LOS ANGELES — The Rangers opened practice in an unconventional way Thursday afternoon in El Segundo.
It didn’t exactly jump out at first glance. After a closer look at the first drill of the day, however, there was something noticeably different about each Ranger on the ice.
Artemi Panarin, a righty shot, was playing with a left-handed stick.
Captain J.T. Miller, a lefty shot, was skating with a right-handed stick.
Each player was participating in the drill with his off hand.
It’s not a method Mike Sullivan has used a lot, the Rangers head coach said. Maybe once or twice a year, but it mostly depends on circumstances.
“When you start a practice like that, I think it captures their attention,” Sullivan said when asked about the unique drill. “I also think it sets the mood for what’s about to come. So it gives us a certain energy going into the practice that usually we can build on after it. The guys have fun with it. It’s a little bit competitive. I also think that, from a coordination standpoint, there’s value with the brain-body connection.
“It’s fascinating for me to watch it because you can tell some of the guys that are dominant on one side, and then you can tell some of the other guys that have a capacity to be able to execute both righty and lefty.”
Losers of 10 of their past 12 games, the Rangers looked primed to make at least one lineup change.
Jonny Brodzinski, who took just two shifts in the second period and was benched in all of the third in Tuesday’s loss, could be the odd man out for the first time since Dec. 20.
“The biggest thing is just attention and detail away from the puck and a commitment to play defense,” Sullivan said of Brodzinski’s playing time Tuesday night. “One of the expectations of our bottom six is a certain reliability and a certain dependability, and being able to put them out in situations and making sure that their intentions are defense.”
The fourth line primarily rotated during practice Thursday, but it looked like Anton Blidh was set to replace Brodzinski.
Blidh skated in two games for the Rangers earlier this month against the Sabres and Mammoth.
“I think Bleeder brings a lot of energy,” Sullivan said. “I think he’s got a physical aspect to his game. He can be one of those disruptive players. Get in on the forecheck, make it hard on our opponent’s defenseman going back for pucks, playing a straight-ahead, north-south, simple, smart game.”
Asked how much Matt Rempe’s ongoing recovery from thumb surgery weighed into his continued scratching, Sullivan said it was “everything.”
“That’s why he’s not in the lineup,” he said. “We made a decision based on talking with Remps. He wasn’t able to make an impact on the game the way he’s capable of. And although he’s in a position where he can practice with us all the time, that doesn’t mean you’re prepared for game competition, and especially the game that he plays.”