 goals and 38 points, mostly struggling to produce after collecting 70 points last year and a career-best 103 in 2023-24.
Jonathan Quick will make his 21st start and 22nd appearance of the season for the Rangers on Tuesday, and while he entered the night with an .888 save percentage and a 3.20 goals against average, Sullivan defended the 40-year-old, said “stats can be deceiving” and admitted that Igor Shesterkin’s stint on injured reserve — which forced Quick to start nine games heading into the Olympic break — impacted his numbers.
“When the roster was put together, I don’t think anybody had the intention of Quickie having to take the ball for that length of time,” Sullivan said, “so I think that had an influence on his overall numbers, but if you look at his game-by-game performance, he’s digging in and he’s giving us a chance to win.
“He’s making timely saves for us most nights that he’s in there, and that’s really what we can ask of him. I think he’s an inspiration to our group, just in how he carries himself. He’s a Stanley Cup champion. I think he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
Vladislav Gavrikov’s three-game goal streak ended Monday, but the defenseman picked up a pair of assists — on goals by Mika Zibanejad and Tye Kartye — to extend his point streak to five games. That marks the longest of his career.
